Police Scotland Failing to Accurately Record Ethnicity Data

The Biometrics Commissioner wants changes. He wants Police Scotland to review ethnicity records and the protocols when taking DNA data. Incorrect data is “concerning,” he said.

DNA solves less than 1,000 Scottish crimes each year, including murders and assaults, usually. Police Scotland needs a biometrics strategy. This plan must include costs and receive approval; the deadline was October 31st.

Biometric data includes things like DNA and fingerprints. UK DNA data shows 7.5% are Black citizens, even though Black people are only 4% of the UK population. Scotland’s census says 1.3% of people are Black.

Scotland’s DNA database lacks ethnicity details. It is almost thirty years old now. Experts cannot check for over-representation.

A £6 million DNA technology investment happened ten years ago. Benefits are limited and have not been realized due to 70% of DNA profiles having lower quality. Police failed to re-test offenders; this is the cause.

Better data supports Police Scotland’s equality duties and boosts public trust. Allegations of “institutional racism” exist, and the current Chief Constable supports this idea.

Dr. Plastow said the agency cannot supply ethnicity data because the database is old and lacks this information. He finds this “concerning” in light of racism claims. He also said that they could not find ethnic over-representation and that it was impossible to locate protected characteristics.

Police Scotland gave different ethnicity data that came from its National Custody System. The DNA was taken from 2023 to 2024 arrests, but this data was “incomplete” and “unreliable”. Dr. Plastow stated the data lacked important caveats and accuracy.

A review resulted in seven recommendations for the force and focused on DNA handling for the police. Dr. Plastow said DNA helps in fewer crimes than you expect but noted that some of those leads are spectacular. Police Scotland and the SPA did not comment in the article.