MP’s are set to vote on extending terror detention from 28 days to 42 days. It wasn’t that long ago when they tired to extend detention to 90 days (I think, it might even have 96 not sure now) they were defeated then and today vote will be very close. The Conservatives and Lib Dems are against the proposal as are 30 or so Labour MP’s.
The argument is that because of the complexity of investigating computer files, other documentation it is necessary to have this time limit. It has been reported that any suspect arrested and later cleared could receive £3000 for every day he his detained after the 28 days.
I can’t understand the logic behind the Government plan, surely any subject arrested will have been watched for weeks if not months before hand and the police should have sufficient evidence before these people are arrested.
The security services are distancing themselves and have stated this is a police matter and not one for MI5. Civil liabilities groups are up in arms about this and state that that this goes against human rights. Personally I don’t think that 42 days is necessary. A system was tried like this once in Northern Ireland at that time it was called Internment and it didn’t work.
Terrorism needs to be stopped, but I don’t think detention for 42 without charge will bring this about, Good intelligence and detective work will produce better results than detention is it because our security services and police are not up to the task that they require extended detention, for those who think are security service are good you have been watching too many James Bond films, just look at the intelligence they gave out before the second Gulf War.
