New police powers unveiled, further erosion of civil liberties in the UK: ‘Jack Straw today unveiled new measures to crack down on
antisocial behaviour, including a version of Tony Blair’s
controversial “instant fines for louts” proposal. The criminal justice
and police bill introduces fixed fines for being drunk and abusive
and grants powers to extend curfews. Civil liberties groups
condemned the bill for expanding the national DNA database by
allowing police to retain samples indefinitely.’ BBC