The Wardman Wire

Just in advance of the Haltemprice and Howden by-election, Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust have released a new poll commissioned from ICM. The points that jump out at me on a rapid reading are

The Politics Home story tracker (snapshot from 1:30pm) is not showing this registering yet; it may do so later.

The nuggets are:

• 60% of people think that 28 days is plenty of time to hold people without trial.
• 93% believe DNA profiles should be kept permanently for serious violent or sexual crimes.
• 74% of people think DNA records should not be kept at all, or only for a limited time, for those who are innocent.

I find this encouraging, but further questions arise for the future - notably the quality of police database and particularly that of innocent people who are placed on the sex offenders register through error or incompetence.

This is the full text of the Press Release.

[Update 2pm: The full results from the Field Work are available here as a 130k PDF file]

[Update 9/7/2008 4pm: I see that Anthony Wells at Uk Polling Report has commented on the poll, and Politics Home have commented from two polls a month apart from the Phi 5000 - both suggesting that David Davis has not managed to change the climate of opinion in the country.]

For more information or interviews, with Professor Stuart Weir, contact: Melissa Milner or Daniel Harris on 0207 793 4035 or 0797 663 6228

Three quarters oppose DNA records for innocent people

On the eve of the Haltemprice and Howden by-election, a new ICM poll conducted for the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust shows most people (60%) think terrorist suspects should be held without charge for no more than 4 weeks, or 28 days.

Professor Stuart Weir, Director of Democratic Audit at the University of Essex, said today:

“These findings show little public appetite for the prolonged detention of terrorist suspects without charge. As debate on the Government’s 42-day proposals continues, they show that Gordon Brown’s assertion that a majority of people back them is ill-founded. I trust that voters in the Haltemprice and Howden By-Election, MPs in all parties and peers in the house of Lords will take note when deciding upon the issue.”

The ICM poll shows that whilst 36% of those asked think people who may be guilty of a terrorist offence should be held in detention for up to six week, or 42 days, before the yare charged or released, 32% say it should be up to four weeks, 13% up to two weeks,10% up to one week and 6% up to four days.

On detention, significantly, when told that six weeks in custody is equivalent to the prison sentence which someone might serve if found guilty of an offence such as burglary or assault people change their minds. Of those who said terrorist suspects should be held for up to six weeks before being charged or released, more than a third (35%) changed their minds when told this and agreed it is not right to hold someone who may be innocent for so long.

The ICM poll of 1021 people conducted between 4th and 6th July also found that 74% of people think DNA records should not be kept at all, or only for a limited time, for those who are innocent. 47% of people say that DNA profiles should not be kept at all by the police if someone is never charged with an offence or is acquitted, with a further 27% saying they should be kept for a limited time only.

93% believe DNA profiles should be kept permanently on a database if someone is convicted of a serious violent or sexual offence such as rape or murder. Only 33% of people believe these rules should also apply to those convicted of a lesser offence such as being drunk and disorderly. If a person is convicted of a ‘public order offence’, two thirds of people say that their DNA records should either be kept for a limited time only(47%), or not at all (19%).

Who is behind the poll?

The Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust Limited, founded in 1904 by the Quaker philanthropist, Joseph Rowntree, was set up as a company which pays tax on its income and is therefore free to give grants for political and campaigning purposes, to promote democratic reform and constitutional change

PROFESSOR STUART WEIR is director of Democratic Audit, at the Human Rights Centre, University of Essex, and is a senior research fellow at the Centre. He is joint author and editor of various democratic audits of the United Kingdom and other Democratic Audit publications. He was an active consultant to the intergovernmental body, International IDEA (the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance) from 1998 to 2004, and was a joint author of The International IDEA Handbook on Democracy
Assessment (which he is currently engaged on revising with colleagues). He acts as a consultant on parliamentary democracy and human rights, mostly in Africa, is a former editor of the New Statesman, and founded Charter88, the domestic campaign for democratic renewal. He has co-written a number of JRRT studies, including The Rules of the Game: Terrorism, Community and Human Rights (2007),

ICM Research interviewed a random sample of 1021 adults aged 18+ by telephone between 4-6 July 2008. Interviews were conducted across the country and the results have been weighted to the profile of all adults. ICM is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules. Further information at www.icmresearch.co.uk

Summary of Poll

Q.1 Britain has long-standing rules and principles that have been put in place to protect people from being arrested and wrongly held for an indefinite time in custody. I would like you to think about the amount of time people should be held in police custody before they are charged with an offence or are released. For each of the following scenarios please tell me how long you think people should be held in detention for questioning before they are charged or released?

People who may be innocent or guilty of any offence

Up to four days 29%
Up to one week 22%
Up to two weeks 19%
Up to four weeks 13%
Up to six weeks 10%

People who may be innocent or guilty of murder

Up to four days 8%
Up to one week 16%
Up to two weeks 20%
Up to four weeks 22%
Up to six weeks 29%

People who may be innocent of guilty of a terrorist offence

Up to four days 6%
Up to one week 10%
Up to two weeks 13%
Up to four weeks 32%
Up to six weeks 36%

Q.2 [To all respondents who think people who may be innocent or guilty of a terrorist offence should be held for up to six weeks.]

Six weeks in custody is equivalent to the prison sentence which someone might serve if
found guilty of an offence such as burglary or assault.

Do you still think it is right to hold someone who may be innocent for so long?

Yes 65%
No 35%

Q.3 For each of the following please tell me whether you think the police should keep a person’s DNA profile on a database permanently, whether there should be a time limit, or whether they should not keep them at all?

If they are never charged with an offence, or are acquitted

Keep permanently 25%
Time limit 27%
Not at all 47%

If they are convicted of a serious violent or sexual offence, such as rape or murder

Keep permanently 93%
Time limit 6%
Not at all <1%

If they are convicted of a public order offence, such as being drunk and disorderly in
England or Wales, or breach of the peace in Scotland

Keep permanently 33%
Time limit 47%
Not at all 19%