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Charles Kennedy: Stop and Search Threatens Community Relations
2007-11-26 19:22:43 
Abuse of police stop-and-search powers has done untold damage to community relations, former Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy told a meeting in Hackney on Wednesday.
Speaking at the Alevi Centre in Ridley Road he said that the aftermath of the attack on the World Trade Centre had had a "profound effect on community relations within our country, because the government's response has been more state interference."
One example of this was an increase in stop-and-search since 9/11. "There is a more sinister truth behind the statisitics," he said. "Despite City of London Police carrying out 6,500 stop-and-searches, they didn't make a single arrest.
"Stop-and-search is needed in targetting terrorism," he told his multicultural audience, "but there are dangers in a disproportionate response. The quickest way to hand terrorists victory is to abandon our way of life. Freedom means that a life worth living is not to be easily abandoned."
Mr. Kennedy called for a Bill of Rights to secure civil liberties, continuous scrutiny of security through Parliament, and an amendment to the Freedom of Information Act that would allow legal advice given to Ministers to be more widely available.
Tags:
charles kennedy, stop and search, community relations, crime
