Introduction to theNational DNA Database

NDNAD Ethics Group

April 2014

NDNAD Governance

NDNAD Strategy Board:

• NDNAD Strategy Board: Chaired by Mr Sims

• Responsible for overall strategic management of the Database

• Governance Rules

Representation from:

Home Office Information Commissioners Office

Forensic Science Regulator NDNAD Ethics Group

Criminal Justice Service SPA (Scottish Police Authority)

ACPOS Scientific Support Services of Northern Ireland

NDNAD LegislationNDNAD Legislation

1984 1997 19981998 20032001 20051994

Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) 1984

Criminal Evidence (Amend-ment) Act 1997

Changes in the Data Protection Act (DPA) 1998

Criminal Justice and Public Order Act (CJPOA) 1994

Criminal Justice Act (CJA) 2003

Criminal Justice and Police Act (CJPA) 2001

Serious Organised Crime and Police Act (SOCPA) 2005

The Human Rights Act (HRA) 1998

NDNAD LegislationNDNAD Legislation

2012

Protection of Freedoms Act

Retention periods for NDNAD records

2014

Anti Social Behaviour and Crime Bill

Allows for sampling of an arrestee for a second time, retention of casework

retention times

NDNAD and NDNAD Delivery Unit

• System that identifies links between DNA found at scenes of crime with DNA obtained from arrestees (and on occasion other individuals such as vulnerable persons and missing persons).

• Ensures the integrity of the records on the NDNAD.

• These are functions that the NDNAD Delivery Unit performs on behalf of national policing.

Overview: What does NDNAD do?

Police Laboratory NDNAD

Sample submitted and

DNA profile obtained

DNA profile submitted

to load to NDNAD

Information from person

submitted to

Police National Computer

9 items of data sent from

PNC to NDNAD electronically

If all numbers in profile

match another

profile,

match report produced

Intelligence Report

sent to forces

Investigations into intelligence

Sample taken from:

• person at arrest

•Scene of crime

HO responsibilities

HO NDU – Providing the IT infrastructure– Advising on the data to be held– Setting the technical standards for supplier laboratories – Setting the information assurance standards– Delivering the service to police forces– Ensuring the highest standards of integrity in the management of

the Database– Developing the Database in line with Police requirements– Providing Management Information

2012-13 Information

• 362,319 new DNA profiles from individuals were added to the database.

• 33,190 new profiles from crime scenes were added.

• 592,777 DNA profiles were deleted from the NDNAD.

The majority of these were deleted as part of work, begun in January 2013, to delete DNA profiles of innocent people in preparation for the Protection of Freedoms Act coming into force.

March 2014 Information

• About 4.7 million individuals have one or more record retained.

• March 2013 about 5.9 million individuals had a record retained

• Over 450k profiles from crime scenes are retained.

2012-13 Information

• 61% chance that the database will produce a match when a crime stain is searched against the NDNAD. This match rate is one of the highest in Europe

– 211 DNA matches from urgent searches were generated for serious crimes – including 55 homicides and 60 rapes.

– a routine match to a possible suspect was produced in 24,894 crimes in 2012-13,

– a further 1,247 crimes, the database provided a match to another crime (rather than an individual) and

– a further 1,842 crimes were provided with information after an incomplete profile search was performed.

• The National DNA Database is located at Birmingham - holds profiles from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

• A Northern Ireland Database is held in Belfast by FSNI

• A Scottish Database is held by the Dundee laboratory

Belfast

Dundee

Birmingham

• Units from 5 organisations submit records to NDNAD

UK DNA Databases

• Missing Persons DNA Database

~900 Missing Persons Records

• Vulnerable Persons DNA Database

~2,300 Vulnerable Persons

• DNA Mixture check through DNAboost

• Familial Searching *Figures as at 1st April 2014

UK DNA Databases- other services

Data Exchange

• International sharing– Interpol - this is the main request route

• From Jan to Dec 2013 we received and processed 569, which resulted in 36 positive DNA matches from NDNAD.

– Missing Persons Bureau– G8 agreement

• FBI and NDU exchange data directly without going through Interpol but still following the same principles.

• Recently Canada has joined this mechanism. From Jan – Dec 2013 NDU exchanged only 2 through this route.

– UKCA (legal to legal requests)

• CT wash through

History of DNA Profiling1983, Narborough, Leicestershire, UK

15 year old school girl Lynda Mann raped and

Murdered

1986, Narborough, Leicestershire, UK

15 year old school girl Dawn Ashworth

Raped and Murdered

Perpetrator was of Blood Group A

Case investigation closed

Same MO

Perpetrator was of Blood Group A

Prime Suspect:Richard

BUCKLAND

BUCKLAND confessed on

Dawn Ashworth denied that of Lynda Mann

Contact made with Prof Sir Alec Jefferys, Dr. Dave Werrett and

Dr. Peter Gill (Forensic Science Service)

What is DNA?

• DNA is deoxyribonucleic acid - found in all cells in the body (except red blood cells)

• DNA exists as: - nuclear DNA and

- mitochondrial DNA

• Together these contain the complete code of instructions for making the proteins that build the machinery of life.

What is DNA?DNA samples are analysed for 10 of these STRs located on 10 different

sets of paired chromosomes and for the amelogenin gene (which is an indicator of the gender of the individual) to determine the DNA profile

XY 15,18 15,18 9,9 17,23 11,14 29,32.2, 14,17 14,15 7,9.3 20,22

Forensic Database

Evidential caseworkIntelligence-led screens Intelligence databases

- identifying suspects- linking offences

Genetic relationships - paternity testing - maternity testing - familial relationships

Gender determinationEthnic inferencePrediction of commonplace

characteristics - eye/hair colour

Identification of missing persons/ dead bodies/ victims of mass disasters

Progression - Technology

1995 2000 2011

Manual Processing Automation

Expert Interpretation Software

Capillary Electrophoresis

Specialised Searching

Low Template DNA

MtDNA Y-STR

(NEAR) FUTURE

Process

Software

Science

Turn Around Time

Months & Major

Backlog

Weeks & ‘Order book’

Weeks

1-2 days PACE

5-14 days C/S

<24 hr Rapid Services

< 1 hour

LIMS

DNA-17

• Interim– NI– 1,977 DNA profiles from subjects

– 168 DNA profiles from crime scenes

• Move to DNA-17 in July 14– Increased sensitivity– Match probability of 1 in billion remains– SGMPlus matches are still very good evidential value– Work with CPS and judiciary

20

The Future?

21

10-15 years – phenotypic characteristics

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