HOME OFFICE SCHEDULE 7 REVIEW

<div class="field_c_p_img"><div><b>Image:</b></div><img src="https://cage.ngo/wp-content/uploads/publication_rt_img_2.png"></div><div class="field_pub_report"><a href="/"></a></div><p><span id="cke_bm_43S" style="display: none;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="margin-left:17.75pt;"><strong>1.</strong><strong>Executive Summary</strong></p><p style="margin-left:17.75pt;">&nbsp;</p><div>CagePrisoners welcomes the Home Office review of Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act of 2000. &nbsp;We commend the public review of these powers, which have been a great source of concern to Muslim communities in the UK and exacerbated existing tensions between law enforcement and minority groups. &nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Yet as we outline in this submission, CagePrisoners is doubtful that simply altering Schedule 7 powers as outlined in the Home Office report is sufficient, however well-meaning these changes may be. &nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Firstly, Muslim communities and minority groups complain of having been humiliated, frustrated and inconvenienced by Schedule 7 stops at a rate that far surpasses the non-Muslim majority. &nbsp;The very basis on which Schedule 7 searches are conducted &ndash; selection based on intuition or unspecified risk factors rather than reasonable suspicion &ndash; is counterproductive to combatting terrorism and may constitute a violation of human rights. &nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Secondly, the perception that to stop members of &ldquo;suspect communities&rdquo; rather than suspected individuals &ndash; as currently happens &ndash; is neither a moral nor an effective way to fight terrorism. CagePrisoners urges the Home Office to learn from the troubling legacies of other stop and search powers, namely Section 1 and 44, and the demonstrated existence of institutionalized racism in our police forces, as detailed in the MacPherson report. &nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Finally, Schedule 7 stops could become an easy gateway for law enforcement to pursue other kinds of civil and human rights abuses, as clearly demonstrated by the case of Madhi Hashi. &nbsp;As this submission details, while the proposed changes to Section 7 are a step forward, they are not enough to engender trust in minority communities about Schedule 7 powers, given that Schedule 7 has become so notorious for breaches of basic civil and human rights.&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;</div><p>&nbsp;</p>