HomeRegisterRemove DNA Profile
HomeGrant Shapps MPWhat is CONDNational DNA DatabaseKey QuotesGet InvolvedRemove DNA Profile



The problem as Grant sees it

Grant Shapps, who is the MP for Welwyn Hatfield in Hertfordshire, was surprised to discover that a 14 year old constituent of his was unable to have his DNA profile removed from the Police National DNA Database, despite the fact that the police freely acknowledged that he wasn't in any way guilty.

The case of Jack Saywood from Welwyn Garden City brought national media attention he was inadvertently arrested in a case of mistaken identity. The only link between Jack Saywood and the criminal who was eventually arrested, charged and convicted, was that his first name was Jack. It was a simple error, which should have automatically led to the fourteen year old boy's DNA profile being immediately deleted.

When Jacks' mother, Frances, came to see Grant at his MP's Surgery, it seemed that a simple letter to the Hertfordshire Chief Constable would be sufficient to have this simple mistake corrected, but when the answer was NO, Grant started to make enquiries in Parliament about the growth of the DNA database, but in particular in reference to how many innocent young children might be in the same position as Jack Saywood.

Amazingly it turned out that there were more the 24,000 children who had never been charged or cautioned, but whose details remain on the Police National DNA Database for life.

The COND (Innocenet Children Off National DNA Database) campaign is for the removal of innocent children from the police national database.

The Unusual Suspects?





Grant Shapps is fighting to get 27,000 "innocent" Children OFF the National DNA Database. Contained within this number are children who have never been charged or cautioned and in the opinion of this campaign, where the police have no particular suspicion about their being involved in any wrong-doing, they should be removed.

The concern is that the Government is intent on creating a national children’s DNA database by stealth. If a national database is to exist then this campaign believes that it should be established via the deliberate objective of Parliament, rather than on a ad hoc basis.

If you share this concern then you can act in one of the following ways.  If you're concerned about your own child's DNA being stored (the same rules apply for adults too), then there's a very useful section on this website containing information about how you can go about trying to have the data removed from police records. See 'Remove DNA Profile' link along the top or click here.

 

Support from other families in a similar position
A new website has just gone live. It's called DNA support info and is well worth a visit. It's set up by families who have experienced the DNA database from the sharp end and you'll find the support site here.


 
 

Report on retention of innocent children's DNA
broken down by police constabulary

Based on entirely new research, this report flags up the huge regional variation between different police forces into the collection and retention of DNA data from innocent children. Report release date: 20th February 2006.  You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer to open the report.

Download COND report here.
 

 

 


Poll
Do you believe that police should keep DNA profiles of children, who have not been cautioned or charged with an offence, on a national police database?

Report on retention of innocent children's dna
Click here to access the COND regional report. Based on entirely new research, the report flags up the huge regional variation between different police forces into the collection and retention of DNA data from innocent children. Report release date: 20th February 2006.