Police State V 5. I Was Stopped Last Night Under The Prevention Of Terrorism Act

[mona]

Damien Green Even if he should have been arrested why under the anti-terrorism act ?
Another journalist ( who's name escapes me at the moment ) bugged and arrested because she regualrly spoke to police officers
The police can breakup groups of 4 people and greater WITHOUT giving a reason
No demonstrating outside parliment or in Downing Street
Keeping DNA of innocent people

and, much as I hate the guy, John Catt being arrested for an anti-Blair tea-shirt.

There's plenty of evidence that the police have attempted altered the facts in the Brazlian shoting case and have then been protected by the juditoury ( sp? ) by the judge not allowing the jury to return a verdict of unlawful killing.

I would agree it's not the USSR or Nazi Germany YET but the police have far too many powers AND are politicised. We live in an overly controlled society and it is policed by an ever bulling police force and security services.

Franz Kafka is alive and well and living in Westdene.

 

[London Calling]

You look like the sort who will sit at a computer, and broadcast the fact that the ob stopped you in the quest to find terrorists.
Job done.

 

[bhaexpress]

Yes these terrorists are so devious, why don't they just wear a shirt with 'BOMBER' written on it ? After all we all know that burglars wear stripped shirts, black berries and a mask plus they carry a bag clearly marked 'SWAG'.

 

[London Calling]

why the question about my height? are the Police monitored about stopping too many midgets?

 

[One True BHA]

Happened to me before when coming in at Ebbsfleet with my family.. They said to me it was on the terrorism act, ludicrous. Jotted down all my details and rifled through a huge bag of mine (making my neatly packed shirts messy and therefore creased whilst doing so), weren't too friendly, and one of them was a palace fan.

 

[BIRCHYBOY27]

As I strolled through the leafy towers of Canary Wharf after a hard day of graft and posting n NSC. I was stopped by the Met.

"Can we stop you Sir"

"Yes of course". The Officer started to outline why

"Its XMAS........lots of shoppers................heavy bags..................Terrorism...............Canary Wharf"

Then hids mood changed "I have stop and search powers under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act".....................

"get on with it" I joked.

My bag was promptly searched and then he became jovial again. I was wearing some cycling gear. so my flourencescents were glowing in the night air. He asked about my cycle route etc.

He checked my ethnicity but What was strange, he asked about my height?



I would have thought I did not look like Mr. Terrorist. I would have glowed under the CCTV so prevalent around the Big Brother wharf.

Perhaps it was the tokenistic effort to balance the stop and search targets.

Canary Wharf is adjecent to Poplar, probably 80% asian and 100% working class.

I think you defo look like a terrorist

 

[clapham_gull]

Embarressed to see random tourists stopped in London and having their details taken and searched, terrible advert for the UK (Americans by the way)

 

[RexCathedra]

Embarressed to see random tourists stopped in London and having their details taken and searched, terrible advert for the UK (Americans by the way)

Try flying in, or especially into, God's Own USA lately? I suspect that search you observed was just a delayed payback for a rough go in the Ft. Lauderdale (or Orlando or LA...) airport the officer-in-charge had when last over here....

 

[looney]

As I strolled through the leafy towers of
Perhaps it was the tokenistic effort to balance the stop and search targets.

Canary Wharf is adjecent to Poplar, probably 80% asian and 100% working class.

Being white near a swamped area they could have assumed you were a far right terrorist.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

The height thing isn't important, it's just a box on the forms we have to fill in. None of us really know why it's on there, mostly I'll just guess by looking, sometimes I'll ask the person- it's conversation innit, and I always aim to be friendly when I have to turn someone over.

I'm not sure what people really want here- some of you seem to be suggesting we only stop people of a particular ethnic background because they fit the profile of a terrorist. You want to be kept safe, but you don't want checks to be carried out...it's a no win situation, don't you think?

Another thing that's slightly relevant is that known terrorist organisations are working very hard to recruit people who DON'T fit the stereotypical profile- women, kids, people of varying ethnic backgrounds, for the very reason that they hope they won't be picked up.

I know it's a pain in the arse sometimes, but it's the way of the world unfortunately. Either we inconvenience people on occasion, or we let anybody who wants to have the freedom to wander around, scope out sites, and do God knows what in the name of their beliefs.

Whatcha gonna do?

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

why the question about my height? are the Police monitored about stopping too many midgets?

did they just accept the height you gave them? Or did they whip out a ruler?

