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Brown unveils anti-terror plan

LONDON: A series of proposals to tighten up Britain’s counter-terror regime in the wake of last month’s attempted bombings in London and Glasgow were announced by Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Wednesday amid criticism by civil liberties groups that the Government was encroaching on people’s rights in the name of fighting terrorism.

The most controversial proposal relates to the powers of the police to detain terror suspects without charge. Currently, police can hold them for 28 days but it is now proposed to extend it to 56 days in “rare” circumstances and subject to judicial and parliamentary safeguards.

A move to extend the period for 90 days by the Blair government was rejected by Parliament, but after last month’s failed terror plot the opinion has shifted in favour of giving police more time to question suspects.

A suggestion by the human rights group Liberties that in circumstances where suspects need to be detained beyond 28 days the Government should first declare a national emergency has also been included in the consultation paper set out by Mr. Brown.

But the Government is understood to be not in favour of any measure that would require declaration of a national emergency.

Unveiling the proposals in the Commons, Mr. Brown was at pains to emphasise that the proposed 56-day extension would be subject to sufficient “judicial oversight” and “parliamentary accountability”.

Any extension, he said, would not only be subject to a specific case being made out by the Director of Public Prosecutions but would not exceed seven days at a time. And every extension would need to be approved by a High Court judge. Parliament would have to be notified in each case.

Other measures include tighter border controls including electronic screening of all passengers entering or leaving a British airport or any other point of entry.

Mr. Brown justified the need for stronger measures arguing that security was the “first duty” of the Government.

There was a “continuing” threat to the country with the police and security services already monitoring 30 “known plots” and more than 200 groups or networks suspected to be involved in terrorist activity.

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