By Andy McCue, 5 July 2004 13:10
NEWS Home Secretary David Blunkett will today call for the creation of an EU-wide DNA database of criminals and terror suspects to aid the government's war on terror.
Blunkett is meeting representatives from the 'G5' nations of France, Germany, Italy and Spain in his Sheffield constituency for a two-day informal summit aimed at increasing cross-border cooperation.
Newspaper reports claim Blunkett will table the pooling of DNA and fingerprint records across Europe as another vital anti-terrorism weapon. Blunkett will tell his counterparts that allowing other countries access to biometric records could help prevent incidents such as the Madrid train bombings.
Ahead of the meeting, Blunkett told the Press Association: "Cooperation between European member states is a powerful tool in the fight against terrorism and organised crime."
Blunkett is still aiming to push the introduction of a UK-wide biometric ID card for all citizens through Parliament, with the cost of such a project expected to top £3bn. The cards are expected to be introduced by 2007 and a pilot project is currently underway with 10,000 volunteers.
Comments
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1. Colin Wood
Can't believe what I'm reading here after his cock-up with the Humberside police chief he ought to get his own house in order before asking for this.
If Blunkett had used his limited intelligence and introduced a centralised database in this country when he came into office perhaps things wouldn't be as bad as they are.
2. anonymous
Surely a list of criminals and terror suspects will be like a school register - it will only list those people we already have? If the 9/11 terrorists were known to us, I doubt they would have been sold airline tickets.
This smacks of another bit of political posturing that sounds good, will cost the taxpayer a fortune and will achieve little or nothing of value or impact. Well Done, Mr Blunkett. Soon you'll turn your attention to the real menace - a national database of dog licenses, which is long overdue...
3. anonymous
You would think he's TRYING to get nominated for the Big Brother Awards!!!
4. Karen Challinor
I wonder how much this little piece of badly thought out knee jerk legislation will cost you and me.
Yes centralised databases for fingerprints/DNA/retina scans would be wonderful, for everybody who isn't concerned with privacy or being caught on the wrong end of a false positive. There are only a couple of minor technical problems standing between us and this idealised utopia.
These being
1 - We can't afford it
2 - We can't make the technology work even if we could afford it
3 - We can't afford the infrastructure necessary to support such a development
4 - We could not make such an infrastructure secure economically
I'm not really worried, the id card thing is turning into a fiasco and so will this.
The only real danger is we may run out of money before he runs out of unimplementable ideas
5. Dr. Evil
Great. As a career criminal I have no objections to my details being given out to the notoriously inefficient and corrupt administrative bureaucracies of our continental neighbours. Gives me so much more scope to operate as they lose my details, corrupt the files, get me confused with my German namesake or simply let their computer systems get infected with the latest virus.
It's surprisingly easy to move about anonymously in this country if you know where the gaps are. Was always tricky in Europe due to different police approaches and procedures, now, if they carry on harmonising everything, if you know your way round the UK system, Europe is your oyster.
Keep up the good work David. Keep using the terrorism mallet to fight all crime, regardless of type or source.
(rant over. please, mr policeman, realise this was a wind up. I dont want a vist from special branch. keep on monitoring and intercepting text messages)
6. anonymous
The Labour Party's SS Leader, Mr. Blunkett, is deliberately making life very difficult for all of us by getting us to carry a vast range of documents just to open a banking account.
The UK is also becoming more and more like a an old-style Eastern Bloc Country with Motorway lanes reserved for the Politicians and Cameras sprouting just about everywhere to capture what everybody is doing.
Even the DSS has a phone-in line so you can report your neighbours.
It is all part of a plot to get everybody to accept Labour's Identity Card so they can police everybody, and the Police can stop people in the street to see the document. Instant Fines have also been introduced and it won't be long before you will be fined (or jailed) for not carrying your ID Card.
I used to think all they needed was the STASI equivalent, but if the powers of the CSA were extended, they have all the apparatus in place.
If this is what you want life to be like in the future, just continue to vote Labour. Brown said when they first came into power they were going to change the UK forever, now you know exactly what he meant.
7. Gordon
Nothing in this country is linked; not the police force, not health, not transport, not education, and he thinks that linking the DNA databases from around the EU is going to fix the terror problems? Why would the G5 folk listen to him after the track record here? "Great idea Blunky. After all, you've got the old Blighty sorted pretty well". I think if they spend the £3Bn on improving homeland security and immigration, this will be a much better return to the community.
Why Blunkett thinks that having access to DNA files would help stop things like the Madrid train bombing is beyond me. I can just hear the terrorists now "boy, I would love to blow up that train full of people, but hang on, they have my DNA on file. Best not then".
8. anonymous
My passport and driver's licence were stolen the Passport and DVLA agencies were not really interested. Theft or loss is reported via mail on a form from post offices, there is no phone or on-line service. No quick response to list details of stolen or lost ID to prevent fraud by supporting commercial checks.
Police say ID mostly goes south for fraud. What have biometric's got to offer that a fast response to theft couldn't deliver now?
9. Frank Wan
And its not April the 1st Cmon silicon, put us out of our misery whats the catch line.please be serious.
10. anonymous
This is a great idea lets get rid of 6 Royal Navy Surface ships, 2 submarines, 150 RAF aircraft & some the oldest regiments in the world. Then we can spend the money we save on ID cards. We will be able to frighten the enemy away with ID cards. Everyone knows nothing makes a murdering religious zelot more afraid than an ID card?