AN order which would have allowed the police to detain suspects indefinitely without charge has been withdrawn.
Acting Chief Minister Terry Le Sueur said that the amendment, approved by Home Affairs Minister Wendy Kinnard, was badly worded and it was never intended that it should allow indefinite detention.
He has spoken to the minister and it was agreed that the order should be withdrawn.Senator Kinnard amended the criminal code, which had limited pre-charge detention to 36 hours, under delegated powers under the terms of the Police Procedures and Criminal Evidence (Jersey) Law.
Full report in Monday’s Jersey Evening Post, on sale at noon.
Article posted on 15th June, 2008 - 6.49pm
6 Article Comments
Although Senator Le Sueur has reversed Senator Kinnard’s amendment to the Detention Law, the very fact that she would even contemplate instituting this without following the correct procedures is a reflection of the attitude of our Group of Ministers. This is the last in a long chain of mis-guided ministerial decisions which have rocked the Island since the introduction of ministerial government.
The people of Jersey have always supported the fight against dictatorship and this latest attempt to throw us back into the dark ages is enough to make our ancestors turn in their graves!
The question we need to be asking is whether a system of government that gives individuals such sweeping powers is right for Jersey? Is our civil liberty safe when it can be removed in an instant at a minister’s whim? Did we survive the occupation to swap one dictatorship for another?
Oh thats all right then Wendy, it was just a mistake to create a law to allow indefinite detention without charge off your own back with no consultation! I am sure the JEP will print teh “badley worded” ammendment she made so was can all see what she meant.
Hopefully, Wendy, you will resign along with the other hapless muppets in Frank Walkers “cabinet of shame”
This Islands just beggars belief.
The most worrying issue is the apparent acquiescence of the States of Jersey Police to this purported change in the Codes of Practice, which it appears, was actually unlawful as the change went beyond the powers of the Minister.
According to the JEP the police were working in line with the new codes and knew this meant that they were able to authorise indefinite detention. This begs the question of what laws the police would not enforce regardless of whether or not the law flew in the face of Human Rights legislation. The prospect of a police force which would uphold any laws the government chose to enact is too horrible to contemplate.
I’m very disturbed.
Aided, in part, by developments like this.
It’s a shame that such a beautiful island lives under the eerie shadow of states-members’ private agendas.
The entire political process needs to be reviewed, it needs to be more transparent to the general public.
Jersey is a small environment that could pioneer technologies to evolve the democratic process into the 21st century.
Let’s prove that democracy works, instead of continuing to do the opposite.
YOUS ALL BETTER WATCH WHAT YOU SAY FRANK AND HIS MUPPET SHOW WILL LOCK US ALL UP AND THROWAWAY THE KEY NEVER TO BE SEEN AGAIN.
This is indicative of the new world government idea which sees the population of the world as inferirior to the ruling elite, and therefore expendable.
In England we have a government which feels it can do what it likes and to hell with the rest of us. It is way passed the time for us all to take our countries back, through the ballot box before we have to do it at the point of a gun.