The report is from the Nuffield Council and it calls for a number of changes to the way law enforcement agencies in the UK handle genetic information. (Britain is said to have the largest forensic DNA database in the world.) Among the report’s (one page pdf summary) recommendations:
+ The police should only be allowed to store permanently bioinformation from people who are convicted of a crime, with the exception of people charged with serious violent or sexual offences.
+ Volunteers, including victims and witnesses, should be able to have their DNA removed from the National DNA Database at any time without having to give a reason.
+ An ethics and governance framework for the National DNA Database should be developed. An independent tribunal should also be established to oversee requests by individuals to have their DNA removed from the Database.
+ There should be a statutory basis for the regulation of forensic databases. This should include oversight of research and other access requests. The current legislative framework is patchy and piecemeal.
+ The establishment of a population-wide forensic DNA database cannot be justified at the current time. The potential benefits would not be great enough to justify the cost and intrusion to privacy.
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-Greg Dahlmann