The number of dna profiles of children on the Dutch dna database has trebled over the past two years, reports BNR news radio on Monday quoting figures from the Netherlands Forensics Institute.

The total has risen from 1,627 in 2006 to 5,628 in 2008.
Since 2005, everyone convicted of a crime punishable by four years or more in jail must give a dna sample. This is kept on the data base for 20 years.
The dna database was set up to keep a check on hardened criminals but it is also being used to register the under-16s sentenced to community service, says BNR.
Also on Monday, home affairs minister Guusje ter Horst announced plans for a dna database of police officers, says the AD newspaper. This would allow police dna to be eliminated faster from crime scenes, says the paper.