The Criminal Justice Act 2003 (which came into effect in 2004) amended the Police and Criminal Evidence Act to give police the power to take a DNA sample from anyone arrested for a recordable offence and held in a police station. Since then, DNA samples have usually been taken following arrest, rather than at the later stages when a person is charged or cautioned. Information on the number of those from whom a DNA sample is taken who are later (a) charged and (b) cautioned is not available.