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The Crown Prosecution Service failed to run checks on 15 foreign criminals for more than a year - 11 of whom have since committed crimes in the UK. | |
Last year the CPS was sent DNA details of 2,000 people wanted by Dutch police for crimes including murder and rape. | |
But it only started running checks this month, and found 15 have been in the UK and 11 have since committed crimes. | |
A major police operation has now begun to find the 15. The Tories accused the government of "serial failures". | |
Details of the 15 were among 2,000 DNA profiles sent by Dutch police to London and other European capitals in January 2007, with a request to check if any had moved to their countries. | |
Sick leave | |
But the request was not acted on in Britain until earlier this month when checks with the British DNA database found 15 matches - 11 of whom have committed crimes in Britain in the last 12 months. | But the request was not acted on in Britain until earlier this month when checks with the British DNA database found 15 matches - 11 of whom have committed crimes in Britain in the last 12 months. |
A Gold Command operation, involving police and the serious organised crime squad, has now begun to try to locate the individuals. | A Gold Command operation, involving police and the serious organised crime squad, has now begun to try to locate the individuals. |
This is not a data security issue as this information was always in the possession of the CPS CPS statement | |
BBC political editor Nick Robinson said the Home Office had been told a week ago about the situation but was advised to say nothing so as not to jeopardise the police operation. | BBC political editor Nick Robinson said the Home Office had been told a week ago about the situation but was advised to say nothing so as not to jeopardise the police operation. |
He said there had been a suggestion that the information had been left on an official's desk when they were off on sick leave. | |
In a statement, the Crown Prosecution Service said: "We can confirm that DNA profiles of around 2,000 unknown individuals were sent by a foreign jurisdiction to the CPS to facilitate a check against the national DNA database. | In a statement, the Crown Prosecution Service said: "We can confirm that DNA profiles of around 2,000 unknown individuals were sent by a foreign jurisdiction to the CPS to facilitate a check against the national DNA database. |
"These are profiles relating to unsolved crimes in that country." | |
It added: "As this information necessarily relates to ongoing police investigations, it would be inappropriate to provide any more detail at this stage." | |
The incident follows a series involving missing data, the biggest being the loss of 25m people's child benefit details. | |
The CPS added: "This is not a data security issue as this information was always in the possession of the CPS." | |
But shadow home secretary David Davis told the BBC: "There are serial failures throughout government. | |
"Even in the Home Office and Department of Justice alone, it followed on from the loss of 29,000 records. It is a serial failure that has put the British public at risk." |