by Genevieve Holl-Allen, Telegraph
Zack Polanski’s party accused of ‘staggering lack of judgment’ over police powers
The Green Party wants to weaken police powers to detain terror suspects, The Telegraph can disclose.
Zack Polanski’s party wants to bring the rights of those accused of planning to commit a terror attack or “aid and abet in their execution”, in line with suspects of other crimes.
Under current counter-terror legislation, police officers are allowed in certain circumstances to arrest individuals “reasonably suspected” of being terrorists. Suspects can be detained without charge for as long as 14 days.
However, police can hold those arrested over other serious crimes, such as murder, for up to 36 hours.
In a draft policy document, seen by The Telegraph, the Greens state that those accused of supporting terror acts “should have normal rights against arbitrary arrest or imprisonment”.
The policy is believed to be motivated by the Government’s proscription of Palestine Action, which has seen some of its activists held as terror suspects for long periods.
But critics warned that the Green proposals would “make it harder for authorities to act quickly when lives are at stake” and showed that the party was “not serious about public safety”.
Nick Timothy, the shadow justice secretary, said: “Terrorism is a very real and serious threat. We need a justice system that allows our police and security services to act decisively, but the Greens want the opposite.
“Their policies would weaken counter-terror powers, making it harder for the authorities to act quickly when lives are at stake.”