Rolling Back Labour’s Police State
David Ward has welcomed today's announcement that Control Orders are to be scrapped. In a statement today the Home Secretary announced that Control Orders are to be abolished and replaced with a more moderate alternative.
New measures will end the power to impose virtual house arrest and to force relocation. Also to go are police powers to stop and search indiscriminately and 28 day detention without charge, which will be reduced to 14 days.
Commenting, David Ward said:
"The Liberal Democrats have opposed control orders since they were first introduced five years ago. I am delighted that the Coalition has given us the opportunity to restore sanity on this issue".
"Labour's knee-jerk response to terrorism was always to take away fundamental freedoms which has played into the hands of extremists and damaged our reputation abroad".
"We have at last reversed the absurd situation in which innocent British citizens can be kept under effective house arrest without even being told what they are suspected of, let alone receiving a fair trial".
"I am confident that the new proposals strike the right balance between freedom and security by protecting citizens while upholding their basic liberties."