Arrested MP DNA removed from file

Shadow immigration minister Damian Green said the Metropolitan Police had made the "right decision" to remove his DNA but called for the records of thousands of other innocent people to be deleted as well.

Mr Green had his genetic fingerprint taken after being arrested in November last year - a move which sparked controversy after police raided his offices in the Houses of Parliament as well as his constituency base and home.

He was held on suspicion of "conspiring to commit misconduct in a public office" and "aiding and abetting, counselling or procuring misconduct in a public office" as part of an investigation into alleged leaks from the Home Office, but no charges were brought.

Around 800,000 people arrested and then found innocent currently have their records retained on the national database, and writing in The Daily Telegraph, Mr Green said his success "must not be the end of the matter".

Under current rules, anyone arrested of an offence has their genetic fingerprint stored for life. Chief constables have the discretion to remove DNA records but only a few hundred requests succeed each year.

Human rights judges in Strasbourg last year ruled that the "blanket" policy was a breach of the right to privacy, and ministers put forward new proposals which would see the DNA profiles of innocent people held for up to 12 years.

These were attacked by civil liberties campaigners and Mr Green has now accused the Government of "shamefully dragging its feet" in responding to the judgment.

"The battle over our DNA records is part of a wider struggle to roll back the database state," he wrote. "If we transgress, we lose some rights to privacy. No government has the authority to take away those rights from the innocent as well."

He added: "This is a small but significant victory for freedom. However, it must not be the end of the matter."