The figure was revealed by then Home Office minister Hazel Blears in response to a Parliamentary question by Grant Shapps, Conservative MP for Welwyn Hatfield.
Shapps raised the question after 14-year-old Jack Saywood was arrested by police but not charged, and had a DNA sample kept on file by the police.
Shapps said: "By campaigning, I have got Jack's details removed. The impact on him was like a cloud causing worry that he could be seen as suspicious." A Home Office spokesman said: "There is no time limit for data storage and we don't expect the police to destroy records of investigation."
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