Hundreds of mental health experts have expressed “grave concern” over the Government’s new policing bill, saying it will have a “profound negative impact” on young people.
More than 350 clinical psychiatrists and psychologists signed a letter urging their political representatives to oppose the bill that limits protesting rights and expands police stop and search powers.
The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts bill was approved in the Commons in March 2021 and is currently being reviewed in the House of Lords ahead of another vote on Monday.
The bill is widely opposed by human rights and racial justice activists, with “Kill the Bill” protests taking place across the country on Saturday.
In their letter, the mental health professionals said: “We cannot think of better measures to disempower and socially isolate young people who are already suffering the devastating mental health consequences of disrupted education and prohibited social contact imposed by the pandemic.
“Yet it is at this terrifying moment that the Government chooses to introduce new draconian legislation that will criminalise young activists engaging in nonviolent protest.”
If the bill is approved, police can legally ban protests deemed “seriously disruptive” that can include being too noisy.
Protestors who attach themselves to another person or object will face up to 51 weeks in prison or up to ten years for desecrating a statue or memorial.
The mental health professionals believe these stricter rules will encourage more violent behaviour in some youths, as even protesting peacefully can result in imprisonment.
They also expressed concern over the expansion of police stop and search powers and its impact on already marginalised groups such as black people.
Police will be allowed to stop and search anyone they think might be carrying banners, badges or leaflets in support of a banned protest.
Amnesty International UK’s racial justice campaigner, Ilyas Nagdee, said on Friday it was crucial for black, Asian and other ethnic minority communities to engage with and lobby for their elected representatives to oppose the new policing bill.
He told The Voice: “The policing bill will further entrench racism and discrimination in British policing.
“Several provisions within the bill, including a huge expansion in stop and search, will obviously be disproportionately deployed against black people who are already much more likely to be stopped and searched, to be tasered or even to die in police custody.
“The introduction of discretionary and subjective policing powers will only see the continued over-policing of Britain’s black communities.”
The latest stop and search figures show that British police made six stops for every 1,000 white people, compared to 54 for every 1,000 black people.
Thousands of people took to the streets on Saturday in London, Bristol, Coventry, Liverpool, Manchester and several other UK cities to oppose the new policing bill.
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said at a “Kill the Bill” protest in Parliament Square that the new legislation disempowers everyone in the UK.
He said: “If the right to protest is restricted, if you have to seek police permission to do anything, well, where does that lead to?
“It leads to every protest becoming a conflict about having the protest, rather than what the protest is about.
“This effectively disempowers us all, puts us all on the back foot and puts us all in a totally defensive mode, so we ended up endlessly defending things instead of demanding things.”
Protestor Ben Hancock, 70, told PA: “The measures are completely draconian really, basic rights will be taken away from anybody to protest.”
69-year-old Terry Matthews said: “I think we’re facing a really vitriolic attack on our rights to protest and our freedoms to show our dissatisfaction with the status of the Government and the country.
“And it’s a really dangerous step to try to take.”
The Home Office said the measures were vital powers to allow police to stop and search people for equipment intended to cause serious disruption.
A spokesperson added: “We will always champion the right to protest peacefully and this bill in no way changes that.
“We have seen some of the most self-defeating and dangerous protests in recent years with people gluing themselves to motorways, causing serious disruption to the law-abiding majority across the country and tearing police away from communities that need them most.
“That’s why our Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill is so necessary – it gives police the power to proactively prevent this kind of chaos before it ensues, and focuses on a selfish minority of relentless reoffenders.”
Additional reporting by Press Association.
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