The government began consultation on the future of random 'stop and detain' powers introduced under schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
Source: Review of the Operation of Schedule 7: A Public Consultation, Home Office
Links: Consultation document | Guardian report
Date: 2012-Sep
A report examined the options for a new United Kingdom Bill of Rights. It said that the existing state of human rights law in the UK struck a good balance between respect for democracy and the need to protect human rights; and that attempting to recalibrate that balance might prove to be a 'difficult and thankless' task.
Source: Colm O'Cinneide, Human Rights and the UK Constitution, British Academy
Links: Report | British Academy press release
Date: 2012-Sep
An article examined whether the debate about a more British Bill of Rights was a pragmatic fudge or a dangerous swindle capable of depriving people of vital protection against abuse of power.
Source: Shami Chakrabarti, 'Human rights or citizen's privileges: the great Bill of Rights swindle', Political Quarterly, Volume 83 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Aug
A government-appointed commission began consultation (for a second time) on whether there should be a Bill of Rights for the United Kingdom – including socio-economic rights such as adequate healthcare and housing, a right to education, a right to a minimum standard of living, and a range of other social security entitlements.
Source: A Second Consultation, Commission on a Bill of Rights
Links: Consultation document | UK Human Rights blog post | Law Gazette report | Telegraph report
Date: 2012-Jul
The coalition government published a draft Bill that would require service providers to collect and store information on people's internet and phone activity, and give the police the ability to access it.
Source: Draft Communications Data Bill, Cm 8359, Home Office, TSO
Links: Draft Bill | Background paper | Home Office press release | ACPO press release | Privacy International press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2012-Jun
The Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 was given Royal assent. The Act included a wide range of measures, including: bringing in a new framework for police retention of fingerprints and DNA data, and requiring schools to get parents consent before processing children s biometric information; introducing a code of practice for surveillance camera systems, and providing for judicial approval of certain surveillance activities by local authorities; providing for a code of practice to cover officials powers of entry, with these powers being subject to review and repeal; introducing a new regime for police stops and searches under the Terrorism Act 2000, and reducing the maximum pre-charge detention period under that Act from 28 to 14 days; and restricting the scope of the 'vetting and barring' scheme for protecting vulnerable groups, and making changes to the system of criminal records checks.
Source: Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, Home Office, TSO
Links: Act | Explanatory notes | Home Office press release
Date: 2012-May
An article examined the impact of the Human Rights Act 1998 on the police service of England and Wales. There was little evidence to suggest that the Act had promoted a greater awareness of, and respect for, human rights among police officers. Rather, the Act had become institutionalized by the police service into a series of bureaucratic processes that, although requiring conformity by officers, did not encourage active consideration of human rights issues. One result was that the Act was not used to achieve a balance between individual rights and community interests, but had become a framework for mandating police decision-making and protecting officers from criticism and blame.
Source: Karen Bullock and Paul Johnson, 'The impact of the Human Rights Act 1998 on policing in England and Wales', British Journal of Criminology, Volume 52 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Apr
An article said that 'corrosive' legislative developments in counter-terrorism had been made possible by the emergence of a centre-right political consensus that discursively traded the freedoms of the minority or Muslim Other for the protection of the law-abiding majority . This consensus had drawn on, as well as been shaped by, public opinion. A review of polling data suggested that public opinion was supportive of the shift towards authoritarianism.
Source: Christina Pantazis and Simon Pemberton, 'Reconfiguring security and liberty: political discourses and public opinion in the new century', British Journal of Criminology, Volume 52 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Apr