Website of the UK government

Reasonable suspicion

What you can do to help prevent a terrorist attack

• Prevent a terror attack

Rather than using section 44 powers, police officers will have to rely on section 43 powers. These require officers to reasonably suspect the person to be a terrorist.

Police will be able to search vehicles under section 44 of the law, but even then only if they have reasonable suspicion of terrorist activity.

The move follows a decision by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

The ECHR ruled that the use of stop and search powers under section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 violated the right to a private life.

The court said that stop and search powers under section 44 were too broad and did not have enough safeguards to protect civil liberties.

More on Directgov

• Terrorism and the law (crime and justice section)

• What you can do to stay safe from terrorism (crime and justice section)

• Helping to prevent a terrorist attack (government, citizens and rights section)

• Reporting hate, extremism and terrorism online (crime and justice section)