In response to the revelation, Lord Ahmed called for an independent review into schedule 7 legislation:
'Ten years after it was first introduced, schedule 7 is having an extremely damaging impact on community relations. This government has failed to adequately investigate and regulate schedule 7 in the way that it has with other stop and search powers such as section 44. That’s why I think it’s time we had an independent review into the use of schedule 7. '
David Lammy MP also criticised the government’s stance:
'The coalition promised to put civil liberties at the heart of their government yet it has totally ignored schedule 7 in all its reviews of stop and search powers. This is extremely worrying as schedule 7 is the most draconian stop power in UK law. I urge the coalition to urgently set up an independent review of schedule 7 and to ensure that the power is subject to the same level of scrutiny afforded to the other powers.'
The Guardian has covered the story, read their coverage here.
Read coverage in The Fresh Outlook here.