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Terror searches ‘more targeted’
Police take step back on controversial stop and search powers after complaints
THE use of controversial stop-and-search powers under the Terrorism Act will be “more targeted”, senior borough police have pledged following a public outcry.
Section 44 of the Act allows police to stop and search without giving any grounds for their suspicion, giving rise to accusations that the measure was being used to boost targets for non-terror offences, and was being employed disproportionately against Asian people. In a letter to the Camden Community Police Consultative Group (CCPCG) this week, Camden’s Chief Inspector Louis Smith said: “From 26th Aug the MPS (Metropolitan Police Service) will adopt a more targeted approach to the use of S44. You may have seen the publicity a few months ago with the Home Secretary and senior police officers saying that this would happen, responding to the legal challenges and public opinion, agreeing that we should use the power in a much more systematic and evidence-based way. In Camden we will limit these to a very small number of tightly defined, specific areas. They will be monitored monthly by senior officers.”
The use of stop and search caused particular resentment among young Muslim men, according to Councillor Abdul Hai, a youth worker who contributed to CCPCG work on the subject last year.
“At a sensitive time, the old policy alienated young Muslim people and made them more angry.,” said Cllr Hai. “We have to trust our security and intelligence services, but the figures showed that the number of terrorism offences detected with these powers was very, very low: it became a way of police stopping people without a legitimate explanation. It was reactionary, and I welcome this change, though it is long due.”
As recently as November, Camden police were using the power 2,000 times a month. In March, the latest month for which figures are available, there were 700 stop and searches under Section 44. Searches under another emergency power which removes the need for officers to give any reason for their actions – Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act – have also fallen sharply since the winter. |
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