The National DNA Database

DNA is the chemical which is found in virtually every cell in the body and which carries genetic information from one generation to the next. The genetic information carried in DNA is in the form of a code or language which, when translated, determines our physical characteristics and directs all the chemical processes in the body.

Each persons DNA is individual to themselves in a similar way to a finger print, hence the term DNA fingerprint is sometimes used by the press.

National DNA Database located partly Forensic Science Service (FSS) site in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, unit able to process about 65,000 samples each year from people
suspected of a crime.

These are taken by the police who swab the inside of the suspect's cheek and then are analysed by the FSS using the latest DNA technology, called STR (Short Tandem Repeat), to produce a profile. These profiles are then added to the National DNA Database which seeks to match them with profiles obtained from evidence found at the scene of a crime.

DNA fingerprinting involves isolating DNA from a cell, which is then treated with enzymes to break it into pieces. These are separated using an electric current, and the pattern of the separated fragments is used to compare samples.

All that is needed to test DNA is one cell. But a stronger match is made when a larger sample is available - at least one thousandth the size of a salt grain, invisible to the naked eye yet able to be separated and matched.

Although a strand of hair contains no genetic material, the skin cells clinging to the base of the hair can be tested.

If a suspect drank from a glass left at the crime scene, scientists can test for skin cells from their lips.
Even a fingerprint can be tested if skin cells from the offender's finger are left behind.

There are currently around 470,000 profiles from suspects on the database. Around 700 matches are made every week, with, on average, at least one in two samples yielding a match.

With the combined efforts of London, Birmingham and Huntingdon DNA units, the FSS will be able to process a massive 350,000 CJ samples. The increased capacity also means that results will reach the police far more quickly than before.
The number of profiles taken from crime scene stains - such as blood and semen - continues to rise with around 50,000 on the database.

"Nationally, the DNA Database has been a major success. Since April 1997 (to 1999) alone it has provided the identification of suspects in 68 cases of murder/manslaughter, 253 rapes and 212 cases of serious robbery. There have also been identifications in 12,016 domestic burglary cases and 11,635 commercial break-in cases. The Database is helping the police catch criminals up and down the country quicker, and in a more cost-effective way. And the deterrent value of having a convicted criminal's DNA profile stored on the Database should not be forgotten."

The Government and police service see DNA as a major break through in solving serious crime and have invested an addition £109, million pounds in the National DNA Database.