WANSTEAD: Pupils stopped under terror act

2:37pm Friday 9th May 2008

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A MOTHER launched an official complaint against the police after officers used the Terrorism Act to take her daughter's details under false pretences.

Katherine O'Neil, 17, of Park Avenue, Wanstead, had her details recorded along with two of her friends on Wanstead High Street by Police Community Support Officers (PCSO) claiming to be doing a survey on terrorism.

The officers, from Wanstead Safer Neighbourhoods Team, took the names, addresses, dates of birth and descriptions of the sixth-formers from Wanstead High School before handing them a piece of paper and telling them they were free to go.

It was only later that evening when they looked at what they had been given, that the three students discovered they had been stopped under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act.

Katherine's mother Maggie O'Neil made an official complaint to the police and asked for her daughter's details to be removed from their database.

She said: "I don't mind myself or my daughter being stopped for the Terrorism Act and having our bags searched, because that's what makes it a safe place, but don't pretend it's something else.

"The reason I am annoyed is because they were dishonest and I think perhaps they were just saying this because they need to have records that they stop a certain amount of people daily."

Section 44 of the Terrorism Act allows police to stop and search anyone without a legitimate reason, but concerns have been growing about the abuse of powers after a series of incidents, such as a woman in Dundee who was arrested for walking in a cycle lane and a cricketer who was questioned at Kings Cross station last year for possession of a bat.

Insp Bob Tachauer, from Wanstead Safer Neighbourhoods Team, has apologised to the O'Neil's and promised to take all the students names off the database.

He said: "We don't, as a rule, do surveys on terrorism, but we do stop people under the Terrorism Act.

"The PCSOs were not instructed to do this and to pretend they are filling out surveys is totally wrong."

New training will now be given to officers on how to use anti-terror powers and Mrs O'Neil said she is very happy with how the police have responded to her complaint.