Everybody knows what happened when the police were given stop and search powers for anti terrorism purposes. They abused it on a prodigious level, comparatively rarely using it for the purpose it was intended for. They also took upon themselves the confiscation of memory cards from the cameras of law abiding people who were minding their own business in public places.

These are the same police who, with no good reason, killed Ian Tomlinson and Jean Charles de Menezes. In fact 333 people have died during or immediately after police custody during the past 11 years, including Sean Rigg, Habib ‘Paps’ Ullah and Smiley Culture, without any officer being successfully prosecuted. These are the same police who illegally imprisoned thousands of innocent people by kettling them with no food, water or sanitation.

Yet now they are going to be given a massive new power that will inevitable be used in an arbitrary manner. They are going to be allowed to give on the spot £100 fines for “careless driving”. This will be entirely subjective, based on the judgement of the police officer. No judge, no jury, no due process. This is bringing the criminal justice system into further disrepute.

Of course there are many rogue drivers. I often see people smoking whilst driving and texting whilst driving is commonplace. But this is no excuse for taking away our historic right to due process.