The number of DNA profiles produced from samples taken from individuals by police forces in England and Wales which have been removed, for all reasons, since 2002-03, and the number of profiles held on the National DNA database (NDNAD) (for England and Wales police forces) at the end of each year, are shown in table 1. Removals broken down by police force are shown in table 2.
Information is not available breaking down removals into the number resulting from requests from the person from whom the DNA sample was taken, and the number resulting from other reasons. Details of removals before 2002-03 are not available because the NDNAD does not retain historic information; in 2002, an NDNAD management information database was created, which captures details of all record ‘transactions’, including the removal of records, and enabled the collection of this information from this point. As some profiles are duplicates, the number of profiles and the number of individuals these represent are not the same.
Profiles removed Profiles held (approximate) 2002-03 1,525 2,068,000 2003-04 321 2,350,000 2004-05 42 3,008,000 2005-06 136 3,478,000 2006-07 276 4,136,000 20071 241 4,650,000
Force 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 20071 Avon And Somerset 0 2 0 1 14 5 Bedfordshire 0 1 0 2 2 2 British Transport 4 1 0 3 6 1 Cambridgeshire 2 0 0 0 2 4 Cheshire 0 0 0 0 8 2 City of London 0 0 0 0 1 3 Cleveland 0 2 2 4 0 4 Cumbria 10 0 1 0 1 2 Derbyshire 6 1 0 0 2 1 Devon and Cornwall 19 1 0 1 8 2 Dorset 2 1 1 1 2 2 Durham 0 0 0 0 2 4 Dyfed-Powys 0 2 0 1 2 4 Essex 6 1 0 2 3 10 Gloucestershire 1 1 1 1 1 2 Greater Manchester 10 1 1 3 10 6 Gwent 62 55 0 1 1 1 Hampshire 49 22 0 5 8 4 Hertfordshire 10 0 1 1 12 3 Humberside 3 1 0 2 0 5 Kent 3 0 2 4 9 2 Lancashire 2 0 0 4 4 1 Leicestershire 1 3 0 1 4 1 Lincolnshire 1 0 0 6 0 6 Merseyside 8 2 4 2 2 1 Metropolitan 17 4 10 45 68 47 Norfolk 3 1 0 1 1 5 North Wales 2 1 0 0 0 0 North Yorkshire 3 1 0 1 4 4 Northamptonshire 1 0 0 0 1 0 Northumbria 6 2 2 4 9 13 Nottinghamshire 1 0 1 5 12 5 South Wales 4 0 0 5 1 1 South Yorkshire 42 0 0 5 4 12 Staffordshire 1 0 0 2 4 2 Suffolk 0 1 0 0 2 3 Surrey 56 0 0 0 8 11 Sussex 2 3 5 0 7 5 Thames Valley 27 0 1 1 5 5 Warwickshire 3 0 0 0 0 1 West Mercia 3 1 0 0 2 4 West Midlands 37 1 2 4 29 12 West Yorkshire 1,118 209 8 5 12 27 Wiltshire 0 0 0 13 3 6 Total 1,525 321 42 136 276 241 1 April to 31 December.
Information on the National DNA database (NDNAD) is recorded and held on the basis of the police force which took the DNA sample. It is not available by parliamentary constituency or by local government authority area.
The table gives details of the number of violent offences in which a crime scene sample profile has matched with one or more subject profiles in each of the years since the 2002-03 financial year, for Humberside police, North Yorkshire police, South Yorkshire police and West Yorkshire police. Figures are not available for the years prior to 2002.
‘Violent offences’ cover the offences murder/manslaughter, attempted murder, other suspicious death, wounding and less serious assault.
Humberside North Yorkshire South Yorkshire West Yorkshire Total 2002-03 5 3 32 58 98 2003-04 13 2 22 37 74 2004-05 17 7 35 44 103 2005-06 29 10 42 81 162 2006-07 19 15 24 61 119 2007-08 22 9 39 53 123 2008-09 to date 10 3 19 28 60 Note: Some of the offence codes used on the NDNAD cover more than one of the recorded crime classifications e.g. murder/manslaughter.
