Wednesday, 12 December 2007

Hundreds searched illegally at Gatwick

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from: The Guardian

Louise Radnofsky and agencies
Wednesday December 12, 2007
Guardian Unlimited

Hundreds of passengers at Gatwick airport have been subjected to illegal police "stop and searches", the Home Office admitted in a written statement today.

Sussex police made a paperwork error when they applied for special permission to stop people without "reasonable grounds" that a crime is in progress, said the security minister, Tony McNulty.

The 259 people stopped and searched by Sussex police during three weeks in September will receive apologies, McNulty said, adding that Home Office officials were reviewing the paperwork connected with stop and search tactics under the Terrorism Act 2000 to check for more mistakes.

"No arrests occurred as a result of these stop and searches," he said.

"However, Sussex police will shortly be writing to all of the individuals concerned to apologise.

"All steps have now been taken to ensure ... that such regrettable and serious omissions do not occur again."

A similar mistake was found to have happened in 2003, he said.

A Sussex police spokesman said the force accepted full responsibility for the blunder.

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