1.1 million under-18s on DNA database

Seven per cent of population have DNA held

The government DNA database now contains 1.09 million children's DNA profiles, according to official figures.

Of those profiles of children under 18, 337,000 were under 16.

The figures were revealed in a parliamentary answer to the Liberal Democrats.

According to the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA), which runs the database, 88 per cent of the children were charged, convicted or received a final warning.

But the NPIA has never released figures on how many children were cleared of charges. A joint analysis by pressure groups Genewatch UK and Action on Rights for Children estimates that there are at least 100,000 innocent children on the database.

Changes to policing tactics have led to a huge increase in the number of children on the register, with 570,000 being added in the past five years, and 180,000 of those in 2007.

A European Court of Human Rights ruling in December said that two innocent men should have their profiles removed from the database, which contains details of seven per cent of the UK population.

Home secretary Jacqui Smith promised to consult on the issue and publish a white paper on the potential removal of innocents.

But The Guardian reported today that the Home Office is planning to circumvent the ruling so it does not have to remove profiles.

The Liberal Democrats yesterday proposed draft legislation that would remove all innocent people from the DNA database, as well as reform snooping laws and scrap the ID cards plan.

"The Freedom Bill we are publishing today will repeal 20 years of attacks on our civil liberties from both Labour and Tory governments," said Liberal Democrat shadow home secretary Chris Huhne.