The purpose of the National DNA database (NDNAD) is to match DNA profiles taken from individuals with those taken from crime scenes. It therefore holds only the information necessary for this function, and does not contain criminal records or information on whether those on it are in prison. There are, however, good reasons for believing that the great majority of the prison population has a profile on the NDNAD. Police forces have had the power to retain DNA taken from those convicted of recordable offences since the establishment of the DNA database in 1995. For the first few years this power was exercised in relation to more serious offenders, but from 2000 onwards additional funding was made available under the DNA Expansion Programme to make it standard practice to take samples from all offenders. Since the extension of powers to take DNA samples to all those arrested for recordable offences, taking a DNA sample in the custody suite has become routine procedure. In addition, two prisoner sampling projects have been undertaken, most recently in 2003, to take DNA from any prisoner who had not already been sampled, for example because they had been imprisoned before DNA sampling was widely practiced.
Between 1 January and 31 August 2008, 148 subject profile records were deleted from the NDNAD under the exceptional case procedure (i.e. following a request to the chief officer of the responsible force from the person concerned). This covers records loaded by English and Welsh forces only.
(2) how many (a) children and (b) adults resident in Southampton had their DNA recorded on police files in each of the last five years.
Information held on the National DNA database (NDNAD) is available on the basis of the police force which added the DNA profile, not the address of the person sampled. Information is, therefore, not available on the number of residents of Southampton and the different local authorities in non-metropolitan Hampshire who have had a DNA profile added. Information is, however, available on the number of profiles added by Hampshire constabulary in the last five years, as shown in the following table. These do not necessarily relate to residents of Hampshire.
Profiles loaded taken from: Aged under 18 at time profile loaded Aged 18 and over at time profile loaded 2003-04 3,465 10,565 2004-05 4,229 11,250 2005-06 4,751 16,007 2006-07 3,599 11,891 2007-08 4,606 15,664 2008-09 to date 1,668 5,699
The number of profiles is not the same as the number of individuals. This is because a number of subject profiles on the NDNAD are replicates, that is, a profile for a person has been loaded to the NDNAD on more than one occasion. This may arise for a number of reasons, such as a person giving a different name on different occasions they are arrested, or because of upgrading of profiles from the SGM to the SGM Plus profiling system. It is estimated that 13.3 per cent. of the subject profiles held on the entire NDNAD are replicates. However, this rate may vary between police forces, so figures for the number of individuals are not given for particular forces.
(2) how many people had a DNA profile on the National DNA database in each of the last 12 months, broken down by (a) sex and (b) ethnic origin.
As at 17 September 2008, there were 4,991,871 subject profiles retained on the National DNA database (NDNAD) which had been added by English and Welsh police forces, which equates to an estimated 4,327,952 individuals. The number of profiles is not the same as the number of individuals. This is because a number of subject profiles on the NDNAD are replicates, that is, a profile for a person has been loaded to the NDNAD on more than one occasion. This may arise for a number of reasons, such as a person giving a different name on different occasions they are arrested, or because of upgrading of profiles.
Table 1 shows the number of subject profiles loaded to the NDNAD by English and Welsh police forces in each of the last 12 months, broken down by gender. ‘Unassigned’ means that no gender was recorded by the police officer who took the sample.
Table 2 shows the number of subject profiles loaded to the NDNAD by English and Welsh police forces in each of the last 12 months, broken down by ethnic appearance. Ethnic appearance is based on the judgment of the police officer taking the sample as to which of six broad ethnic appearance categories the person is considered to belong. ‘Unknown’ means that no ethnic appearance was recorded by the officer taking the sample.
