Comment on the statement that the police (UK) can abuse their powers even now?
- Date: October 27, 2003
- Level: High School, 12th grade
- Grade: Unspecified
- Length: 5 pages (1127 words)
- Essay rating:
- Keywords:
bbc news, fact that people, criminal evidence act, police and criminal evidence act, ethnic minorities, previous convictions, ...pace, police powers, police officers, asian youths, age sex, section 66, search procedures, macpherson, asians, racist, discrimination
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Subject > Law & Government Essays > Law
Despite the introduction of The Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) in 1984, which outlined police powers, including stop and search, arrest and detention, police still have the ability to abuse their powers.
An example of the police abusing their powers is with regards to stop and search procedures. Police officers are not allowed to stop people on the grounds of age, sex, appearance, race or previous convictions, set out in code of practice A, under section 66 of PACE. Despite these rules, more Black and Asian youths are stopped than other groups, even though they do not commit more crime. Approximately half of blacks and Asians say they believe the police in Britain are racist, according to a ...
... police notes and evidence. There were similar circumstances in 'The Guilford Four' case and the 'Tottenham Three' case in which the right to legal advice was denied and again the police notes and evidence were falsified.
In conclusion, there is no question in the minds of those who administer and are involved with the criminal justice system in this country that the introduction of PACE ensured a significant reduction in the abuse of police powers. Although there still exists ways to 'get round' the system, PACE is still very much a 'work in progress' with several new amendments proposed by the Home Office. These include reforming draconian powers by extending the maximum time anyone can
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