The War Against Terror
Effective policing?
Via Centre Right
Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 allows the police to stop and search people. In 2008:
- Number of people stopped nationwide by British Transport Police using section 44: 160,000
- Number of people stopped in London by the Metropolitan Police using section. 44: 200,000
- Number of people amongst the 360,000 stopped under section. 44 and found to have any terrorist material or links: 0
Probably another case of “being seen to be doing something”
Question – I wonder which sections of the community were most vulnerable to a stop and search?
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I see it all the time on the way to work I’m just waiting for the day they get me.
I saw a 15 year old girl being searched once. The police woman was going through all her private stuff. Poor girl looked traumatised.
We really do live in a sick stupid society.
tbrrob
February 9, 2009 at 1:02 pm
The reality is that this government is using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. The number of people that genuinely wish us harm is probably in the low hundreds. I am not referring to the people that talk about it, after all if everyone was arrested for speaking ill of Gordon Brown, I suspect the jails would be full. The chances of the Police catching a few hundred suspected terrorists through stop and search when there are 65m people in this country is minimal. There resources would be much better spent elsewhere, unless of course, once again, they are using Section 44 for a purpose it was never attended for, like the local authorities using anti-terror legislation to spy on council payers!
UK Voter
February 10, 2009 at 9:56 am