Records of hundreds of terror suspects destroyed
DNA profiles and fingerprints of nearly 450 people arrested in connection with terror offences were destroyed because of “delays” in applying for permission to keep them on national security grounds, the Biometrics CommissionerAlastair MacGregor QC revealed in his annual report.
He said the full scale of the problems had “only recently become apparent” but that he had been assured “urgent work” had been done to prevent such problems occurring again. “I am keeping that work and the issue of delays in the process more generally under close and active review.”
His report says that the DNA profiles and/or fingerprints of some 7,800 identified individuals are being held by police forces on a national counterterrorism database. This is up from 6,500 two years ago.
Previously DNA profiles and fingerprints could be retained indefinitely regardless of whether someone had been convicted or not.
Under stricter rules introduced in 2013 only the details of those convicted of a recordable offence can be detained.
However the rules allow for the extended retention of material taken from an individual who has not been convicted of a recordable offence when a senior officer makes a national security determination (NSD).
These allow biometrics to be kept for up to two years, and they can be renewed.
However the report says “handling and other delays” led to a situation in which the statutory retention periods for the biometric records of up to 450 individuals had expired before NSDs could be or had been made in relation to them and they were destroyed.
He said he was told that in about “10 per cent” of those cases it is possible that retention exemptions would have beensoughtbypolice.“Indeed, in at least three of those cases such applications had in fact been made and approved.”
Mr MacGregor said he was satisfied that factors which contributed to the “slowimplementation” of the NSD process have now been addressed.
A spokeswoman for the National Police Chiefs’ Council said: “The identity of these individuals is known and the risks they potentially pose are being managed.”