New Powers of Eviction for Landlords
Accomodation is one of the biggest problems for students today. More and more students, especially in London, have used squatting as a practical way of compensating for their lack of income. Merely being behind with rent also classes you as a squatter according to Conservative MP Lady Olga Maitland.
In the new Act squatters and tenants will receive no warning of an eviction court case and then just 24 hours’ notice to move out. Staying longer or returning to collect belongings will become a criminal offence. It will, unfortunately, be easy for an unscrupulous landlord to misuse this law to evict student tenants - the right of appeal only applies after eviction, when the student is homeless.

Restrictions on the Right to Protest
Even protesting against these education cuts is being criminalised by the Government. “Aggravated trespass” includes “disrupting or obstructing a lawful activity”, for example by leafletting, sit-ins, pickets or marches. You could be arested by the police evenif you were nowhere near the protest. A police officer of any rank needs only “reasonable suspicion” that you were intending to attend, making it difficult to mount a defence in court.
Students could risk 3 months’ imprisonment for taking part in a sit-in or a picket line. Mass demonstrations are also under threat particularly as Trafalgar Square and Hyde Park are owned by the Department of the Environment.

The Criminal Justice & Public Order Act includes other pieces of legislation that restrict many aspects of student life.

Curbs on Parties and Festivals
The CJA puts rave and outdoor festivals, an important part of many students’ social life, completely under threat. These are often held in disused warehouses or at remore outdoor sites and cause much less disruption than the average sports event. Clause 58 gives the police the power to redirect anyone within 5 miles of an unlicensed party, confiscate equipment and arrest people simply for attending, attempting to attend or “inciting” someone else to attend such a gathering. The penalty for disobeying is a maximum of 3 months’ imprisonment.

New Powers to Stop & Search
Students from ethnic minorities, as well as those who choose to look a ‘bit different’, are particularly vulnerable to police harassment. Clause 55, 76 & 77 give the police substantially increased powers to stop, question, detain and arrest people in a wide range of circumstances. Police officers do not have to reasonably suspect guilt or give a reason to legitimise a search. Clauses 49-51 allow intimate samples ( eg. blood, semen, pubic hair) to be taken for any “recordable offence”. This could include fare-dodging and the possession of small amounts of cannabis. This law is a sinister attempt to begin a DNA data-base.

Abolition of the Right to Silence
Anyone arrested for any of these 'offences' will no longer have the right to remain silent while in police custody. Being arrested puts a person under considerable pressure. The Right to Silence protects the innocent but not the professional criminal.