At last, victory over Labour’s army of snoops
CURBS on official snooping and the collection of intrusive data were unveiled yesterday.
They place tighter restrictions on the use of CCTV cameras, wheel clamps, town hall bin spies and DNA samples taken from innocent people.
The measures to restore historic liberties eroded under Labour were outlined in a “Freedoms Bill” announced by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.
He said: “Labour engaged in a 13-year assault on our hard-won freedoms. The Government is determined to hand them back.
“Our reviews concluded that the systems needed to be less bureaucratic. They will be scaled back to sensible levels while protecting vulnerable people.”
Only adults working closely with children or vulnerable people will need a criminal records check. More than nine million people will be freed from the need to register.
Problems with vetting have led to more than 12,000 innocent people being labelled as paedophiles, thugs and thieves. Children’s charity Barnardo’s said the move was a “victory for common sense.” Rules on DNA storage will be tightened, with profiles of those who have not been convicted only being held if they have been charged with a serious crime.
Labour engaged in a 13-year assault on our hard-won freedoms
Town hall snoopers will be prevented from checking bins or using anti-terror powers in disputes over school catchment areas. The Bill will also set out plans to regulate CCTV and automatic number plate recognition systems, to outlaw wheel-clamping on private land and to ban schools from fingerprinting children without their parents’ consent.
Anti-surveillance campaign group Big Brother Watch said in a statement: “It’s scandalous that so many members of the public have been forced to undergo these intrusive and humiliating vetting procedures and the coalition is to be applauded.”
