DNA Judgement can help stop us sleep-walking into a surveillance society

12.00.00am GMT Tue 9th Dec 2008

Sal Brinton welcomes European Court of Human Rights declaration

Sal Brinton, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Watford, has welcomed the recent judgement by the European Court of Human Rights, declaring that the Labour Government's holding of innocent people's DNA was unlawful.

"This sensible decision could mean that thousands of innocent Hertfordshire residents, including children, will see their DNA removed from police records. The judges said they were particularly worried about treating (and stigmatising) innocent people in exactly the same way as convicted criminals. Interestingly, in Scotland where DNA and fingerprints for innocent people is routinely destroyed, the clear up rate for serious crimes matches that of England."

I note that Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, regrets the decision, but many of us welcome the judgement. The amount of data that this Labour Government holds currently, and wishes to hold, on each and every one of us seems to be excessive and controlling. We must not sleep-walk into a surveillance society."