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		There must be a partnership of trust between the public and police Monday, 8th February 2010 Letter to The Times Sir In seeking to use Section 44 of the Terrorism Act to search innocent citizens in public ("Unlawful anti-terror powers planned for use at 2012 Games", Feb 8), the government forgets that often vigilance by the public is a useful tool in stopping future attacks. After all, it was vigilance that stopped Umar Abdulmutallab from blowing up an aeroplane on Christmas day last year. However, this vigilance needs to be based on a partnership of trust between the public and law enforcement agencies. Heavy-handed policing as allowed under Section 44 breaks that sense of trust and could lead to a reluctance to pass on useful information. Let us hope that an unintended consequence of the government's disregard of our civil liberties is not to reduce the intelligence that could prevent a future terrorist attack. Yours Sincerely, Syed Kamall Conservative MEP for London