Mike Crockart: Control use of CCTV and DNA

Published on Friday 9 July 2010 12:32

The new coalition Government at Westminster is looking to Scotland for clues on how best to regulate the police's use of DNA information. This gives us a long-overdue chance to think again about how our society is using technology - particularly DNA data and CCTV cameras - in the fight against crime.

When I trained as a police officer 20 years ago I was taught that my job was to protect life and property, to preserve law and order, to prevent and detect crime and to prosecute offenders. I am convinced that it is against these aims that we must judge DNA and CCTV.

Experts like Professor Allan Jamieson at Glasgow's Forensic Institute are convinced there are "serious problems" in the way forensic science is being used in our courts. Our DNA Database is the biggest in the world, holding details about 5.6 million people. One million of those have not been convicted of any crime. And yet, though the database is growing all the time, its effectiveness is waning. Its price-tag doubled between 2006-07 and 2008-09 to 4.2 million, but detections fell by a quarter.

The focus needs to change to ensuring that anyone convicted of a crime is on the database. They have forfeited their right to privacy, but the innocent have not.

CCTV is a more difficult subject. Yes, perhaps it helps alleviate fear of crime but surely something that costs the Government hundreds of millions of pounds has to be judged on its effectiveness alone.

The time for proper regulation of CCTV has arrived, not only to guarantee that those systems that do help in the detection and prosecution of crime can continue, but to make sure that those systems that do not contribute to the fight are overhauled.

Mike Crockart is MP for Edinburgh West, and a former Lothian and Borders Police officer