Support Our Work Mailing list About / Contact

Spain: New police search powers

01 January 1992

Support our work: become a Friend of Statewatch from as little as £1/€1 per month.

A new police law, the "Law on the security of citizens", which will allow police officers to search a house or premises without a search warrant and to take into custody all individuals who are not carrying an identity card, is being discussed in Spain. The Spanish leading newspaper El Pais called it "the greatest scandal in contemporary parliamentary history". The bill was considered in the Senate in January 1992 and will subsequently become law. Minister Corcuera from the governing Socialist Party, who is responsible for the bill, stated that only intellectuals who have no knowledge of how the average population feels, would engage in juridical hairsplitting such as the relation between the law and the constitution, matters which according to the minister were mere folklore to most people. Spain has known numerous incidents lately in which citizens turned against suspected drugs dealers. Vigilante groups have prevented gipsy families suspected of drug dealing from moving into homes that were built especially for them. The government claims harsh measures are needed to prevent the extreme right from capitalizing on the fear for crime.

Our work is only possible with your support.
Become a Friend of Statewatch from as little as £1/€1 per month.

 Previous article

EU: Privacy protection needed

Next article 

Netherlands: Bugging bill introduced

 

Spotted an error? If you've spotted a problem with this page, just click once to let us know.

Report error

Statewatch does not have a corporate view, nor does it seek to create one, the views expressed are those of the author. Statewatch is not responsible for the content of external websites and inclusion of a link does not constitute an endorsement. Registered UK charity number: 1154784. Registered UK company number: 08480724. Registered company name: The Libertarian Research & Education Trust. Registered office: MayDay Rooms, 88 Fleet Street, London EC4Y 1DH. © Statewatch ISSN 1756-851X. Personal usage as private individuals "fair dealing" is allowed. We also welcome links to material on our site. Usage by those working for organisations is allowed only if the organisation holds an appropriate licence from the relevant reprographic rights organisation (eg: Copyright Licensing Agency in the UK) with such usage being subject to the terms and conditions of that licence and to local copyright law.

About | Contact | Privacy Policy