Introduction to the
National 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
Forensic Science Regulator
Criminal Justice Service
ACPOS
Information Commissioners Office
NDNAD Ethics Group
SPA (Scottish Police Authority)
Scientific Support Services of Northern Ireland
NDNAD Legislation
1984
Police and
Criminal
Evidence
Act (PACE)
1984
1994
Criminal
Justice and
Public
Order Act
(CJPOA)
1994
1997
1998
Criminal
Evidence
(Amend
-ment)
Act 1997
Changes in
the Data
Protection
Act (DPA)
1998
1998
The
Human
Rights
Act
(HRA)
1998
2001
2003
Criminal
Justice
and Police
Act (CJPA)
2001
Criminal
Justice
Act (CJA)
2003
2005
Serious
Organised
Crime and
Police Act
(SOCPA)
2005
NDNAD Legislation
2012
2014
Protection of Freedoms Act
Anti Social Behaviour and Crime Bill
Retention periods for NDNAD records
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
Information from person
submitted to
Police National Computer
9 items of data sent from
PNC to NDNAD electronically
Sample taken from:
Sample submitted and
If all numbers in profile
• person at arrest
DNA profile obtained
match another
•Scene of crime
profile,
DNA profile submitted
match report produced
to load to NDNAD
Investigations into intelligence
Intelligence Report
sent to forces
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.
UK DNA Databases
• The National DNA Database is
located at Birmingham holds profiles from England,
Wales, Scotland and
Northern Ireland
Dundee
• Units from 5 organisations
submit records to NDNAD
• A Scottish
Database is held
by the Dundee
laboratory
• A Northern Ireland
Database is held in
Belfast by FSNI
Belfast
Birmingham
UK DNA Databases
- other services
• 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
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 Profiling
1983, Narborough,
Leicestershire, UK
15 year old school girl
Lynda Mann raped and
Murdered
1986, Narborough,
Leicestershire, UK
Same MO
15 year old school girl
Dawn Ashworth
Raped and Murdered
Prime Suspect:
Richard
BUCKLAND
Perpetrator was of
Blood Group A
Case investigation
closed
Perpetrator was of
Blood Group A
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 casework
Intelligence-led screens
Intelligence databases
- identifying suspects
- linking offences
Genetic relationships
- paternity testing
- maternity testing
- familial relationships
Gender determination
Ethnic inference
Prediction of
commonplace
characteristics
- eye/hair colour
Identification of
missing
persons/ dead
bodies/ victims
of mass
disasters
Progression - Technology
Process
Manual Processing
LIMS
Software
Automation
Expert Interpretation
Software
MtDNA
Science
Capillary
Electrophoresis
Specialised Searching
(NEAR)
FUTURE
Y-STR
Low Template DNA
1-2 days PACE
Turn
Around
Time
Months &
Major
Backlog
Weeks &
‘Order
book’
Weeks
5-14 days C/S
< 1 hour
<24 hr Rapid Services
1995
2000
2011
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
22