TheDNA databasebreached the human rights
of two men who were not convicted of a crime, the European Court of
Human Rights has ruled.
The court said that the men's DNA and fingerprints should not
have been retained by the police, with judges saying keeping the
information "could not be regarded as necessary in a democratic
society," the BBC reported.
The judgement could have major implications for the database
which currently holds information on 4.5million people, a fifth of
which do not have a criminal record. The decision from the 17
judges was unanimous.
The men, from Sheffield, were arrested but not convicted of
crimes and have been awarded £36,000 in damages each. They had
argued that holding their information was discriminatory and
infringed on their right to a private life. They took their case to
the European Court of Human Rights after the House of Lords threw
it out.
The government currently keeps the DNA and fingerprint
information of anyone who is arrested for a recordable offence in
England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It says the DNA from people
without convictions can sometimes be linked to later crimes,
justifying the practice.
But the human rights judges said it fails to strike a balance
between the public and the private life.