Legislation
Anti-terrorism Crime and Security Act 2001
The Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 (ATCSA) was introduced in order to provide stronger powers to allow the Police to investigate and prevent terrorist activity and other serious crime.
The measures are intended to:
- cut off terrorist funding
- ensure that government departments and agencies can collect and share information required for countering the terrorist threat
- streamline relevant immigration procedures
- ensure the security of the nuclear and aviation industries
- improve security of dangerous substances that may be targeted/used by terrorists
- extend police powers available to relevant forces
- ensure that we can meet our European obligations in the area of police and judicial co-operation and our international obligations to counter bribery and corruption
Replacing Part 4 powers of the ATCSA
The Government repealed the Part 4 powers under the ATCSA and replaced them with a system of control orders under the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005.
This was in response to a House of Lords Judicial Committee ruling that Part 4 powers were incompatible with articles of the European Commission on Human Rights relating to the right to liberty, and the right to freedom from discrimination.
The committee considered Part 4 powers to be discriminatory as they only applied to foreign nationals, not to British citizens, and that they were not proportionate to the threat the UK faced from terrorism.
This ruling was accepted, and a system of new legislative measures called 'Control Orders' was created to apply equally to UK nationals as well as non-nationals. Control Orders are included in the the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005.
Read the full text of the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act (new window) (new window).
