The measure, announced by the
Prime Minister following the attack in
Salisbury, forms part of the Counter-Terrorism and
Border Security Bill.
Using the new power,
the police or designated immigration or customs
officers will be able to stop, question, search and
detain an individual at a port, airport or border area
to determine whether he or she is, or has been, engaged
in hostile activity.
Home Secretary, said:
We judge that it was highly likely that the Russian
state carried out the appalling attack in Salisbury
which demonstrates why the police need robust powers
to investigate, identify and challenge those acting
against our interests.
This is a necessary and proportionate response to the
threat and will, of course, be subject to strict
safeguards and robust oversight to assure its proper
use.
The power will be subject to robust oversight by the
Investigatory Powers Commissioner Sir Adrian Fulford
and the bill includes provisions for safeguards to
protect legally privileged and journalistic material.
The UK faces a sustained threat from hostile state
actors seeking to undermine national security in a
variety of ways, including espionage and, as the attack
in Salisbury made clear, violence against individuals.
As announced in the government’s
strengthened counter-terrorism strategy, the
legislation will also introduce a variety of new laws
to respond to the unprecedented terrorist threat,
allowing earlier intervention to disrupt terrorism.
These include:
- amending certain terrorism offences to update them
for the digital age, to reflect contemporary patterns
of radicalisation and to close gaps in their scope
- strengthening the sentencing framework for
terrorism-related offences and the power for managing
terrorist offenders following their release from
custody, including by increasing the maximum penalty
for certain offences, to ensure that the punishment
properly reflects the crime and to better prevent
re-offending
- strengthening the powers of the police to prevent
terrorism and investigate terrorist offences
The bill will also amend the Reinsurance (Acts of
Terrorism) Act 1993 so that the government-backed
terrorism reinsurer, Pool Re, can extend its business
interruption cover to include losses that are not
contingent on physical damage to commercial property.
