Battle to wipe son's DNA from database

Herts And Essex News
Mar. 03, 2006

THE mother of a Goffs Oak teenager, whose DNA was added to a national database even though he had committed no offence, has enlisted the help of a human rights barrister in her fight to get her son's profile removed from the controversial register.

The mum is livid that a sample of her 15-year-old son's DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) was added to the national police database simply because he was stopped and questioned by police.

She claims her lad has been through an overwhelming ordeal since he was stopped and searched while walking in Goffs Oak two weeks ago.

"Although he had done nothing wrong, he was handed a form which banned him from returning to the area for 24 hours," she explained.

"My son, like most youths his age, didn't have a watch and returned the next day to go to the shop, believing the ban had expired.

"He was arrested, read his rights and thrown into a cell for 90 minutes."

The youngster was given a caution for breaking the ban, which meant officers had the right to take his photo, his fingerprints and a sample of his DNA.

The mum is now liaising with a human rights barrister to ensure her son's DNA profile is removed from the database. She has also written to Herts police chiefs to air her views.

Under current law, his DNA can be kept on the database indefinitely.

Welwyn/Hatfield MP Grant Shapps (Con), whose constituency includes Newgate Street Village, is one of the many high-profile figures to publicly question the database.

"If the Government wants to build a DNA database of the entire population, starting with kids - bring forward proposals, pass it through Parliament and have a debate," he said.

Broxbourne MP Charles Walker (Con) added: "I am extremely concerned about police forces covertly building DNA databases without the approval of Parliament. We live in a democracy not a police state."

But a spokesman for Hertfordshire Constabulary said the force had acted appropriately. "There is clear national legal guidance on the sampling and storage of DNA samples from a person arrested," he said.

"Only in exceptional circumstances would a DNA sample be removed from the national database."