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>There are often local campaigns of "have your DNA taken, get ruled off our suspect list" when there are murders or multiple rapes. Really? That's just daft.
by tsotha 14y ago
>There are often local campaigns of "have your DNA taken, get ruled off our suspect list" when there are murders or multiple rapes.
Really? That's just daft. Why would anyone who isn't actually a suspect be susceptible to that line of reasoning?
- anothermachine 14y ago"Are you hiding your DNA because you know it matches a crime scene, perhaps? Let's have you down to the station for some more detailed interrogation." That's why.
- tsotha 14y agoThey have a term for that kind of government - "police state".
- DanBC 14y agoI speculate, but "mass hysteria" seems to fit. "These are gruesome crimes; I have nothing to hide; I want to help the police; this is something I can do". There are a few crimes in the UK that get a lot of press coverage, and I can imagine people living locally feel influenced by that. England (and Wales, I guess?) has a huge DNA database, something like 4.5 million samples. These are taken from a few volunteers; and from people arrested for crime. If those people are not charged, or if they are charged and acquitted, the DNA sample is still retained. A recent trial in EU meant that we had to put some limits in - we keep innocent people's DNA for 6 years now. There is a weird disconnect between many English people and privacy intrusions from the state. Lots of people were fine with the idea of a national ID card, and only turned against it when details of cost came out. Peer calls for voluntary DNA database: (http://news.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/hi/house_of_lords/newsid_9690000/9690373.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/hi/house_of_lords/newsid...) Brief mention of volunteers: (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7532856.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7532856.stm)