The NDNAD continues to provide police with the most effective tool for the prevention and detection of crime since the development of fingerprint analysis over 100 years ago. During 2008/09 nearly six in ten crime scene profiles loaded to the NDNAD were matched to a subject profile. This included 252 homicides (includes murder and manslaughter); 580 rapes; 175 other sex offences; 1,819 other violent crimes and more than 8,100 domestic burglary offences. The fall in recorded crime, particularly in volume crime offences such as domestic burglary and vehicle crime, has resulted in fewer crime scene examinations and less DNA material collected at crime scenes and loaded on to the NDNAD. But it still continues to provide police with more than 3,300 suspect-to-crime-scene matches each month, helping to identify offenders more quickly, making earlier arrests and securing more convictions, and building public confidence that offenders are more likely to be brought to justice. A significant portion of the increase in costs for 2008-09 includes the cost of transferring the physical operation and maintenance of the NDNAD from the Forensic Science Service to the NPIA. Costs from 2006-07 are also higher than for previous years because the increase in the number of forensic suppliers requires additional resources for their proper accreditation and continuous monitoring. The NPIA charges forensic suppliers for these costs to ensure safeguards and standards are adhered to, but the total cost figure does not take this income into account. The National DNA Database (NDNAD) annual report, covering two years from April 2007 through to March 2009, is now available. The report is an important part of the aim to increase transparency and maintain public confidence in the database. Download Annual Report
