IN THE early days of Blair’s New Labour, a law was slipped into the system.

It allowed police to take DNA photos and fingerprints of all persons arrested and to retain them – even if the person was never prosecuted.

This has built up a massive database from 10-year-olds to 85-year-old pensioners.

The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg ruled against the UK that such practice was wrong.

I make no apology for my objection to the EU, but a court order is a lawful ruling; failure to comply is contempt. It is a serious matter.

So now Jacqui Smith obeys the court by deciding to only keep this data for six years, or 12 years for serious offences.

Remember the phrase ‘innocent until proved guilty’? A total of 850,000 innocent people are on this database.

Yet in Scotland they only keep such records for five years.

Our government only obeys the rules that suits it. This, after all, is the same government that refuses us a referendum on Europe.

The database is said to be the largest of its kind in the world, so I suppose Mrs Smith does have a dubious claim to fame.

Criminals and illegal immigrants seem to have more rights than the innocent in England today.

RW TUCKER, Kingsway Drive, Kidlington