UK: Two hundred terror arrests made last year

UK: Two hundred terror arrests made last year


A total of 201 people were arrested on suspicion of terrorism last year, Home Office figures showed today.


Of those, 66 were eventually charged, 17 under terror laws.



In the year ending September 2009 there were 200,444 people stopped and searched under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000, down 12% on the previous year.



The number of terrorism arrests is slightly up on last year, when 178 arrests were made.



There have been 1,759 terrorism arrests since September 11 2001, the figures show.



For the year ending September 11 2009, of the 66 people charged, 17 (26%) were charged under terrorism legislation while seven (11%) were charged with terrorism-related offences.



The most common charge under terror laws since 2001 is possession of an article for terrorism purposes (30%) and fundraising (14%).



The charge rate of 33% is just above that for indictable offences, which is 29%.



(...)


Some 15% of those stopped classified themselves as Asian or Asian British and 10% said they were black or black British.


The arrest rate resulting from searches under Section 44, which must take place within a designated area, was just 0.5%, with 965 people detained.



The Metropolitan Police also made 1,896 stop and searches under Section 43 of the Terrorism Act 2000, which allows an officer to stop a person they suspect to be a terrorist.



One in five of those stopped identified themselves as being Asian.



(more)

Source: Independent (English)

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