Helen Wallace, director of GeneWatch, said: " We've heard about situations where, if a group of young people are hanging around a bus shelter and someone does some graffiti, the whole group is arrested and taken to the police station and their DNA samples are taken."
GeneWatch and Action on Rights for Children believe at least 100,000 innocent 10- to 17-year-olds are on the DNA database, with 80,000 from England and Wales added last year.
DNA samples, which are usually obtained by swiping a cotton swab inside the cheek lining, can be taken without the person's consent from anyone aged 10 and over.
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