Statement
My hon Friend the Minister of State for Policing and Crime (Sarah Jones) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement:
I am pleased to announce that I am, today, publishing the Annual Report of the Forensic Information Database Strategy Board for 2024-25. This report covers the National DNA Database and the National Fingerprints Database.
The Strategy Board Chair, Assistant Chief Constable Simon Wilson, has presented the Annual Report to the Home Secretary (under section 63AB(7). Publication of the Report is a statutory requirement under section 63AB(8) of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 as inserted by section 24 of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012.
The report highlights the continued, fundamental value of DNA and fingerprints in the provision of vital evidence and intelligence to support police investigations and the criminal justice system in bringing offenders to justice, protecting and supporting victims and preventing harm to potential future victims.
I am grateful to the Strategy Board for their commitment to fulfilling their statutory functions.
The report has been laid before the House and copies will be available from the Vote Office and also on Gov.UK.