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

The height thing isn't important, it's just a box on the forms we have to fill in. None of us really know why it's on there, mostly I'll just guess by looking, sometimes I'll ask the person- it's conversation innit, and I always aim to be friendly when I have to turn someone over.

I'm not sure what people really want here- some of you seem to be suggesting we only stop people of a particular ethnic background because they fit the profile of a terrorist. You want to be kept safe, but you don't want checks to be carried out...it's a no win situation, don't you think?

Another thing that's slightly relevant is that known terrorist organisations are working very hard to recruit people who DON'T fit the stereotypical profile- women, kids, people of varying ethnic backgrounds, for the very reason that they hope they won't be picked up.

I know it's a pain in the arse sometimes, but it's the way of the world unfortunately. Either we inconvenience people on occasion, or we let anybody who wants to have the freedom to wander around, scope out sites, and do God knows what in the name of their beliefs.

Whatcha gonna do?

I appreciate what you're saying but I actually feel less safe when the police are wandering around stopping and searching willy nilly. To me it says they have not got any idea, clue or intelligence about who they're after.

 

[bhaexpress]

The height thing isn't important, it's just a box on the forms we have to fill in. None of us really know why it's on there, mostly I'll just guess by looking, sometimes I'll ask the person- it's conversation innit, and I always aim to be friendly when I have to turn someone over.

I'm not sure what people really want here- some of you seem to be suggesting we only stop people of a particular ethnic background because they fit the profile of a terrorist. You want to be kept safe, but you don't want checks to be carried out...it's a no win situation, don't you think?

Another thing that's slightly relevant is that known terrorist organisations are working very hard to recruit people who DON'T fit the stereotypical profile- women, kids, people of varying ethnic backgrounds, for the very reason that they hope they won't be picked up.

I know it's a pain in the arse sometimes, but it's the way of the world unfortunately. Either we inconvenience people on occasion, or we let anybody who wants to have the freedom to wander around, scope out sites, and do God knows what in the name of their beliefs.

Whatcha gonna do?

Nice to get the opinion of somebody who knows what they're talking about for a change.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

did they just accept the height you gave them? Or did they whip out a ruler?

Oi, we have far too much writing to do to bother getting into a debate about it!

If he said he was 3'2", I'd either go with it, for the sake of not arguing, or write what I guessed it to be.

With ethnicity codes, we're supposed to put what we perceive a person to be in one box, and what they define themselves as in the other. It's all about monitoring, so the office-jockeys can check up.

Still don't understand the height thing though. Perhaps they're concerned there's a campaign being waged against dwarves.

 

[bigc]

Embarressed to see random tourists stopped in London and having their details taken and searched, terrible advert for the UK (Americans by the way)

I'm sure they're used to it....think Patriot Act!

 

[looney]

Still don't understand the height thing though. Perhaps they're concerned there's a campaign being waged against dwarves.

Or they may be on the look-out for an individual of similar hight?


On one journey I got singled out by customs and police, plain cloths, almost lept upon on both sides of the channel which suggested they were looking for someone of a similar discription.

sooner or later the establishment are going to have to face up to the great multi-cultural failure before the lid totally blows of it.

 

[Nottseagull]

Embarressed to see random tourists stopped in London and having their details taken and searched, terrible advert for the UK (Americans by the way)

Americans would understand and approve more than just about any other nationality, surely?

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Or they may be on the look-out for an individual of similar hight?

The forms I'm talking about are used for any kind of stop. It might be under the Terrorism act, it might be because someone's suspected of shoplifting and needs to be searched, or being pissed and acting like a twat, it might be because your car was stopped and you were breathalysed (but passed). The forms have to be given out regardless, it isn't a sign of you doing anything wrong necessarily. It's just your entitlement if the police ask you to account for your presence. You can bin it, keep it, or wipe your backside with it afterwards if you want, it makes no odds. It just goes towards recording stats as far as I know.


Mind you, some people- and ethnicity is completely irrelevant here- are always more likely to catch the eye. It's no different to going to an Albion game- most of us on here can work out who the more likely troublemakers are, and it's exactly the same for the police, whether you're on West Street, in County Mall or Heathrow Airport. So if you're giving it the large one in town, you can't be that surprised if some copper comes over for a chat. And then has to give you a form. Cos we just LOVE forms

 

[looney]

Oh I agree.

It does also seem to imply they thought LC a likley suspect.

Merry Xmas.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

Still don't understand the height thing though. Perhaps they're concerned there's a campaign being waged against dwarves.

Or maybe an ex Albion player of african-caribbean descent getting a bit paranoid about their short stature