Official Statistics
Operation of police powers under the Terrorism Act 2000 and subsequent legislation, quarterly update to December 2010
Statistics relating to the Terrorism Act 2000, including arrests and their outcomes, as well as breakdowns of stops and searches made under the powers of the Act.
Documents
Details
Terrorism arrests and outcomes
In the year ending 31 December 2010:
- There were 125 terrorism arrests compared with 209 in the previous twelve months. In total there have been 1,945 terrorism arrests since 11 September 2001.
- Thirty-four per cent of terrorism arrests resulted in a charge. Fifty per cent of these charges were terrorism related.
- No individuals were held in pre-charge detention for longer than 14 days.
- For the 21 persons charged with terrorism related offences in this period two were convicted of a terrorism related offence by 31 December 2010 and 16 were still awaiting prosecution. Following charges made since 11 September 2001, 241 persons have been convicted of terrorism related offences while 20 persons were still awaiting prosecution at 31 December 2010.
- Twenty-eight terrorism related defendant trials were completed in this period, with 64 per cent of defendants convicted. Seventeen of the 18 offenders convicted were sentenced to custody including four life sentences; the remaining defendant was given a community sentence.
- There were 123 persons in prison for terrorist related offences at 31 December 2010 of which 22 were classified as domestic extremists/separatists.
Stops and searches under s43 and s44 Terrorism Act 2000
In the year ending 31 December 2010:
- There were 23,882 stops and searches in Great Britain under s44 of the Terrorism Act 2000, an 84 per cent fall over the previous twelve months. There were 30 stops and searches made in the third quarter of 2010/11, compared with 22,092 during the same quarter in 2009/10. Nineteen per cent of those stopped and searched under these powers classified themselves as Asian or Asian British.
- The Metropolitan Police made 995 stops and searches under s43 of the Terrorism Act 2000. Thirty per cent of those searched classified themselves as Asian or Asian British.
- A total of 163 arrests were made following s44 stops and searches in Great Britain with one arrest identified as terrorism related. The defendant arrested under the terrorism act following a s44 search was cautioned for a non-terrorism related offence.