Miranda detention powers unlawful, say MPs and peers
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| Quote: Powers used by police to hold people at airports without suspicion and download data from their phones or laptops are unlawful, MPs and peers have warned. So-called Schedule 7 powers were used to detain David Miranda, partner of a Guardian reporter, at Heathrow. Mr Miranda was believed to be carrying leaked security documents from whistle-blower Edward Snowden. The Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) welcomed plans to limit the powers but said it was not enough. Powers to access, search, examine, copy and retain data held on personal electronic devices are so wide as not to be "in accordance with the law", the JCHR said. 'Extraordinarily broad' It said the government had failed to show a need for the "more intrusive powers" under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000. The Act also permit officers to detain passengers - whether suspicious or not - at ports and airports for up to six hours, as well as take fingerprints and DNA samples. | |
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