The Jo Yeates case: blanket DNA testing is not the answer

Today, the streets of Bristol have been blessed with a degree of sanity, as Avon and Somerset police have rejected moves for widespread DNA screening as part of their enquiry into the murder of Jo Yeates. On Christmas Day, her body was found after an eight-day long search, marking the beginning of an extensive murder investigation, which, two weeks on, looks no closer to being brought to a conclusion. This story has shocked the whole of the city and the family’s anguish has no doubt been felt in every living room across the United Kingdom, uniting us all in the attempt to find out who is responsible and bring them to justice.
 
One thing we should not do, however, is set aside our principles, our way of life and indeed the civil liberties of every other innocent person in Bristol, just as Labour MP and Shadow Junior Minister for the Treasury, Kerry McCarthy has suggested. Yesterday, she called for every man in Bristol to step forward and offer their DNA to the police; a monumental quarter of a million people, saying that "it is a massive task to do a DNA swab for the whole of the city but I think if it helps catch the killer it is the right thing to do and people will be happy to do this." Testing this many suspects would firstly be a massive investment of time and resources and, of course, a complete waste of both if the guilty individual lives or has moved outside the area, or indeed if they are a female.
 
Britain already has the largest per capita DNA database in the world, with more than a million innocent people on it.  Indeed, as Big Brother Watch demonstrated in our DNA report, people are already mistreated when their DNA is taken.

Most importantly though, it would be a sacrifice of one of the primary values by which free citizens live their lives, encompassing a whole range of civil liberties, and would be an erosion of one of the most sacred elements of UK law; the presumption of innocence.

McCarthy’s call is systematic of an ever-present process that has seen our country progress from one which flew the flag for principles of freedom, liberty and positive rights to a nation that is so Orwellian in its nature, it beggars belief. I, for one, am glad the police have restrained from pursuing with McCarthy’s suggestion and I wish them every success in bringing whoever is guilty to justice, but through proper and rightful means.

Guest post by Jago Pearson.

Postscript

More information about BBW's position on this important issue is further outlined on the Critical Reaction and ConservativeHome websites.  Futhrmore, Big Brother Watch Director Alex Deane was interviewed about the DNA database on Radio 4 last year.  

Reform of the national DNA database is discussed at length by Julian Huppert MP in the new Big Brother Watch book, which can be purchased by clicking here.

Comments

[Lomax]

How does she know it was a man that murdered her?

[DaveAtherton20]

Doe Kerry McCarthy think the guilty person will sportingly stand in line to offer a sample?

[Peterloo]

Unfortunatley McCarthy's 'idea' is all too typical of our political class: knee-jerk, reactionary, poorly researched, potentially expensive and ultimately pointless.

She is representative of an increasingly inept politico who have very little grasp or understanding of matters that they comment on.

We are lucky that the A&S police are facing budget cuts and actually thinking about what they spend their money on. I think this may have been a different story if the wolves were not at the door.

[rc]

I live in Bristol. I am prepared to offer a DNA sample, on receipt of written confirmation, addressed to me in person, that my sample will be destroyed as soon as I have been eliminated as a suspect.

[rc]

On the other hand, one possible reason why the police haven't so far resorted to mass DNA testing may be simply that they have not yet isolated any samples of interest against which to test a population. One thing for certain is that they should absolutely refrain from mass DNA testing unless they do already have such samples. I trust that they recognize this.

[Purlieu]

"written confirmation, addressed to me in person, that my sample will be destroyed"
and that, should it turn out sometime later not to have been destroyed, shock, that it can not and will not be used in any evidential capacity whatsoever

[SadButMadLad]

Kerry McCarthy has now said on her website, blogger, and on twitter that she was misquoted.

http://kerrymccarthy.wordpress.com/2011/01/11/the-dna-issue/

[rc]

@Purlieu

Yes. Good point. Thanks.

[Phil Randome]

Is one legally obliged to give a DNA sample ?
Since I don't trust the State, police, politicians, bureaucrats councillors et al I would be very unwilling to subscribe to this type of population screening.