New laws to the Government’s Police Crime and Sentencing Bill will make “locking on” a crime and will give sweeping new measures for police to stop and search protesters without suspicion.
Mark Johnson, of Big Brother Watch, said: ”The government’s proposed additions to the policing bill take this draconian legislation from bad to worse. Adding oppressive new measures at this late stage in the passage of the bill is nothing but a cynical attempt to bypass parliamentary scrutiny.
“The government should remember that it is the police’s role to facilitate citizens’ right to protest, not to treat them like criminals.”