Wrexham protest over new police bill

MPs have passed the first hurdle of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill with no Tory revolt.

The Bill would make it illegal to inflict “serious annoyance” on a person without reasonable excuse, with up to 10 years’ jail the potential result.

Officers could also be given more powers to impose conditions on static protests, such as time and noise limits, as well as extending those rules to one-person demonstrations.

Last night the Bill passed its second reading in the Commons by 359 votes to 263. Tory MPs voted in favour and all other parties voted against, except the DUP who abstained.

Critics of the proposed law say it takes away people's basic democratic right to protest.

Read more: 

• Planned powers to crack down on protests an "assault on rights" says police boss
• Protest held in Wrexham over new police powers bill

And on Saturday, protestors gathered outside Sarah Atherton MP's Wrexham office to voice their displeasure at how the town's MP's voted.

Protestors left placards outside Sarah Atherton MP's office.

What are the other key measures of the bill?

• The maximum sentence for assaulting an emergency worker will be doubled to two years, while a Police Covenant will be enshrined in law to protect serving and retired officers and their families.

• Whole Life Orders for the premeditated murder of a child, which will also allow judges to give the maximum sentence to 18 to 20-year-olds in exceptional cases, such as for acts of terrorism leading to mass loss of life.

• The ability to stop the automatic early release of offenders who pose a danger to the public and scrapping the automatic release halfway through a sentence of serious and violent sexual offenders.

• Life sentences for killer drivers

• Widening position of trust laws to make it illegal for sports coaches and religious leaders to engage in sexual activity with 16 and 17-year-olds in their care.

• Increasing the maximum penalty for criminal damage to a memorial, from three months to 10 years.

• Reversing bail reforms which have seen suspects accused of serious and violent crimes being released without restrictions and instead imposing conditions if they could pose a risk to victims, witnesses or the public.

• Police could be allowed to obtain search warrants to help find human remains where a prosecution is not possible, such as where a suspect has died, is unfit to plead or has already been convicted in absence of a body.

Protestors outside Sarah Atherton MP's office on Saturday.