DNA of Wales' Innocent Should Not be Held Indefinitely

12.00.00am GMT Wed 9th Jan 2008

Commenting on the Government's launch of a 'citizen's inquiry' into the way the national police DNA database is used and whether it is right to store DNA of people not charged or those who are acquitted, Jenny Willott, Welsh Liberal Democrat MP for Cardiff Central, said:

"The Government has got its DNA policy back to front and inside out. It seems absurd that the Government's has collected and stored one in every dozen's DNA, and then to ask whether it was right to do so or not.

"They should have been asking these questions before it ever launched the DNA database, and certainly before it began collecting the DNA of over 260,000 Welsh people, including over 7,000 children, regardless of whether they have been proved guilty of a crime or not.

"The Government must curb its tendency to head for the most authoritarian solutions of a police state.

"Innocent people's DNA should be destroyed after investigation. We need vigorous safeguards in place to prevent abuse of the system and the Government should put an end to the database DNA research it has licensed until consent is given from all those involved."