Member

It is no answer to an objection that the Bill is too wide that the police do not have to use excessive powers that are granted to them. We have always been astute in this country to restrict police powers and not to give the police discretion that they do not need to use. To do otherwise would be to substitute the discretion of the police for the definition in law of police powers. I completely agree with those who say, as the noble Lord, Lord Hogan-Howe, has pointed out on many occasions, that the police are granted a difficult job, but it is not for government to say to the police, “You can have these powers, and you have to decide when to use them”. It is for Parliament to establish powers that are restricted to what is needed. To legislate on any other basis would be inimical to the rule of law, of which the proper definition of police powers is a necessary feature.