As police turn out to have stopped and questioned some 150,,000 or so trainspotters under the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2000, the Daily Telegraph warns against the dangers of Britain turning into a police state:
The Prevention of Terrorism Act 2000 has been used to stop 62,584 people at railway stations and another 87,000 were questioned under “stop and search” and “stop and account” legislation.
Liberal Democrat transport spokesman Norman Baker, who uncovered the figures, warned that Britain was heading towards a “police state”.
He said: “Law-abiding passengers get enough hassle on overcrowded trains as it is without the added inconvenience of over-zealous policing.
“The anti-terror laws allow officers to stop people for taking photographs and I know this has led to innocent trainspotters being stopped.
“This is an abuse of anti-terrorism powers and a worrying sign that we are sliding towards a police state.
Even if we still want to believe the police have our best interests at heart and are genuinely doing a difficult job protecting “the public” (excluding Brazilian plumbers), there’s a perverse incentive in giving them far ranging powers to stop terrorism. Because the cost of not stopping a terrorist because you’re hesitant about using your powers is so high, both for your career and in general, it’s far better to harass a 1,000 random people just because they may be doing something that might just be something that could be used by terrorists…
bjacques
January 7, 2009 at 6:18 pmOr, putting it the other way, there’s no penalty for hassling 1000 random people.
Happy New Year and I hope this year finds you both well.