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British civil liberties victory over stop and search
British police were yesterday stripped of the widely abused power to stop and search innocent people in the street without any suspicion of wrongdoing.
In a signal victory for civil liberties, Home Secretary Theresa May declared that Section 44 of the Terrorism Act - recently ruled illegal by the European courts - could no longer be used against members of the public.
The decision was criticized by former Labor Home Secretary Alan Johnson, who said it would 'clearly restrict' the powers of the police to deal with potential dangermen.
Senior police are likely to complain that, with officer numbers certain to be slashed by Home Office budget cuts, this is the wrong time to make their jobs harder.