Comment: 'The Independent' reports that the British Home Office funded a research asking for the views of the public about the DNA database that now has the genetic records of over four million people in the UK who have had dealings with the police, even if later found innocent. For an earlier coverage on the same subject, please see here.

The public believed samples provided by the innocent should be destroyed and those of people convicted of lesser offences removed after a few years while an independent organization should manage the database itself. The panel members unanimously supported a nationwide publicity campaign to raise awareness of the database, using the internet, posters, leaflets and school visits. The research findings were presented to ministers for an eventual decision on how this database should be managed. The database contains the records of 100,000 children.

The Independent full text

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