DNA database - victory for our rights, or foolish lefty hand-wringing?

Looks like the government have dropped plans to retain the DNA data
of innocent people on their database for between 6 and 12 years.

This follows a European Court of Human Rights ruling that keeping such data indefinitely was unlawful in the case of S and Marper v UK (2008).

Current developments are an interesting insight into the passage of a bill through parliament (which we will look at next year as part of Sources of Law) as the government is having to make concessions to its opponents in order to get the majority of the Policing and Crime Bill past Parliament.

Do you think that such data should be kept on people or not, and why? Are we striking the right balance between police powers and civil liberties?

Comments please...