DNA retention

[New Judge]

Driver Michael Cook was arrested after officials believed he had offered a forged MoT certificate when trying to tax his car:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/how aboutthat/5355439/Driver-arrested-over-MOT-cer tificates-shade-of-green.html

Nothing wrong with that. Such serious matters must be fully investigated and I'm sure Mr Cook considers the time he spent in a police cell well spent (even though a quick phone call to the issuing garage would probably have cleared up the matter immediately).

However, Mr Cook's fingerprints and DNA profile are now on police files. There they will remain indefinitely under current rules, or for a minimum of six years if the government's proposals to comply with a recent European ruling that keeping them indefinitely is unjust is enacted.

Is this fair?

[Canary42]

No it's not.

And it seems odd the DVLC didn't check with the issuing garage first - an OTT reaction from a Jobsworth IMO.

[jake-the-peg]

Personally I don't think so but I'm sure you'll get plenty of contrary views from the "Nothing to hide, Nothing to fear" brigade

[lankeela]

If he murders your daughter next week will you still feel the same?

[mrs_overall]

I think it is a statistical fact that 100% of murderers who have owned cars have at some time taxed the said cars.

[Rollo]

According to the Government, statistics show that if you have been arrested for something your propensity to commit a crime in the future is greater than if you had not been arrested.

Apparently this applies to any arrest - even one where you have done nothing wrong and your arrest is a mistake in the first place.

This is their justification for now deciding on a minimum 6 year retention period.

Unfortunately for the Government this will also eventually get struck down by the European Court who told them their blanket retention forever policy was "illegal".

Unfortunately for us, this will take some time.

But every cloud has a silver lining - by the time it does get struck down this Government will only be a dim and distant nightmare.

[New Judge]

I take it then, lankeela that you would advocate everybody being on the DNA database from birth.

Otherwise, how is Mr Cook more likely to murder my daughter now that he has been arrested (albeit for no reason other than the ink had run a bit low when his MoT certificate was printed) than he would have been had he not been so unlucky?

[paraffin]

Get Joanna Lumley on the case! She can get on my case any day.