Around half of the Metropolitan Police’s 33,000 officers could be missing from its own DNA and fingerprint databases hampering efforts to weed out sex predators like Wayne Couzens. Scotland Yard bosses are planning a multimillion-pound 12-month project to retake staff biometric data, which is expected to face fierce opposition.
Oppose away! It's a condition of the job, and you've got away with it for far too long.
It is understood as many as 16,600 current serving officers’ DNA samples and 19,100 fingerprints are not on the force’s systems.
Labour’s Dawn Butler, who wrote to Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley with concerns last October, is furious having been reassured that “the majority” of officer DNA profiles are stored.Sack him, then, Dawn. The blighter's lied to you!
In a letter responding to her inquiry, the Met’s director of forensic services - who admitted “there is currently a gap” - told the Brent East MP: “We intend to establish a robust process to ensure samples are collected from those officers whose samples are not on the database and will seek to do this within 12 months.”
Another year to do what you lied to Parliament was already being done?
Perhaps all MPs should have their DNA recorded? It would concentrate their minds, set an example, and, who knows some MPs with a hidden past may be exposed.
ReplyDeleteWhy not? 'Nothing to hide' and all that.
DeleteThe taking of fingerprints and DNA is a pre-requisite of the job for elimination purposes when attending crime scenes and burglaries. Refuse to provide them? Look for another job. Simple.
ReplyDeletePenseivat
Well, quite!
DeleteAs Anonymous has said, it just seems so obvious that this needs to be done.
ReplyDeleteWhen I joined fingerprints were compulsory so we gave them. DNA only came in much later and I refused to give it. They will find it hard to change the rules retrospectively. Before you harangue me -do you trust the government with your samples?
ReplyDeleteJaded
I wouldn't trust the government with a sample of the warm and liquid variety. It's not just this government you need to trust (with anything), it's every government that comes after them.
DeleteIf it's a prerequisite of the job, I'd not have a leg to stand on.
Delete@Jaded,
ReplyDeleteWhen DNA came in, I readily presented mine (was told off for saying, "Oh no! Not another sperm sample?" - senior officers seem to have no sense of humour) .
When I retired, one of the documents I received was a statement that my fingerprints and DNA samples had been destroyed. Mind you, after recent incidents involving Police, am glad I held on to that document.I
Penseivat
If there are serving officers who refuse to provide fingerprints and DNA I’d suggest that they were ones whose personality/character make them unsuitable to be police officers.
ReplyDeleteAnd perhaps should be scrutinised to find out what they are hiding?
Delete