Blunkett said the measures could be used against people suspected of "acts preparatory to terrorism" even if they have not committed an offense.

LONDON, November 21 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Britain will adopt a set of tightened anti-terror laws in case Prime Minister Tony Blair's Labor Party wins the general elections, due next year, the home secretary said on Sunday, November 21.

David Blunkett said the new proposals include the creation of special anti-terror courts which would sit without juries and use information obtained from phone taps as evidence in trials, the BBC News Online reported.

“I think there's a very strong case for translating what we have in the special immigrations appeals tribunal, that is the superior court of record, into the criminal justice system and there's widespread support for looking at that,” he said.

The head of the planned new Serious and Organized Crime Agency, former MI5 chief Sir Stephen Lander, supported using wire-tap evidence in court.

“Wire taps are very important tool for law enforcement and for the ending of terrorism, but we've managed pretty well in this country over many years not using it in evidence,” he said.

New Civil Orders

Under the new laws, people who had not committed an offense but were suspected of “acts preparatory to terrorism” could have their actions restricted by so-called civil orders.

“We'd be able to use civil (orders), like anti-social behavior orders, to say, 'If you step outside what we've precluded you from doing, if you for instance, use this particular banking network...then we can move you from the civil into the criminal law', and then we can use the normal criminal justice process,” Blunkett said.

He maintained that the breach of such orders would be a criminal offense which could result in imprisonment.

The British secretary said that the new anti-terror laws would not be introduced until after the general elections, due next year.

“It's not my intention to try and push a bill through this side of the general election whenever the prime minister calls it,” he said.

Senior British parliamentarians admitted last August that anti-terrorism laws are being used “disproportionately” against Muslims.

British Muslims, estimated at two million people, have repeatedly complained of maltreatment by the police and the stop-and-search operations  under the Terrorism Act for no apparent reason other than being Muslims.

More than 35,000 Muslims were stopped and searched last year without reason, with fewer than 50 charged, whereas before the 9/11 attacks only around 2,000 Muslims were stopped and searched.