Scottish biometric commissioner Brian Plastow's report highlights a significant oversight in the Scottish policing system regarding DNA data management. A Joint Assurance Review revealed that neither Police Scotland nor the Scottish Police Authority adequately records the ethnicity of individuals from whom DNA samples are taken. This absence of data prevents the establishment of whether minority groups are over-represented in the Scottish DNA Database. Furthermore, Plastow raised concerns about the long retention periods of DNA data by Police Scotland, which can engage individuals' DNA until their 100th birthday or posthumously.
We have carried out a detailed review into the use and retention of DNA for criminal justice and police purposes in Scotland, and during our fieldwork, the Scottish Police Authority Forensic Services and Police Scotland were unable to provide us with any reliable management information on the ethnicity of anyone held within the Scottish DNA Database, as the database is nearly 30 years old and was not designed to record this information.
The failure of both Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority's Forensics Service to suitably record the ethnicity of those it retains DNA for is 'concerning'.
Plastow questioned the 'extraordinarily long retention periods' for DNA data, which Police Scotland can hold until at least a person's 100th birthday or three years after their death.
Publicly available information on the UK's National DNA Database allows observers to see if any ethnic group is over-represented, which is not possible with the Scottish DNA Database.
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