'Grandfather of DNA' attacks government policy
DNA pioneer calls for removal of innocent profiles
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Thursday, 10, Sep 2009 12:43
The man who pioneered DNA fingerprinting has called for the profiles of innocent people to be removed from the controversial national database.
Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys was speaking on the 25th anniversary of his breakthrough when he criticised the government for the policy of holding on to the profiles despite people having never been charged or convicted.
Speaking to the BBC, the 59-year-old said: "My view is very, very simple – has been from the outset.
"Innocent people do not belong on that database. Branding them as future criminals is not a proportionate response in the fight against crime.
"I've met a fair number of these people and some of these people are very, very upset and are distressed by the fact that their DNA is on that database. They cannot get it off and they feel as if they're branded as criminals."
The national database has attracted huge controversy, with strong opposition against the retention of thousands of samples belonging to people never charged with an offence.
Under current legislation, anyone arrested has their fingerprint stored for life.
The government has faced continual opposition to the policy and the fact children's profiles are also kept. Last year it also received a significant setback when human rights judges ruled the scheme breached privacy rights.
Conservative shadow immigration minister Damian Green announced last month he had successfully managed to have his DNA wiped from the database after he was controversially arrested over Home Office leaks.
Sir Alec made his breakthrough discovery in DNA on September 10th 1984. He uncovered the fact that variable patterns in the structure of DNA could be used to distinguish one person from another.
This technique eventually led to the development of DNA fingerprinting.