By now, it should come as no surprise that the DNA database continues to grow, with more people added for minor crimes.  The Welsh database now has 254,433 individuals listed, including more than 58,000 children.

Naturally, supporters of the database claim that its necessary and useful in catching criminals while Opponents fear the repercussions to people’s privacy.

Policy officer for Liberty, Anita Coles, said: “Our DNA database is the largest in Europe yet our crime rates are remarkably similar. A smaller, more targeted database of serious sexual and violent offenders would cost less to our purses and our privacy.”

South Wales West AM, Peter Black, said: “Many people whose information has been stored were never even charged, let alone convicted of a crime.

“What is more concerning is how many young adults and children are on the database.

The government has now said that they plan to delete many people off the list as they have never even been charged with a crime and shouldn’t be in the database to begin with.  Keeping people’s DNA just in case they might commit a crime at a future date is not the way to treat citizens in a civilized society.

Work is underway to keep only the DNA of those convicted of violent crimes and, even then, only for a limited amount of time.  This, however, is just placating the public.  Chief constables in England and Wales have told their officers to ignore the EU law prohibiting the collection of innocent people’s DNA.