By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 18:18 EST, 22 September 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 18:18 EST, 22 September 2012 . Two thousand convicts who committed crimes up to 40 years ago have been ordered to provide DNA samples under new powers granted to the police to solve cold cases. Officers have visited the homes of nearly 200 ex-offenders in the Manchester area in what is expected to be part of a nationwide police operation to bolster the National DNA Database. Under the powers drafted by Labour and brought in by the Coalition last year, the police can demand convicts provide DNA – even if they are not suspected of any crime and last committed an offence as long ago as the Seventies. Police say harvesting DNA from ex-offenders will help them solve more crime . Police chiefs say the harvesting of DNA from ex-offenders will help them solve more crime. But civil liberties campaigners warn that the new powers will disrupt the lives of former offenders who are rehabilitated. Nick Pickles, director of the civil liberties and privacy campaign group Big Brother Watch, said: ‘This is a disproportionate use of a police power and not a very good use of police resources.’ But the police say they are only targeting ex-cons who offended before the database was created – and others who avoided being added to it. The samples - normally taken from a saliva swab - will be kept even if the suspect is not charged. Forensic scientist Jasmine Thomas prepares blood samples for DNA extraction for evidence in a sexual assault case . There are 1.8 million samples on the database, set up in 1996, and 3,000 names a month are added. Statistics show that more than 1.2 million arrests are made each year for recordable crimes, which include many motoring offences, breaching the Trade Descriptions Act, the Dangerous Dogs Act and Britain's ancient blasphemy laws. Defence lawyers have warned of the risk of innocent people being linked to an offence under the new system if their DNA was found at a crime scene by accident, such as on a stolen mobile phone.
Officers have visited 200 ex-offenders in the Manchester area to take DNA samples .
By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 18:18 EST, 22 September 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 18:18 EST, 22 September 2012 . Two thousand convicts who committed crimes up to 40 years ago have been ordered to provide DNA samples under new powers granted to the police to solve cold cases. Officers have visited the homes of nearly 200 ex-offenders in the Manchester area in what is expected to be part of a nationwide police operation to bolster the National DNA Database. Under the powers drafted by Labour and brought in by the Coalition last year, the police can demand convicts provide DNA – even if they are not suspected of any crime and last committed an offence as long ago as the Seventies. Police say harvesting DNA from ex-offenders will help them solve more crime . Police chiefs say the harvesting of DNA from ex-offenders will help them solve more crime. But civil liberties campaigners warn that the new powers will disrupt the lives of former offenders who are rehabilitated. Nick Pickles, director of the civil liberties and privacy campaign group Big Brother Watch, said: ‘This is a disproportionate use of a police power and not a very good use of police resources.’ But the police say they are only targeting ex-cons who offended before the database was created – and others who avoided being added to it. The samples - normally taken from a saliva swab - will be kept even if the suspect is not charged. Forensic scientist Jasmine Thomas prepares blood samples for DNA extraction for evidence in a sexual assault case . There are 1.8 million samples on the database, set up in 1996, and 3,000 names a month are added. Statistics show that more than 1.2 million arrests are made each year for recordable crimes, which include many motoring offences, breaching the Trade Descriptions Act, the Dangerous Dogs Act and Britain's ancient blasphemy laws. Defence lawyers have warned of the risk of innocent people being linked to an offence under the new system if their DNA was found at a crime scene by accident, such as on a stolen mobile phone.
Officers have visited the homes of nearly 200 ex-offenders in the Manchester area in what is