LONDON, Jan 24 (KUNA) — The British Government was pressing ahead Thursday with plans to allow the police to hold terrorism suspects for up to 42 days before they are charged, officials said.
The Counter Terrorism Bill, due to be published later, will propose to extend the limit beyond the current 28 days, they added.
Some senior police officers support the move but it faces opposition from the main opposition Conservatives, the smaller opposition Liberal Democrats, and some Labour MPs.
Attempts to extend the limit to 90 days in 2005 ended with then British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s first House of Commons defeat.
Britain’s Home Secretary Mrs Jacqui Smith, mindful of a potential backbench rebellion by Labour MPs, has been meeting them to press her case.
She told BBC domestic radio there was “a consensus that we face a serious threat from terrorism.” Smith added “It’s growing in scale. It’s becoming more complicated in nature. People need to intervene earlier because of the way in which it aims to cause mass casualties with no warning.” She also said that “there may come a time in the future where having to release somebody at 28 days in a very complex investigation might mean that you are not able to go forward and charge them and bring them to prosecution.” Meanwhile, Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said he believes all parties accept there could be circumstances under which it is necessary to hold someone beyond 28 days, such as the complexities of investigating a multiple terrorist plot.
The British Government has said it is better to act now in a considered way rather than find itself forced to respond to a future emergency But the Conservatives and the UK civil rights group “Liberty” have argued that current powers to call a national emergency are sufficient when faced with a case that requires going beyond 28 days