LONDON (Reuters) - Police will be able to arrest anyone for any criminal offence, including minor misdemeanours such as dropping litter, under new laws which come into force on Sunday (1/1/2006).
Until now police have had the power to arrest only those suspected of committing an offence carrying a sentence of at least five years in prison.
The new law requires only that the police have reasonable grounds for believing that a person's arrest is necessary. This can include a suspect's refusal to give their name and address.
The changes are part of the Serious and Organised Crime Act 2005, which removes the distinction between "arrestable" and "non-arrestable" offences. Offences that have until now been non-arrestable include impersonating a police officer, not stopping a vehicle when ordered to do so and making or
selling an offensive weapon.
Police will in future be allowed to photograph suspects on the street where they have been arrested or issued with a fixed penalty notice, rather than back at a police station. "The introduction of a single rationalised power of arrest simplifies arrest powers," said Home Office minister Hazel Blears.
"These tough new powers make a significant contribution to creating a modern, efficient police service equipping frontline officers with the tools they need to fight modern crime effectively and keep our neighbourhoods safe."
COMMENT:
We campaigners, protesters and political activists have been getting increased harrassment off the police, for peaceful protests, just quietly handing out leaflets in the street, gathering at Gleneagles (G8), just carrying placards near to Parliament Square after leaving demo's elsewhere. Peace
protester Brian Haw has recently been in court end of 2005.
A 2005 Christmas Demo' would now in 2006 likely get me arrested for refusing to give my name and address.
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/liverpool/2005/11/328673.html
STOP THE POLICE STATE!
STAY FREE - DEFY ID!
Have a happy 'police harrassment free' 2006
The new law requires only that the police have reasonable grounds for believing that a person's arrest is necessary. This can include a suspect's refusal to give their name and address.
The changes are part of the Serious and Organised Crime Act 2005, which removes the distinction between "arrestable" and "non-arrestable" offences. Offences that have until now been non-arrestable include impersonating a police officer, not stopping a vehicle when ordered to do so and making or
selling an offensive weapon.
Police will in future be allowed to photograph suspects on the street where they have been arrested or issued with a fixed penalty notice, rather than back at a police station. "The introduction of a single rationalised power of arrest simplifies arrest powers," said Home Office minister Hazel Blears.
"These tough new powers make a significant contribution to creating a modern, efficient police service equipping frontline officers with the tools they need to fight modern crime effectively and keep our neighbourhoods safe."
COMMENT:
We campaigners, protesters and political activists have been getting increased harrassment off the police, for peaceful protests, just quietly handing out leaflets in the street, gathering at Gleneagles (G8), just carrying placards near to Parliament Square after leaving demo's elsewhere. Peace
protester Brian Haw has recently been in court end of 2005.
A 2005 Christmas Demo' would now in 2006 likely get me arrested for refusing to give my name and address.
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/liverpool/2005/11/328673.html STOP THE POLICE STATE!
STAY FREE - DEFY ID!
Have a happy 'police harrassment free' 2006
Homepage:
Comments
Hide the following comment
No change for the pigs then?
04.01.2006 14:31
I find this very hard to believe as I was arrested and sometimes held overnight on numerous occasions during my teens. On one of these occasions I was walking along the street with two friends and was arrested because the police had nothing better to do.
"Police will in future be allowed to photograph suspects on the street"
The pigs already do this as you will know if youv'e ever been on a demonstration or march.
"A 2005 Christmas Demo' would now in 2006 likely get me arrested for refusing to give my name and address."
Then give a false name and address.
The shit-thick morons in the police have always been able to do what they wanted under the Tories, and now the Blairite scum are wholeheartedly backing them as well. I take heart from incidences where pigs are murdered like the recent case in Bradford. Also enjoyable was the murder of a Special Branch officer by an asylum seeker and the execution on Boxing Day a couple of years ago of a British pig by an American gangster.
The pigs have no qualifications, train for only 3 months, and then earn £25,000 a year. They are one of the least likely professions to be killed at work yet when they are the fuckers screech about it for ages. The pigs are more likely to murder civilians than the other way round.
Kill the pigs