Liberty has produced a briefing paper on a series of government
amendments being attached to the Police, Crime, Sentencing
and Courts Bill (Policing Bill).
These amendments have not been considered by the House of
Commons, where the Policing Bill started.
Debate only started at 11:49pm last night [25th Nov] on the final
day of the Committee Stage in the Lords.
said they were ‘the most controversial part of
the Bill.’
Baroness Chakrabati said the amendments: “... looks, smells and tastes a
lot like anti-terror legislation... but this time they are not
for terrorists but protesters.”
suggested that ‘political considerations have
taken precedence over all considerations relating to making good
law.’ said it ‘amounts to absolute contempt of
Parliament.’
The amendments were moved but withdrawn, to be tabled at Report
Stage: 5 days across December and January). The Third Reading and
Ping Pong is expected in January / February.
The government amendments include:
-
Offence of locking on (Amendment 319A)
-
Offence of being equipped for locking on (Amendment 319B)
-
Willful obstruction of highway (Amendment 319C)
-
Obstruction of major transport works (Amendment 319D)
-
Powers to stop and search on suspicion (Amendment 319E)
-
Powers to stop and search without suspicion (Amendment 319F)
-
Offences relating to section (Powers to stop and search
without suspicion) (Amendment 319J)
-
Serious disruption prevention orders (Amendment 319K)
Collectively they were described as a ‘Bill within a Bill.’
On locking-on, , former Met Police Deputy
deputy assistant commissioner, said: “Amnesty has talked about case
law having established that protestors have a right to choose the
manner of conduct of their protest. That is an important aspect
of freedom of assembly. I too will quote from Her Majesty’s
Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services,
which said that “most interviewees”—junior police officers— “did
not wish to criminalise protest actions through the creation of a
specific offence concerning locking-on. Can the Minister explain
why the Government have gone against what the police want where
this is concerned?”
On the offence of being equipped for locking on, Baroness
Chakrabati said: “I am worried about young people
going about their business, sometimes riding to a demonstration
or being in the vicinity of potential demonstrations, carrying
bicycle locks. I cannot see how they are not potentially in
jeopardy, en masse, of both the stop and search powers, and going
equipped.”
On Serious Disruption Prevention Orders, Lord Kennedy of
Southwalk, said: “...the Government are mirroring
laws that currently exist for serious violence and knife crime.
Unless I am wrong, and I am sure the Minister will correct me if
I am, these measures apply to peaceful protesters, not people
carrying knives or causing violence, and that is a huge issue for
us.”
Notes
Founding members of the Police Bill Alliance include: Liberty,
Friends of the Earth, Quakers in Britain, Friends, Families and
Travellers, and Bond.