2007 2008 Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep1 Female 11,448 11,608 11,377 8,943 11,816 9,312 10,884 11,462 10,558 9,458 11,527 12,858 5,447 Male 33,749 34,241 33,623 26,776 37,005 28,911 32,733 34,117 30,785 28,324 34,193 38,117 15,777 Unassigned 127 105 137 107 144 97 139 161 116 125 144 224 73 Total profiles 45,324 45,954 45,137 35,826 48,965 38,320 43,756 45,740 41,459 37,907 45,864 51,199 21,297 Total individuals 39,296 39,842 39,134 31,061 42,453 33,223 37,936 39,657 35,945 32,865 39,764 44,390 18,464 1 1 to 16 September 2008
2007 2008 Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep1 Unknown 2,733 2,813 2,444 1,853 2,521 1,568 1,551 1,672 1,668 1,447 1,784 2,129 1,048 Asian 3,134 3,311 3,377 2,635 3,383 3,090 3,183 3,361 3,128 2,824 3,793 3,716 1,484 Black 3,461 3,477 3,427 2,720 3,680 3,269 3,397 3,660 3,470 3,259 4,253 4,114 1,858 Chinese, Japanese or SE Asian 482 518 492 377 526 449 523 523 512 476 577 532 282 Middle Eastern 427 394 449 334 490 412 494 481 440 400 542 601 245 White—North European 34,192 34,554 34,039 27,246 37,430 28,773 33,796 35,060 31,426 28,631 33,814 38,992 15,907 White—South European 895 887 909 661 935 759 812 983 815 870 1,101 1,115 473 Total profiles 45,324 45,954 45,137 35,826 48,965 38,320 43,756 45,740 41,459 37,907 45,864 51,199 21,297 Total individuals 39,296 39,842 39,134 31,061 42,453 33,223 37,936 39,657 35,945 32,865 39,764 44,390 18,464 1 1 to 16 September 2008
Information held on the National DNA database (NDNAD) is available on the basis of the police force which added the DNA profile, not the address of the person sampled. Information is, therefore, not available on the number of people in each ward of Greater Manchester who have had a DNA profile added. Information is, however, available on the number of profiles added by Greater Manchester Police (GMP). These do not necessarily relate to residents of Greater Manchester. Tables 1-3 give figures for subject profiles on the NDNAD added by GMP, as at 17 September 2008, broken down by age, ethnic appearance and gender.
The number of profiles is not the same as the number of individuals. This is because a number of subject profiles on the NDNAD are replicates, that is, a profile for a person has been loaded to the NDNAD on more than one occasion. This may arise for a number of reasons, such as a person giving a different name on different occasions they are arrested, or because of upgrading of profiles. It is estimated that 13.3 per cent. of the subject profiles held on the entire NDNAD are replicates. However, this rate may vary between police forces, so figures for the number of individuals are not given for particular forces.
Table 1 shows the number of subject profiles loaded to the NDNAD by GMP, broken down by ethnic appearance. Ethnic appearance is based on the judgment of the police officer taking the sample as to which of six broad ethnic appearance categories the person is considered to belong. 'Unknown' means that no ethnic appearance was recorded by the officer taking the sample.
Table 2 shows the number of such subject profiles broken down by current age, not the age when sampled.
Table 3 shows the number of such subject profiles broken down by gender. 'Unassigned' means that no gender was recorded by the police officer who took the sample.
Ethnic Appearance Profiles Unknown 7,473 Asian 17,848 Black 14,517 Chinese, Japanese Or SE Asian 1,510 Middle Eastern 1,870 White - North European 210,850 White - South European 3,257 Total 257,325
Current age Profiles Under 10 3 10-17 20,522 18-24 63,242 25-34 74,131 35-44 55,137 45-54 28,896 55-64 11,154 65 and over 4,225 Unknown age 15 Total 257,325
Gender Profiles Female 56,573 Male 198,628 Unassigned 2,124 Total 257,325