Innocent DNA to be kept for shorter time

By Stefano Ambrogi

LONDON (Reuters) - The amount of time DNA profiles of innocent people, arrested but later cleared of a crime, can be kept on the national database is to be halved to six years under new government proposals.

The government was forced to review its policy in response to a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights last year.

The court said that the current policy of storing indefinitely the genetic fingerprint of everyone who is arrested is unlawful.

Records of all 16 and 17-year-olds will also be removed after six years and profiles of anyone younger than that after three, the government said.

Profiles of those arrested for acts of terrorism, even if they are cleared, however, could be retained for longer than the six-year cut-off.

Those would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis for reasons of national security, the Home Office said.

"It is crucial that we do everything we can to protect the public by preventing crime and bringing offenders to justice," Home Secretary Alan Johnson said.

"The DNA database plays a vital role in helping us do that, providing thousands of crime scene matches every year and helping to put many criminals behind bars where they belong."