Police force calls time on stop and search – after using power 3,400 times but failing to make single terror arrest

A police force has suspended searches of people under controversial anti-terror laws after figures exposed the futility of the legislation.

Hampshire Police conducted 3,481 stop and searches under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act in 2007/8 – but arrested no one in connection with terror.

The statistics marked a huge increase on 2004/5, when the force carried out 275 stop and searches under Section 44, and a large jump from 2006/7 when there were 580.

They are in sharp contrast to the similarsized neighbouring force, Thames Valley, which used the stop and search powers 244 times in 2007/08, making 40 arrests unconnected to terrorism.

The decision to stop implementing the anti-terror laws was welcomed by civil liberties campaigners.

Last month Lord Carlile, the independent reviewer of terror laws, accused police of making unjustified and ‘almost certainly’ illegal searches of white people to provide ‘racial balance’ to Government figures.

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