The former police chief said Scotland’s police are racist. This happened before he left in August 2023. Now, someone wants a review. It involves how police record ethnicity during arrests, including when they collect DNA.

The reviewer says wrong recording is troubling. DNA solves less than 1,000 crimes yearly, usually serious crimes like murder. Police Scotland must create a biometrics plan soon.

Biometric data includes DNA and fingerprints. Public data shows black people are over-represented. They make up 7.5% on the UK’s DNA database, even though they are only 4% of the UK population.

Scotland’s DNA database lacks ethnicity details and is almost 30 years old. Experts can’t check for over-representation there. A big DNA tech investment was years ago, yet some benefits are not fully seen.

Many DNA profiles are low quality because offenders weren’t re-tested. Correct data helps police equality efforts and boosts public trust, despite racism claims. The reviewer said they lacked data, as police could not give ethnicity info.

The DNA database is very old and was not made to record this info. It is worrying to not record ethnicity, especially with racism allegations present. They could not find ethnic over-representation; police gave arrest data from 2023-2024 instead.

The ethnicity information was incomplete and unreliable. The data was so flawed, it became unusable. A review made seven recommendations afterward, covering getting, keeping, and using DNA data.

DNA only helped in 0.34% of Scottish crimes between 2023 and 2024, but it can provide crucial leads. Police do not always retest DNA if an older sample is of low quality.

Scotland spent millions on DNA tech in 2014, but they did not retest older samples. This means many profiles are outdated. Retesting would have cost over ten million, and most profiles are still lower quality.

Police need to improve DNA testing methods, which could help investigations. They need a biometrics plan with spending details. Better DNA profiles improve investigations and clear innocent people faster. Without a plan, police lack a clear vision. The police and SPA were asked for comments.

The former police chief said Scotland’s police are racist. This happened before he left in August 2023. Now, someone wants a review. It involves how police record ethnicity during arrests, including when they collect DNA.

The reviewer says wrong recording is troubling. DNA solves less than 1,000 crimes yearly, usually serious crimes like murder. Police Scotland must create a biometrics plan soon.

Biometric data includes DNA and fingerprints. Public data shows black people are over-represented. They make up 7.5% on the UK’s DNA database, even though they are only 4% of the UK population.

Scotland’s DNA database lacks ethnicity details and is almost 30 years old. Experts can’t check for over-representation there. A big DNA tech investment was years ago, yet some benefits are not fully seen.

Many DNA profiles are low quality because offenders weren’t re-tested. Correct data helps police equality efforts and boosts public trust, despite racism claims. The reviewer said they lacked data, as police could not give ethnicity info.

The DNA database is very old and was not made to record this info. It is worrying to not record ethnicity, especially with racism allegations present. They could not find ethnic over-representation; police gave arrest data from 2023-2024 instead.

The ethnicity information was incomplete and unreliable. The data was so flawed, it became unusable. A review made seven recommendations afterward, covering getting, keeping, and using DNA data.

DNA only helped in 0.34% of Scottish crimes between 2023 and 2024, but it can provide crucial leads. Police do not always retest DNA if an older sample is of low quality.

Scotland spent millions on DNA tech in 2014, but they did not retest older samples. This means many profiles are outdated. Retesting would have cost over ten million, and most profiles are still lower quality.

Police need to improve DNA testing methods, which could help investigations. They need a biometrics plan with spending details. Better DNA profiles improve investigations and clear innocent people faster. Without a plan, police lack a clear vision. The police and SPA were asked for comments.