Section 44 stop and search

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Discussion

sleep envy

Original Poster:

62,260 posts

255 months

Wednesday 6th May 2009
quotequote all
On my travels around London I've witnessed more and more instances of 'stop and search'.

Seeing as only 65 of more than 170,000 searches led to arrests for terror offences is this legislation being abused by plod?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8034315....

Spiritual_Beggar

4,833 posts

200 months

Wednesday 6th May 2009
quotequote all
Highly Abused!!!!

Section 44 was supposed to be a 'TEMPORARY' bit of legislation while the country was in panic mode over 7/7.

Not 1 'Significant' arrest has been made due to section 44. Those 65 were probably not major threats.


There is no reason for this bit of legislation to still be around!

sleep envy

Original Poster:

62,260 posts

255 months

Wednesday 6th May 2009
quotequote all
temporary legislation?

can't see it being repealed anytime soon - it suits their needs too well for petty crime

Horse_Apple

3,795 posts

248 months

Wednesday 6th May 2009
quotequote all
Spiritual_Beggar said:
Highly Abused!!!!

Section 44 was supposed to be a 'TEMPORARY' bit of legislation while the country was in panic mode over 7/7.

Not 1 'Significant' arrest has been made due to section 44. Those 65 were probably not major threats.


There is no reason for this bit of legislation to still be around!
In addition, if you read the legal document that you sign under a police stop and search you will realise that they have to have just cause and a reasonable suspicion of what they expect to find.

In other words, when stopped, if you ask what precisely they are expecting to find and cannot give a clear argument then they cannot continue.

However, they get around with with the mention that they are stopping you under the temporary act but using the old paperwork.

Then you can have fun asking to see this temporary Act. They don’t have any to hand out or to be signed. Then stand your ground and politely demand to be formally appraised of the act in writing before you permit them to proceed.

When I last did this, all very politely and in a chatty manner, I cycled through several officers from starting with a Nosey Neighbour, through a PC, onto a Seargent before the chap in charge apologised that they had not got the relevant paperwork to give me and never have had as it’s never been printed but would I mind if they searched the car, to which the answer was ‘not at all’ but that they couldn’t fill out the form that they had as it wasn’t correct for the purpose of the search.

No paperwork was completed.

Very bizarre incident.

I now have a wallet with the 7 previous S&S docs in the car and just hand that over as I commute via Buckingham Palace and Westminster so am stopped regularly. I’ve been moved on each time since.

Nadyenka

661 posts

203 months

Wednesday 6th May 2009
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It does not make the Inteligence service of the UK look very good if they think that every one is a terrorist.

Trommel

19,397 posts

265 months

Wednesday 6th May 2009
quotequote all
Horse_Apple said:
I now have a wallet with the 7 previous S&S docs in the car
Is this you on your commute?


Jasandjules

70,415 posts

235 months

Wednesday 6th May 2009
quotequote all
Horse_Apple said:
In addition, if you read the legal document that you sign under a police stop and search you will realise that they have to have just cause and a reasonable suspicion of what they expect to find.
I got stopped by a dog handler at Liverpool St a while ago. We were nice and friendly and just chatting away when his dog started getting REALLY funny and was all over my bag... I then produced my Tuna Sarnie and the dog was now sitting, patiently awaiting a donation of my sarnie.. The look on plod's face was funny too, then he said this damn dog is a greedy one....

collateral

7,238 posts

224 months

Thursday 7th May 2009
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Definitely seems like it's being used as an excuse for plod to act like brown shirts

Horse_Apple

3,795 posts

248 months

Thursday 7th May 2009
quotequote all
Trommel said:
Horse_Apple said:
I now have a wallet with the 7 previous S&S docs in the car
Is this you on your commute?

Not far off. A very old Rangie.