Stop and Search: Airports and Ports

(asked on 14th December 2017) - View Source

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she will direct Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary to review (a) the use by the police of powers in Schedule 7 to the Terrorism Act 2007 to stop and search people at ports and airports and (b) whether those powers are used disproportionately on ethnic minority groups.


Answered by
Nick Hurd Portrait
Nick Hurd
This question was answered on 20th December 2017

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Service (HMICFRS) runs an annual public consultation on its inspection programme through which we ensure the inspectorate is sighted on Ministerial priorities

The programme is approved by the Home Secretary before it is published.

The exercise of police powers such as Schedule 7 is already annually reviewed by the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation (IRTL), who reports on the operation of the Terrorism Act 2000 and powers including Schedule 7.

All police forces refer complaints alleging discriminatory use of Schedule 7 powers to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) for investigation. IPCC investigations are part of the evidence considered by the IRTL.

In his annual review of 2013 IRTL David Anderson QC reported that he had “no reason to believe that Schedule 7 powers are exercised in a racially discriminatory way”, a view he repeated in subsequent reports. The first report of the current IRTL Max Hill QC is yet to issue.

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