DNA and Spit Law Enforcement Campaigns

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted September 9, 2007 in DNA and the Law

In May, London bus drivers were issued DNA spit kits to catch people who spit at them. Here’s a poster of another DNA spit campaign from November 2005 produced by the North Yorkshire Police.

Spit and Run?
You’ll still get caught

DNA

Every bus, tram and interchange has DNA testing kits. Spit at the staff and you can be traced - and prosecuted. Even if we don’t know what you look like.
And your records will be on the national DNA database.

Forever.

Spit? it’s OUT

Speaking of DNA databases, the European Court of Human Rights is deciding on a case that may lead to the destruction of DNA and fingerprint samples in the UK. The plaintiffs are one underage teenager and one man, Michael Marper, who were separately charged and arrested in 2001. Both were eventually cleared and have no criminal records yet have not been able to have their DNA or fingerprint evidence removed from the national database.

The plaintiffs are invoking Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights:

Everyone has the right to respect for his private and family life, his home and his correspondence.

More on the heated DNA database debate from Larry Miller of CBS News Letters from London.

Tags: genetics, genes, dna, crime, spit, spitting, DNA database

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5 Comments »

Comment by Dr. Val

2007-09-10 02:40:10

Gee, I had no idea that this was such a problem in England. People really spit at others on busses? That just seems really foreign to me. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone spit on anyone else (besides kiddie games). Am I the only one perplexed here?

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Comment by Hsien

2007-09-10 09:32:30

Erm. At the risk of making my British friends angry, I think their swear words are a little more colorful and their expressions of anger a tiny bit more extreme. This is only when provoked or at a soccer (football) game, of course. Otherwise, they’re all very proper!

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2007-09-10 14:29:01

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Comment by peoplesearch

2008-02-19 00:25:43

Interesting topic! DNA of a person listed on a public criminal records database for spitting, sounds like a sci fi movie. I can see how it could come in handy for finding people that have commit a crime.

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2008-06-13 02:23:06

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