skip to page contents

News

HGC Citizens' Inquiry into forensic use of DNA gets underway

9 January 2008

The Human Genetics Commission’s Citizens’ Inquiry into the forensic use of DNA and genetic information is about to get underway with the appointment of Blackburn-based research consultancy Vis-a-Vis RC Ltd to facilitate the process. The inquiry will involve up to two hundred people at group sessions in Birmingham and Glasgow with the participants linked by live video.

The key discussions will centre around thirty people in two linked panels meeting over a six-week period. They will be able to take evidence and direct their own research into the forensic use of DNA centred on the police national DNA database, which currently holds over four million DNA profiles, representing the highest proportion of any population on a forensic DNA database in the world. The panels will be reinforced by up to two hundred observers from all over the country who will be able to take part in the discussions. Their conclusions will be published in the Spring.

Sir John Sulston, who chairs the HGC, said: “The police in England and Wales have powers to take a DNA sample from anyone arrested or detained on suspicion of a wide variety of offences, from serious crimes like murder and rape to begging or poaching. These powers to take DNA without consent are much stronger than in any other country and it has been suggested that they might be extended even further, to include offences such as speeding and dropping litter. We want to hear the public's views on whether storing the DNA profiles of victims and suspects who are not charged or are subsequently acquitted is justified by the need to fight crime.

“The database has a preponderance of young men with a third of all black males currently on it. And people are on it for life. On the other hand, a steadily increasing number of serious crimes, including murders and rapes, are being solved and criminals brought to justice with its help. There is an important balance to be struck between individual rights and public safety and we need to know how people feel about these issues.”

The police use the database to search for matches to DNA found at crime scenes and to trace and identify suspects. It is predicted that under the present system 25% of the male population and 7% of the female population will soon be on it. The results of the Inquiry will feed into the HGC’s report to the Government on forensic use of DNA in 2008.

Science and Innovation Minister Ian Pearson said: “The Government is supporting this project through Sciencewise to bring scientists and the public together to consider key social and ethical issues involved in the current and future use of DNA for forensics. Whilst this project will specifically look at the police national DNA database as it's likely that the use of DNA information by police authorities for criminal intelligence purposes will grow, this project will also provide an important opportunity to look at other aspects.

"The Human Genetics Commission plays an important role in providing independent advice to Government on areas such as this and I very much welcome their approach of using public dialogue to help inform that advice. I firmly believe that now is the right time to increase active public engagement with science and technology by bringing scientists, government and the public together to explore the impact science and technology has in our lives. Projects like this are extremely important to help us to ensure scientific work is relevant to society and that the public have confidence in the use of science."

The Inquiry is funded by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills’ Sciencewise programme and the Wellcome Trust, with additional support from the ESRC Genomics Forum and the Policy, Ethics and Life Sciences Research Centre (PEALS). It is being managed by the HGC in partnership with Sciencewise, the ESRC Genomics Forum and PEALS.

Notes to Editors

  1. The Inquiry has a budget of £75,000.
  2. Vis-à-Vis RC Ltd has had considerable experience in facilitating participatory processes, including the “Today” programme’s “ Jury on Respect” in 2005.
  3. Sciencewise, funded by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) helps policy makers commission and use public dialogue to inform decisions and policy making in emerging areas of science and technology. Its core aim is to develop the capacity of government to engage in successful two-way communication with the public and other stakeholders and to embed the principles of good dialogue into internal Government processes. Sciencewise works closely with the Horizon Scanning Centre and Foresight, and is also part of the ‘Together We Can’ initiative - bringing the public and government together - which is funded by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG).
  4. The Wellcome Trust is the largest charity in the UK. It funds innovative biomedical research, in the UK and internationally, spending around £500 million each year to support the brightest scientists with the best ideas. The Wellcome Trust supports public debate about biomedical research and its impact on health and wellbeing.
  5. The Sciencewise website is www.sciencewise.org.uk, the Wellcome Trust’s is www.wellcome.ac.uk, the Genomics Forum’s is www.genomicsforum.ac.uk, and PEALS’s is www.peals.ncl.ac.uk

Full list of News Items

Other news