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SOURCEMore than one million children's DNA held on controversial Big Brother-style database
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 5:40 PM on 18th November 2008
More than one million profiles of children have been added to the Government's DNA database since it was set up, official figures revealed today.
The database holds 1,066,896 profiles of people who were under 18 when their genetic fingerprints were collected, the statistics showed.
The total includes more than 110,000 under-13s, and more than 600,000 people aged 14 or younger.
The controversial database holds more than 4.4million profiles - meaning a quarter of the profiles were taken from children. More than 40 profiles are of children under 10.
A quarter of genetic profiles held on the Government's DNA are from children
The Home Office said in August that the profiles of nearly 40,000 innocent children aged between 10 and 17 were on the database.
Police can take DNA samples from children arrested for a recordable offence, even if they are freed.
The figures were published in response to a Parliamentary written question from Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne.
He said the figures showed ministers were, by stealth, creating 'the world's biggest DNA database'.
'We already know that guilt and innocence are of no concern to ministers, but clearly neither is the negative effect that being on the database has on children.
'It is unacceptable to keep the DNA of children on record in perpetuity for the most minor of offences.
'Unless they are convicted of a sexual or violent offence, under-16s should not have their DNA stored on the database,' he said.
Helen Wallace, from GeneWatch UK, said: 'This is yet further evidence that the database is spiralling out of control.
'Large numbers of children are being added even if they have done nothing wrong.'
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