Unlawful retention of innocent peoples DNA and fingerprints

NOT PROTECTIVELY MARKED

Dear Mr Anderson

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION REF: COL/09/55

I write in connection with your request for information dated 31st January 2009, which was received by the Information Access Office on 2nd February 2009.

Your request will be considered in accordance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. You will receive a response within the statutory timescale of 20 working days as defined by the Act, subject to the information not being exempt or containing a reference to a third party. In some circumstances we may be unable to achieve this deadline. If this is likely you will be informed and given a revised time-scale at the earliest opportunity.

We normally provide information free of charge but there may be occasions when it would be appropriate to charge a fee where our costs are excessive. In such cases we will advice you prior to processing your request.

In some cases it may be necessary to transfer your request either in full or in part to another public authority in order to answer you request as comprehensively as possible. Again, you will be informed if this is the case.

Should you have any further questions regarding your request, please contact me via email, letter or telephone, quoting the reference number above.

Yours Sincerely
Laura Goddard

Information Access Officer
City of London Police

T: 020 7601 2272 | F: 020 7601 2088
E: [email address]
W: http://www.cityoflondon.police.uk

show quoted sections

Dear Mr Anderson

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION REF: COL/09/55

I write in connection with your request for information dated 31 January
2009 in which you seek access to the following information:

On the 4th of December 2008 the European Court of Human Rights has
delivered at a public hearing its Grand Chamber judgement in the case
of S. and Marper v. the United Kingdom (application nos.30562/04 and
30566/04).

The Court held unanimously that "there had been a violation of
Article 8 (right to respect for private and family life) of the
European Convention on Human Rights" with regards to the UK
Government holding DNA and fingerprints on innocent people.

As the UK Government has lost its case and was found to be unlawfully
holding DNA and fingerprint details of innocent people I wish to know
the following as of the 4th of December 2008:

1. How many DNA and fingerprint samples of innocent people have
deleted?

2. How many innocent people requested their DNA and fingerprint
samples be deleted?

3. If no DNA and fingerprint samples have been deleted I wish to
know the reasons why, as the UK Government have been found to be in
breach of innocent peoples human rights and this would be considered a
crime in itself.

4. As there is no right of appeal from a final decision made by the
Grand Chamber when will the City of London Police Service be routinely
be deleting records of innocent people?

Since the ruling to which you refer was made, two individuals have
requested that their DNA and fingerprint records are deleted. Whilst
this judgement has gone against the Government, it does not have any
impact on the current fingerprint and DNA retention policy until the
law is changed by Parliament. No DNA or fingerprint records will
therefore be destroyed until the law is changed.

Please accept my apologies for the delay in replying to your request.
Should you have any further questions, please contact me via e-mail,
letter or telephone, quoting the reference number above.

Yours sincerely

Inspector Dave Lockyear
Information Access Manager

<<John Anderson Reply.pdf>> <<Further Information Letter.pdf>>

P Please consider the environment before printing my email

show quoted sections

This e-mail message has been scanned for Viruses and Content and cleared
by MailMarshal
#####################################################################################

References

Visible links
1. http://www.cityoflondon.police.uk/