| Author | Message | | gchq | | Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2009 4:29 pm Post subject: Terror law used 'just to balance racial statistics' |
| Terror law used to stop thousands 'just to balance racial statistics'
The Guardian
17 Jun 2009
Thousands of people are being stopped and searched by the police under counter-terrorism powers simply to provide a racial balance in official statistics, the government's official anti-terror law watchdog has revealed.
Lord Carlile said in his annual report that he has got "ample anecdotal evidence", adding that it was "totally wrong" and an invasion of civil liberties to stop and search people simply to racially balance the statistics.
"I can well understand the concerns of the police that they should be free from allegations of prejudice," he said. "But it is not a good use of precious resources if they waste them on self-evidently unmerited searches."
The official reviewer of counter-terrorist legislation said there was little or no evidence that the use of section 44 stop-and-search powers by the police can prevent an act of terrorism.
"Whilst arrests for other crime have followed searches under the section, none of the many thousands of searches has ever resulted in a conviction for a terrorism offence. Its utility has been questioned publicly and privately by senior Metropolitan police staff with wide experience of terrorism policing," said Carlile.
He added that such searches were stopping between 8,000-10,000 people a month.
Under the Terrorism Act 2000, the "section 44 stops" allow the police to search anyone in a designated area without suspicion that an offence has occurred. But Carlile is critical of the use of the powers used by the Met police, saying he felt "a sense of frustration" that the force did not limit its section 44 authorisations to some boroughs or parts of boroughs but used them across its entire area.
"I cannot see a justification for the whole of the Greater London area being covered permanently. The intention of the section was not to place London under permanent special search powers."
None of the many thousands of searches had ever led to a conviction for a terrorist offence, he said. He noted, too, that the damage done to community relations was "undoubtedly considerable".
Examples of poor, or unnecessary use, of section 44 abounded. "I have evidence of cases where the person stopped is so obviously far from any known terrorism profile that, realistically, there is not the slightest possibility of him/her being a terrorist, and no other feature to justify the stop."
The Met has announced a review of how it uses section 44 powers. And the home secretary, Alan Johnson, is to issue fresh guidance to the police, warning that counter-terrorism must not be used to stop people taking photographs of on-duty officers.
Carlile uses his annual report to endorse complaints from professional and amateur photographers that counter-terror powers are being used to threaten prosecution if pictures are taken of officers on duty.
He said the power was only intended to cover images likely to be of use to a terrorist: "It is inexcusable for police officers ever to use this provision to interfere with the rights of individuals to take photographs." The police had to come to terms with the increased scrutiny of their activities by the public, afforded by equipment such as video-enabled mobile phones. "Police officers who use force or threaten force in this context run the real risk of being prosecuted themselves for one or more of several possible criminal and disciplinary offences," he warned.
He mentioned an incident in which two Austrian tourists were rebuked by officers for photographing Walthamstow bus station, in east London.
==================================================================
Tony Blair - War Criminal
http://www.petitiononline.com/BWCF/petition.html | |  | | MADMAX | | Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2009 8:03 pm Post subject: |
| .
There are plenty of white racist criminals walking the streets of Britain. Many of them carry weapons or have weapons and explosives in their homes... the police should balance the numbers by checking them out.
Indeed, from my experience there are more violent white racist terrorists in Britain than there are Muslims s0-called 'terrorists' although I'm also aware that the majarity of Police are white racists themselves, in addition to being freemasons. Corrupt to the bone.
. | | | | Anglo Thug | | Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2009 10:33 pm Post subject: |
| There are much more influential terrorists at large than the foot soldiers on either side. There's a difference between a policeman and a police officer. We should be focusing our efforts on recovering the policeman and discarding the police officer and only then we can get to the business of rooting out the real terrorists thus cutting the foot soldiers off from their fix. Like all hired help, once isolated these goons turn out to be cowards and they'll blend back into society, bar the odd few diehards who would be easy prey for genuine policemen. Or put another way, our problems are huge and affect every aspect of our society. Concentrating on the hired help isn't going to solve anything. In fact doing so is part of the diversion.
_________________
Please sign the petition to prosecute War Criminal Tony Blair | | | | MADMAX | | Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2009 10:41 pm Post subject: |
| .
Well said AT... go for the root of the problem.
Yes, from personal experience I have had a bit of a down on the Police in general, but I do also know there are good ones that would love the chance to put things to rights and they need our support.
Max
. | | | | Anglo Thug | | Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2009 10:50 pm Post subject: |
| By the way, the Terrorism Act 2000 is unlawful (not illegal) in so many ways it is hardly worth mentioning it in the grander scheme. Instead we have to focus on the apparatus that allows such a travesty to come into effect in the first place. Our entire remedy lies with the banks and corporations that run our government. All else is a symptom of the disease which is so carefully ignored. I was thinking today about western complaints about Islam and the oddities, from our point of view, we find in that religion, or at least in the way that religion manifests itself in some societies. But we never stop to think how deeply compromised our own society is. Step back and have a look. How crap is it that we spend our time worshipping money (bits of paper) in our 'enlightened' model? It's absolutely ridiculous, a complete waste of life energy. Yet it turns our world and we accept it blindly. We even hold it up as a beacon, we're proud of being the most deeply flawed civilisation on the planet. From here stems our whole modern culture, such that it is. And in this totally poisonous stew we wonder about each day to day calamity that emerges from the pot - the pot remains invisible of course. Yeah, some Muslims are mad as hell, but come on! Imagine a 'law' in an allegedly free land that can snatch people from the streets and lock them away without explanation. Step away from the media spin and government fear mongering and what your mommy told you back in the day and think about what it means to be here and now. That's women AND men who stand to suffer under such a 'law'. And we preach to others because they abuse just the women? Okay, let's not abuse women but let's understand shame shall we? And hypocrisy.
_________________
Please sign the petition to prosecute War Criminal Tony Blair | | | | | ©2002-2009 WarWithoutEnd.co.uk |
