Prison term for knife attackers to rise

London: The minimum prison sentence for anyone using a knife to kill is to rise from 15 years to 25, bringing it more in line with the 30-year "starting point" for those convicted of gun murders, the Justice Secretary, Jack Straw, has announced.

The decision follows a campaign by the relatives of knife crime victims, including the parents of 16-year-old Ben Kinsella, who called for stronger penalties for knife crime after his three killers were given life sentences with a minimum 19-year tariff.

Straw's announcement on tougher knife crime sentences comes as the home secretary, Alan Johnson, is expected to announce a climbdown over his proposals to keep the DNA samples of up to 850,000 innocent people for up to 12 years.

Home Office ministers are expected to announce a six-year limit on the retention of DNA profiles on the national database for people arrested but not convicted of any offence, bringing it more in line with Scotland, where five years is the norm.

Ben Kinsella's parents highlighted the disparity between sentencing for murders involving guns and knives after his killers' Old Bailey trial in June. Ben was stabbed 11 times as he fled a fight in Islington, north London, in June 2008.

George Kinsella said the government should review sentencing guidelines. "If you murder someone with a gun, the starting tariff is 30 years. But if you do it with a knife, it's 15 years. What's the difference? These are the things that need to be addressed by the government and changes made in the law."

Ben's sister, the EastEnders actor Brooke Kinsella, said after the trial: "As much as the judge tried to give as many years as he could, it's just not enough for us as a family."

Straw responded in June, by announcing that he would review the minimum jail term knife killers must serve before they can be considered for parole.

"The loss of a loved one in any circumstances is heartbreaking, and even more so when they are the victim of a senseless and appalling murder. It is only right that thugs who carry knives with the intention of using them, potentially to kill, should go to prison for a long time," said Straw.

The shadow justice secretary, Dominic Grieve, said the Conservatives welcomed the move. "But without cutting red tape to get more police on the street to catch the perpetrators, or providing the prison places for those convicted, this will prove yet another empty gesture," he said. The move comes ahead of the expected climbdown over the retention of DNA profiles of unconvicted crime suspects.

Last month the government withdrew its proposal to keep the DNA profiles of innocent people for six to 12 years, depending on the seriousness of the offence they were arrested for.

This was dropped in the face of an expected defeat in the House of Lords, to enable ministers to get the policing and crime bill on the statute book before the parliamentary year ends.

DNA stored for six years

Home Office ministers are expected to announce a six-year limit on the retention of DNA profiles on the national database for people arrested but not convicted of any offence.

The predicted climbdown comes after the government last month withdrew proposals to keep the DNA profiles of innocent people for six to 12 years, depending on the seriousness of the offence for which they were investigated.

This was dropped in the face of an expected defeat in the House of Lords to enable ministers to get the policing and crime bill on the statute book before the parliamentary year ends tomorrow.