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What are the police’s powers in relation to DNA collection?

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Published on: 01 October 2013

Published by a LexisNexis Corporate Crime expert

Table of contents

Original news
What legal powers do police forces have in relation to the collection of DNA from ex-offenders?
What constitutes a serious offence which would put an ex-offender within the reach of ‘Operation Nutmeg’ (under which samples are collected from offenders who are not on the national DNA database)?
What are the concerns surrounding the national DNA database?
Are there grounds on which an individual can refuse to cooperate with ‘Operation Nutmeg’?
Are there any examples of similar practices in other jurisdictions?

Article summary

Human Rights analysis: When can the police require a person to provide DNA samples? Vijay Jagadesham, barrister at Garden Court North Chambers, outlines his concerns over the collection and storage of DNA, following the High Court’s recent decision in R (on the application of R) v A Chief Constable.

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