Tuesday 29 December 2009

The Law? We'll Just Make It Up As We Go Along...

People caught with “legal highs” like mephedrone face being arrested and having their homes searched.
Say what..?
Senior officers say the chemicals will be treated as illegal until tests show otherwise as they try to protect young people from using dangerous drugs which have not been banned.
As the first commenter points out, how long until someone sues for wrongful arrest?
Where people are found with drugs, police say they will be arrested on suspicion of possession controlled drugs until tests show the substances are not illegal.
...or if they are found with a chalky substance or suspicious liquid. Like Coke. Or coffee.

Or just, presumably, if they feel like it.
The Home Office said mephedrone is being reviewed by the independent Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs.

If experts recommend it should be banned, they could be made illegal by the end of next year.
Why even bother making it illegal at all? The police clearly don't give a stuff whether it is or it isn't...

When did the police get the idea into their head that they could do as they please?

5 comments:

JohnRS said...

We, the citizens who should be running this country, need to recapture it from the mass of self-appointed dictators who have taken it upon themselves to control, monitor and opress us. But I see no sign of any of the current electoral candidates having any interest in doing this.

I think we need a revolution......soon.

Oldrightie said...

It's known as Keir Starmer's law?

von Spreuth. said...

When did the police get the idea into their head that they could do as they please?

Basically, if a police officer sees an incident,or otherwise percievs that it SHOULD be illegal, they are allowed to prosecute and let "case law/common law" sort it out.

However IF that gives a power of search, is doubtfull. if the Judge decides that the "offence" actuly was NOT illegal, then I presume the police can be sued for wrongful arrest and illegal search.

And for pointing that out, I would probably get 1000 red arrows on the Mail comments pages, because we all know how Mail readers HATE facts and truth. That IS after all, WHY they read the Mail.

JuliaM said...

"But I see no sign of any of the current electoral candidates having any interest in doing this."

Nope, me neither.

"It's known as Keir Starmer's law?"

Heh!

"if the Judge decides that the "offence" actuly was NOT illegal, then I presume the police can be sued for wrongful arrest and illegal search."

I suspect a lot of people don't have the resources or the stamina to take it further.

Anonymous said...

My teenage son received a letter from our GP inviting him for a tetanus booster jab. Enclosed was a questionnaire asking if he knew whether any of his friends took drugs. I told him to write "none of your business" in response to all of the questions.