The Justice Secretary deliberately confuses two things that I said. We had at that time serious concerns in ethnic minority communities about the use by the police of stop-and-search powers, which were clearly part of the lead-up to the riots, especially in Brixton. The only point that I am attempting to make—I am surprised that he finds it difficult to grasp—is that problems will arise if the political authority running a police force in an area with a substantial ethnic minority population is not sensitive to the sorts of issues that created major problems with public disorder in the early 1980s, including the insensitive exercising of police powers. The Government should take that point into account when they put forward their proposals, because in their present form they would mean the under-representation of ethnic minorities and women, leading to the consequences that I have outlined. I hope that the Government will have reconsidered their position by the time they actually introduce the legislation.
Home Affairs and Justice
Proceeding contribution from
Chris Huhne
(Liberal Democrat)
in the House of Commons on Thursday, 4 December 2008.
It occurred during Queen's speech debate on Debate on the Address.
Type
Proceeding contribution
Reference
485 c175 
Session
2008-09
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
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2024-01-26 17:31:38 +0000
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