Guardian UK: Police demand new stop and search powers

[marmar]

Police have asked the government for a new counter-terrorism power to stop and search people without having to suspect them of involvement in crime, the Guardian has learned.

Senior officers have told the government the new law is needed to better protect the public against attempted attacks on large numbers of people, and are hopeful they can win ministers' backing.

A previous law allowing counter-terrorism stops without suspicion, section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000, was scrapped this year by the home secretary, Theresa May, after European judges struck it down for breaching human rights.

But police, including the Metropolitan force, which leads the UK fight against terrorism, say they need a boost to their counter-terrorism powers, which they worry are now too weak. ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/dec/29/police-stop-and-search-powers

[pipoman]

1. Complete nonsense

[Dawson Leery]

2. Go to Hell!

"To protect and serve" the powerful interests, that is.

[DCKit]

4. That's "Piss Off" in (British) English. "Fuck Off" if you're really serious. nt

[dixiegrrrrl]

3. Hope y'all are seeing the pattern as it gets bigger and bigger...

bookmarked, for the time when we need to look back and watch how it grew.

[RKP5637]

7. Yep, UK ---> USA. Eventually everyone will just be guilty by default and

living as an escapee. Disgusting. We are witnessing police states evolving and I seriously think must US citizens are completely lame and clueless and don't pay attention to anything. DU is the exception.

[oneshooter]

5. But it's for the CHILDREN!!!! n/t

[MadHound]

6. This will be coming to the states soon enough.

Sadly, a lot of the people will continue to trade their liberties for security.

[Canuckistanian]

8. Apt picture. "Fingermen" are on their way.

The Met is out of control. They need to be be told just WHO they are serving.

[Prophet 451]

9. I hate that film

Not because it's a bad film (it's not) but because it's so much weaker than the book.

Anyway, this. The police already have powers of stop and search on reasonable suspician (roughly equivelent to "probable cause"). We tried something similar to this in the mid-Eighties and, predictably, it was a disaster. In a sane world, this wouldn't have a hope of passing but since the just-plain-evil Tories (and sold-out LibDems) are in power right now, it might get through.

[pipoman]

10. Not to hijack the thread

but it is interesting how many hereabouts advocate a disarming of US citizens in the image of UK style gun control. Sacrificing liberty for temporary security and all that...

[HEyHEY]

11. Uk has different needs

They dealt with terrorism for 50 years. That said, there's too many infringments there.

[saras]

12. When pigs fly...

When otherwise sane Americans start fighting the police, Homeland Security, and similar authorities off, in large numbers, with firearms (i.e. more firearms and more shooting than done by criminals), I will begin to consider taking this argument seriously. That is to say, when I see more than fifty abusive police officers killed per day by members of the otherwise law-abiding public, I will begin to believe that guns can serve this purpose. If pro-gun DUers had actually done this during the Bush administration, there wouldn't BE any neocons at this point.

And if it really does come to this, I want my own tactical nukes - I don't think anything smaller has a snowball's chance in hell of winning that particular battle.

[pipoman]

14. It certainly hasn't, for decades, required tactical nukes

to keep the most powerful armies on the planet from conquering the Afghan people, huh?

That said, an armed populace only serves as a deterrent to massive rights violations by an oppressive government. A healthy fear of the populace... Small arms empower a population. Will there be a civil war any time soon? No. If the fourth amendment were suspended in the name of security would the population as a whole rebel? I don't think so. Would there be many individual incidents of doors being broken down arbitrarily resulting in Waco style responses from the residents of the property being breached? I believe there would be. The objection to the tactics of the .gov in Waco and Ruby Ridge crossed party lines and was massive. Had the population been disarmed prior to these actions, the results would have been different and we may not have even heard of these incidents of .gov crossing the line. Disarming the populace could (historically would) lead the way to further encroachment on civil liberties/rights, IMHO.

[Glassunion]

13. Quick Question...

When we get there, can we all have those kick ass uniforms facism seems to come up with?

I think we should dig up Hugo Boss and get something that crosses between those cool SS leather coats, Fingermen uniforms and Darth Vader.