Welsh police take DNA samples from more than 5,500 children

A one-year-old baby is among thousands of children who have had their DNA taken by police officers in Wales.

A total of 5,561 kids were swabbed by Wales’ four forces as part of their investigations since 2010. These included a one-year-old last year, a two-year-old in 2010, a seven-year-old in 2011, an eight-year-old in 2012 and a nine-year-old in 2011.

Nick Pickles is director of privacy and civil liberties campaign group Big Brother Watch.

He said: “I’m stunned that someone thought it was acceptable to take a DNA sample from a one-year-old baby. On what possible grounds is that reasonable or necessary?

Read the full, original story here: Welsh police take DNA samples from more than 5,500 children

{{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.singularReviewCountLabel }}
{{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.pluralReviewCountLabel }}
{{ options.labels.newReviewButton }}
{{ userData.canReview.message }}

Related Articles

Infographic: Global regulatory and health research agencies on whether glyphosate causes cancer

Infographic: Global regulatory and health research agencies on whether glyphosate causes cancer

Does glyphosate—the world's most heavily-used herbicide—pose serious harm to humans? Is it carcinogenic? Those issues are of both legal and ...

Most Popular

Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-1.29.41-PM
Viewpoint: What happens when whole grains meet modern food manufacturing? Labels don’t tell the whole story.
Farmers can talk to plants
Farmers are a major source of misinformation—about farming
Screenshot-2026-04-12-135256
Bixonimania: The fake disease scam that AI swallowed whole

Sorry. No data so far.

glp menu logo outlined

Get news on human & agricultural genetics and biotechnology delivered to your inbox.