Concerns have been raised over a number of areas covered in the bill, namely proposals which would allow police to ask anyone under arrest to state or prove their nationality under threat of a prison sentence, the option to extend police bail indefinitely and the introduction of increased powers for civilian and voluntary staff at the discretion of Chief Officers.
The last UK Government (2010-15) implemented a number of reforms to policing, such as the introduction of directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and the creation of the National Crime Agency, and the current Conservative Government have argued that the Policing and Crime Bill makes good on their manifesto commitment to "finish the job of police reform."
Deceptively dull in title, bubbling with division under the surface: Policing & Crime Bill enters committee stage https://t.co/m6dsJ6kJuv
— Liberty (@libertyhq) 12 April 2016
Concerns have already been raised from within the police service around the effectiveness of elected PCCs — who can often have very little relevant knowledge or experience of policing — and fresh concerns have emerged over the new bill, which many fear represents more of an ideological overhaul than a genuine desire to make policing more effective.
Liberty goes further, suggesting that the Policing and Crime Bill may actively stir up racial tensions at an already volatile time:
"The Government has used it as a chance to progress its disturbing programme of making Britain a 'hostile environment', not just for illegal immigrants, but for all of us — particularly the BME community and those with foreign-sounding names or accents."
The Home Secretary Theresa May has stated that she believes the bill to be in line with the UK's obligations to the European Court of Human Rights, although the inclusion of controversial powers to reroute ships based on suspicion alone, could potentially see refugees and asylum seekers sent back to countries from which they are fleeing; something which Liberty claims "would amount to a serious breach of the UK's international obligations."
Policing and Crime Bill fact sheets are here: https://t.co/A8npOYrd4x includes keeling schedules which shows how the amended law will look
— Keeping PACE (@police_law) April 9, 2016
The bill is still in its relatively early days, having just entered the Committee Stage, but opponents like Liberty have promised to continue campaigning against the bill, which they refer to as "divisive" and "deceptively dull."
