- Police and forensic scientists have embarked on 'a thoroughly
dangerous' bid to boost the power of DNA fingerprinting, Sir Alec Jeffreys,
the technology's inventor, has warned.
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- Jeffreys said new developments in the field have alarming
implications for civil liberties, and could allow police to compile files
containing highly personal data about a person's racial origins, medical
history and psychological profile. He told The Observer, in an interview
to mark the 20th anniversary of the first DNA fingerprint, that he was
now 'very nervous' about developments in the field.
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- To prevent future abuses, Jeffreys, a genetics professor
at Leicester University, wants Britain to set up a global DNA fingerprint
database in which every citizen's DNA profile would be stored under strict
controls. Only a fingerprint code linked to a name would be permitted.
Information about race, appearance, health, and other factors would be
excluded. Such a plan has already been submitted to David Blunkett, said
Jeffreys, though the Home Secretary had not yet reacted.
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- Jeffreys first created genetic fingerprints on 10 September
1984 when he discovered a stretch of DNA that is repeated in ways unique
to every individual (except identical twins). Within a year, they were
settling immigration cases and have been used to solve major crimes. Earlier
this year, DNA tests confirmed within hours that US troops had successfully
captured Saddam Hussein.
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- A database containing codes from 2.5 million criminals
and suspects has been set up in the UK to help police pinpoint those who
leave genetic material behind at crime scenes. And it is this database
that now causes Jeffreys concern.
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- 'For a start, we are now putting not just criminals but
suspects in our database, and that is clearly very highly discriminatory.
If you go to certain places such as south London, you will get suspects
who are predominantly black. Similarly you will get a lot of Asian suspects
in Birmingham.'
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- As a result, Britain is now filling up its national DNA
database with large numbers of blacks and Asians, even though many have
no conviction but are merely thought to be likely to offend in future.
And then there is the issue of database matching. At present, only 50 per
cent of samples found at crime scenes match those in the database.
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- As a result, police and forensic scientists are now attempting
to use DNA samples to build up information about a person's physique and
ethnic origins. 'Most of this work is simple hocus-pocus,' said Jeffreys.
'Creating genetic identikit picture from DNA samples will take an awful
lot of work.'
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- However, research could eventually yield results. 'It
will certainly become possible to make estimates about a suspect's ethnic
roots - that the person who left DNA at a crime scene is of African origin
with a 10 per cent admixture of European genes. This work is already being
done and it is ... an invasion of a person's genetic privacy for the police
to have that kind of data.'
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- Similarly, attempts to build up facial characteristics
from DNA samples could also have serious repercussions. The genes involved
in face structure are also likely to be ones linked to congenital facial
disfigurements. As a result, police would obtain medical information about
conditions affecting a person, and possibly his or her offspring.
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- In fact, abuse of DNA fingerprinting technology is already
becoming widespread, he said. 'Investigators can now get your DNA profile
very easily - from saliva on a coffee cup or a cigarette butt - and then
use it to show whether you are the "real" parent of your child,'
he said. 'It's illegal but simple to do.'
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- Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited
2004
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- http://www.guardian.co.uk/genes/article/0,2763,1278778,00.html
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