Liberty responds to new police powers to stop and detain people at ports

Liberty has responded to news that police powers have come into force to stop, question, search and detain people under Schedule 3 of the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019.

Sam Grant, Liberty policy and campaigns manager, said:

“This is yet another counter-terror power which threatens the very principles of democracy that it purports to protect. This power is so broad it could be used to sweep up a vast array of behaviour. This threatens the freedom of all of us to move freely and live our daily lives without unnecessary intrusion – but will be felt most keenly by those who are already most marginalised.

“From the Counter-Terror Act this power comes from, to the Government’s damaging Prevent programme, we have moved into a space where the state has overbearing powers on an individual’s freedom, in an attempt to protect individual freedom. That is nonsensical. This also does nothing to keep us safer.”