The national DNA data bank is currently generating some 100 matches a week, up from 67 a year ago, according to the organisation’s annual report.

The data bank, which was set up 15 years ago, currently contains DNA profiles of over 130,000 people while the number of DNA traces from crime scenes reached nearly 50,000.
Everyone suspected of a crime which carries a jail term of at least four years is required by law to give a DNA sample. Some 13% of the DNA profiles held by the data bank belong to minors.
The report does not say how many crimes the DNA data bank has helped solve but did say the number of positive matches rose 50% last year. In one in 10 cases, a match involved a serious crime such as rape or murder.