MPA Civil Liberties Panel DNA report ‘Protecting the Innocent ’

26/11
22 June 2011

The MPA Civil Liberties Panel (CLP) report ‘Protecting the Innocent ’, which looks at the London experience of DNA and the National DNA Database, is published today 22 June 2011. It will be presented to the MPA full Authority meeting for final ratification on Thursday 30 June 2011.

Victoria Borwick, MPA member and chair of the CLP, said:

“Taking and retaining DNA samples understandably creates controversy. It is a deeply emotive issue, which some see as an invasion of their privacy. But there is no doubt the accurate identification of suspects through DNA analysis is a vital tool in the detective’s armoury.

“The public needs absolute assurance that the Met robustly maintains correct procedures, from the initial taking of the samples, their examination and storage, to their deletion.  This needs to run alongside a much more open explanation of the national DNA database and reassurance as to how it is used.

“The CLP report reviews how the Met handles and manages DNA, the measures and safeguards in place to strengthen public confidence, and how important issues can be made clearer to address public concerns.

“The panel hopes the report’s recommendations, and the evidence we have gathered to explain the processes and controls in place, will be equally valuable to both Londoners and those in the Met who carry out this important duty.”

The report looks at what happens to a DNA sample from when it is taken by police from an individual, through to its inclusion on the national DNA database.  The whole process is examined in detail, and focuses on the impact on individuals and specific groups, specifically their perceptions, fears and concerns.

Recommendations include:

• provide clear, accessible information and reassurance to all those who have their DNA taken
• reassure the wider public that robust and transparent systems are in place for the taking, retention and storage of DNA
• strengthen the current Met processes in relation to DNA to achieve consistency and acknowledge equality and diversity implications in relation to the use of DNA
• address issues relating to communication, research and independence
• increase focus on ethical issues to reassure and inform the public

The report also looks at the governance of the national DNA database and how this might operate more effectively and thereby reassure Londoners and the wider public.

Publication of the report coincides with new legislation, the Protection of Freedoms Bill, including the use of DNA in policing, and this is also reviewed in the report. The Bill contains provisions to limit the current indefinite retention of DNA samples and profiles on the database. 

Victoria Borwick concluded:

"I would like to thank everyone who participated in this scrutiny and provided us with such valuable information , and the members of the Civil Liberties Panel who have monitored the journey of a DNA sample, the operation of the database and examined the civil liberties concerns.

“To retain public confidence in the use of DNA in policing and the way we take, retain and use it, a balance must be found between civil liberties, public reassurance and the need to maintain public safety.”

Notes to editors

1. Victoria Borwick is available for interview.  Please contact the MPA press office 0207 2020 0217/8

2. The full report can be found on the MPA website at: www.mpa.gov.uk/committees/mpa/2011/0630/04

3. Members of the Civil Liberties Panel are Victoria Borwick (Chair), Valerie Brasse, Dee Doocey, Kirsten Hearn, Jenny Jones, Clive Lawton, Joanne McCartney.

4. Metropolitan Police Authority’s Civil Liberties Panel was set up in 2009 to look at whether the Met has got it right in terms of achieving a balance between reducing crime, protecting the public, and upholding civil liberties.
More information about the Civil Liberties Panel can be found at: www.mpa.gov.uk/clp

5. More information about Met Forward can be found at: www.mpa.gov.uk/publications/metforward

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