Here is a BBC article about the new police powers proposed and I am interested to know what folks think. Police in England and Wales could be given powers to arrest people for minor offences such as graffiti or litter. Police can currently arrest people only for crimes with sentences of at least five years, meaning breach of the peace is often used as a "catch all" offence. A Home Office consultation paper also proposes to allow drug tests of people when arrested, and to make it easier to search suspects and their property. Home Office minister Hazel Blears says the aim is to modernise police powers. But shadow home secretary David Davis dismissed the proposals as "another headline grabbing initiative from a gimmick crazy home secretary". The measures are now out for consultation, with comments invited by the Home Office until 8 October. Under the new plans, all offences including minor "anti-social behaviour" ones could in theory lead to an arrest, but there would be strict guidelines to determine when an arrest was appropriate. Officials described their consultation document as a "tidying-up exercise" which would resolve confusion over the law, rather than result in many more arrests. "What we are saying here is that in future all offences will be arrestable but that does not necessarily mean that everybody will be arrested because there will be a necessity test," Ms Blears told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme. "A constable could come upon an offence and he might not be sure whether it is arrestable or not. In future that would be very clear. "The range of offences on the statute book, some are serious arrestable offences, some are prosecutable by a summons - that's the way our legal system is . "We are saying [we could make] every offence arrestable but what we are also saying is that you have to show that it was necessary in these circumstances," she added. 'Arbitrary' But Shami Chakrabarti, director of civil rights group Liberty, said it was "disproportionate" to make offences which could not carry a prison sentence arrestable. The broader the powers the police were given, the more they were used in an arbitrary and racially discriminatory manner, she claimed. "I have yet to hear any serious voice in policing in this country say that the problem the police faces is that they don't have powers to arrest people for dropping litter," she told Today. Keith Taylor, Principal Speaker of the Green Party, said: "These proposals are the latest in a series of attacks on civil liberties by a government that already monitors its citizens more closely than any in Britain's history." Civilian wardens The government is also considering allowing police to test anyone they have arrested for drugs, regardless of whether they have been charged with an offence. Police believe that testing suspects at an earlier stage would help isolate drug users more efficiently. The paper also proposed giving more powers to community support officers. They could get greater powers to direct traffic, tackle beggars, search people for weapons and enforce bylaws, so that police officers were free to concentrate on front-line duties, the consultation paper said. Police could also have the power to fingerprint drivers at the roadside, as well as at police stations. The Home Office suggests changes the way search warrants work so they would be granted for any address connected to a suspect, not just a single address. The Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) said it had not asked for all offences to be made arrestable, although there was a need to rationalise some powers and strengthen others. A spokesman said making minor offences arrestable could act as a deterrent as it sent a strong message to perpetrators. Acpo vice president Chief Constable Denis O'Connor welcomed the consultation on the power to take fingerprints by the roadside and take footwear impressions without consent. But he sounded a "note of caution" on plans to extend the powers of community safety officers. "We hope that by having a full range of powers available to us, we can deal effectively with antisocial behaviour, be one step ahead of the criminal and give people the confidence to live safely," he added. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3557266.stm
I'm sure I've been arrested for offences with light sentences before. What about people arrested for shoplifting, possesion of drugs, tax dodging, being drunk 'n' disorderly, obstruction etc? Surely these all carry sentences of less than 5 years anyway?
Glad you brought this up. This is such bad news for protesters. Imagine getting stopped, searched, drug tested and finger printed just cos a copper didnt like the look of you It's bad enough as it is now.
Here in the states, my friend Nathan got pulled over by a cop. The cop thought he had weed in the car so he searched the car all over and found nothing. Nathan then asked for his badge number and reported him for his behavior. By the way, this has happened to him twice. Both times he had nothing on him.
My friend was Stopped and Searched in the street because he was "a mosher". This is what the cop actually said to him. He said he was suspicious of "mosher types". He claimed the search was drug related. Arsehole.
Yes I think this sucks too. It reminds me of a 'Not the Nine O'Clock News' sketch back in the early 80's, Constable Savage. 'Arested for walking on the cracks in the pavement in a loud shirt in a built up area' etc. In my opinion it's total electioneering by a Government which has already fed fear into the public at large by means of the media, fear that to a large extent has been caused by its own actions such as the war and invasion of another sovereign nation etc., etc., In terms of protesting, yep this is another move towards an outright assault against any form of dissent. Last year I was stopped and searched under the Prevention of Terrorism Act at the Shut down DSEi demos in London, that was bad enough. It would seem their is no end to this crack down on civil liberties. Won't be long til we aren't allowed out at all, already trying that one on teenagers!
They just need to "suspect" you of something with a greater maximum penalty and they can arrest you I think. Like the way if you're caught with a henry they will "suspect" you of dealing. Or then there's the "breach of the peace" for which they can detain you even though there's no such offence. So this is a classic instance of the creeping advancement of police powers - they do it anyway, but this proposal would legalise these currently-used workarounds for not being able to arrest people for minor offences. Creep creep creep and suddenly you realise you're living in Kafka's "The Trial"... "Breach of the peace" indeed, I was threatened with that for standing outside the gates of Downing Street with a Tony Blair mask on!
Found the Constable Savage sketch! ha! "Come in, shut the door." "Yes, sir." "Now then, Savage, I want to talk td you about some charges that you've been bringing lately. I think that perhaps you're being a little over-zealous." "Which charges did you mean then, sir?" "Well, for instance this one: 'Loitering with intent to use a pedestrian crossing.' Savage, maybe you're not aware of this, but it is not illegal to use a pedestrian crossing, neither is 'smelling of foreign food' an offence." "Are you sure, sir?" "Also, there's no law against 'Urinating in a public convenience or 'Coughing without due care and attention."' "If you say so, sir..." "Yes, I do say so, Savage! Didn't they teach you anything at training school?" "Erm, I'm sorry, sir..." "Some of these cases are just plain stupid: 'Looking at me in a funny way' - Is this some kind of joke, Savage?" "No, sir." "And we have some more here: 'Walking on the cracks in the pavement,' 'Walking in a loud shirt in a built-up area during the hours of darkness,' and 'Walking around with an offensive wife.' In short, Savage, in the space of one month you have brought one hundred and seventeen ridiculous, trumped-up and ludicrous charges." "Yes, sir." "Against the same man, Savage." "Yes, sir." "A Mr Winston Kodogo, of 55, Mercer Road." "Yes, sir." "Sit down, Savage." "Yes, sir." "Savage, why do you keep arresting this man?" "He's a villain, sir." "A villain..." "And a jail-bird, sir." "I know he's a jail-bird, Savage, he's down in the cells now! We're holding him on a charge of 'Possession of curly black hair and thick lips."' "Well - well, there you are, sir." "You arrested him, Savage!" "Thank you, sir." "Savage, would I be correct in assuming that Mr Kodogo is a coloured gentleman?" "Well, I can't say I've ever noticed, sir." "Stand up, Savage! - Savage, you're a bigot. It's officers like you that give the police a bad name. The press love to jump on an instance like this, and the reputation of the force can be permanently tarnished. Your whole time on duty is dominated by racial hatred and petty personal vendettas. Do you get some kind of perverted gratification from going around stirring up trouble?" "Yes, sir." "There's no room for men like you in my force, Savage. I'm ss transferring you to the S.PG. -" "Thank you very much, sir." "- Now get out!" (SPG-Special Patrol Group. A nasty bunch of bastard coppers who used to scream around in riot vans in the 70's and 80's hitting people with truncheons on suspicion of crimes committed but generally to oppress the black communities of London and the midlands..) We aren't progressing much are we...
