Thames Valley, U.K., Police Selects Provider of Forensic DNA Testing

The Thames Valley Police department awarded European Cellmark a three-year contract that makes it the departments exclusive provider of forensic DNA testing services. Thames Valley Police is one of the U.K.'s largest police forces and the largest non-metropolitan police force in the country.

U.K. Government funding for forensic DNA analysis has increased significantly in recent years through its DNA Expansion Plan. Earlier this year, the U.K. Parliament passed legislation that gives police forces the authority to take DNA samples, using a mouth swab, from all arrestees for inclusion in the country's National DNA Database(R). The U.K. National DNA Database now has more than 2.5 million entries, which is enabling a crime- solving "hit rate" of nearly 50 percent. This means that almost one out of every two DNA profiles generated from crime scene evidence matches up with the profile of an individual already in the database, enabling the police to identify the suspect from the database population. This high "hit rate" is making the DNA Database a powerful intelligence tool for the investigation of a wide range of offenses.