ONLY ONE IN FIFTY 'STOP' & 'SEARCHES' IN LONDON RESULT IN ARREST

12.00.00am GMT Tue 11th Nov 2003

Liberal Democrat London Mayoral candidate Simon Hughes MP today revealed new figures that show that just 1 in 50 stop and searches undertaken by London police under the Terrorism Act 2000 result in arrest. The research also reveals that the Home Office has no idea as to what the charges against these individuals are or how many of those people arrested are convicted.

The new figures revealed in a Parliamentary answer to Mr Hughes show that for the latest period available of 2001/2002, 7,566 stop and searches were carried out by the City of London and Met Police under Section 44 (1) and (2) of the Terrorism Act 2000. Of those, just 174 were arrested. Ministers do not cross reference subsequent charges or prosecutions.

Simon Hughes MP said:-

"Anti-terrorism powers were meant to be exceptional powers, used occasionally and only when the circumstances demanded it. The fact that so many people have been stopped, and so few arrested, suggests that the powers are being used in London as a routine policing technique. Nor is it clear why the powers were felt to be necessary in London but not in Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham or Bristol.

"It is unacceptable that basic monitoring of the outcomes of these stops has not been carried out. We need to know that these special powers are being used as a proportionate response to the threat from terrorism."

"People understand and accept the need for special powers at times of heightened threat. But we cannot have a situation where exceptional powers become the norm in our capital city."

ENDS

Notes to editors

4 Nov 2003 : Column 575W

Terrorism Act

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many stop and searches have been carried out during each of the last three years under section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 in London; what the charges of those arrested were; and how many have resulted in successful prosecutions. [135165]

Mr. Blunkett: Figures on stops and searches under section 44(1) and section 44(2) of the Terrorism Act 2000 are published annually in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin. The latest published figures are for the financial year 2001-02 and show that in the Metropolitan police district, 3,598 stops and searches were carried out under section 44(1) resulting in 63 arrests. 473 stops and searches were carried out under section 44(2), resulting in 11 arrests.

For the same period in the City of London police district, 3,409 stops and searches were carried out under Section 44(1) resulting in 92 arrests. 86 stops and searches were carried out under section 44(2), resulting in 8 arrests.

Figures for 2002-03 are due to be published later this year. Figures for 2003-2004 will be published when the relevant data has been collated and verified.

The data collected on stops and searches made under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 is not automatically cross-referenced with subsequent charges or prosecutions, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.