Report - Guardian

The LSE Identity Project Report: June 2005 12510Race, Discrimination, Immigration and PolicingThe relationship between Identity Cards and ethnic profiling is strong, yet poorlystudied. Governments are keen to ensure that their new policies do not discriminateunfairly against minority groups. This is particularly the case with the Identity CardsBill. Throughout the world, identity cards are associated with discrimination. In almostevery country with identity cards, individuals may be compelled to produce those cardsupon demand by the police. In every country that grants this power to their police,questions inevitably arise as to whether this power is used more, and perhapsdisproportionately, against immigrants, minorities, or other selected groups. To avoidthe appearance of establishing a similar system in the UK, despite all the rhetoric ofharmonising with other countries’ practices, the Identity Card Bill does not grant policethe power to compel production.Any position opposed to the introduction of the Identity Cards Bill on grounds ofdiscrimination will inevitably be countered by those in favour of the scheme with theargument that police powers will not be extended, and that it is not mandatory forindividuals to carry the card on a day-to-day basis.This gives rise to two significant inconsistencies with the Government’s approach.Firstly, the bill fails to satisfy the demands of the constituency of the police sector, eventhough the Government claims to be representing the demands of the police. Secondly,the Government claims that the card will combat illegal immigration, when the bill as itstands will do little to combat illegal immigration unless it requires compulsoryidentification and production powers. The first point will be dealt with under functioncreep, and the second will be discussed in its own right.Function Creep towards ProductionDespite the Government’s claims that the Identity Card Bill has been designed to satisfythe demands of police, it is carefully designed to prevent the police from getting whatthey have asked for. This may be the intention at present in order to satisfy critics, but itignores both history and legislative intention.Many identity cards start out at first without a power to compel production. The cardused in the Second World War was originally designed to administer national service,security and rationing. The police did not have the right to demand that individuals