To see if they pose a threat.

According to ITV teletext, trials of this system revealed 86% of sex offenders admitted to being a continued threat, but then added that over half of those involved refused to answer questions. I wonder what percentage 'under half' was, and how it weighs against the 86% claim?

The scheme is now to be used in more areas and sex offenders will "have no choice" but to answer questions.

When was the right to remain silent revoked? I don't think anyone will 'have no choice'. Such a move would be unlawful, as ruled by the High Court when Michael Howard attempted to abolish that right.

I can only assume that this further wasts of police time and resources is aimed at satisfying the tabloid media. Any results cannot be used as evidence in court, but will be used to determine the level of monitoring.

I wonder if silence will be treated as an admission of guilt?

These are fellow human beings who have served their sentences. How much further will this nation decline?

When these recent events first emerged 8 years ago, I begged to take a lie detector test and to force my false accusers to do the same.

I was told that under no circumstances would the results be allowed in court as they were hugely unreliable.

Now they are being used to assess whether people should have their freedom curbed.

Something terribly frightening is going on. I really think society in 20 years time (by when I'll probably be all dead and gone) will be nasty, unfair, bigoted and vicious - rather like sections of the media which has created this situation.

"Protect our children"? Not if they fail a lie detector test.

The Labour conference is under way.
Parliament will soon re-open and the Queen's speech, outlining Labour's new policies, looms.

For the past three days there have been paedophile related news stories.
Lie detector tests; the right to check up on neighbours; an elderly man arrested in Croatia because he once had a child abuse conviction in the UK; promises of even tougher measures, tied in with the return of Gary Glitter.

The point here is that Labour are planning more curbs on our freedoms. They condition the public by first introducing new laws to control paedophiles and protect children. They know the public will accept this because "Pedo scum deserve all they get!" So the measures are pushed through without any opposition because child protection is paramount. Once the laws are in place they can be used against anyone. Does anyone really believe the lie detector tests, or any other scheme, will be restricted to paedophiles? The terror laws have certainly been applied in a much broader way than was supposedly intended.

Give the impression of increased risk. Create fear among the population. Pass the new laws while they are still trembling. This has been a policy of bad governments throughout history.

Such stories are also useful for covering the failings of government at critical moments. Why worry about anything else when our children are at risk?

But, of course, our children will not always be children. They will be the next group of adults to fall foul of these new laws, to live without the freedoms their ancestors spilled blood for. Each bad law threatens our childrens' future. Bad laws don't protect anyone.

There is a serious problem in the UK.

Regarding the lie detector issue, specifically - If over half of those made to take the test refused to answer questions, the scheme was obvioulsy unsuccessful. This being the case, why are they now introducing it to other areas? If, to pursue this policy, they must scrap several laws which previously protected our freedoms, then something is seriously amiss.

Why is our maintream media not questioning any of this? Have they forgotten that they are also people?

JK2006 wrote:
When these recent events first emerged 8 years ago, I begged to take a lie detector test and to force my false accusers to do the same.

I was told that under no circumstances would the results be allowed in court as they were hugely unreliable.

Now they are being used to assess whether people should have their freedom curbed.

Something terribly frightening is going on. I really think society in 20 years time (by when I'll probably be all dead and gone) will be nasty, unfair, bigoted and vicious - rather like sections of the media which has created this situation.

"Protect our children"? Not if they fail a lie detector test.
Polygraphs are indeed "hugely unreliable".

It is disgraceful that this kind of sop is being wheeled out to pretend something worthwhile is actually being done.

It doesn't take long to Google ways to cheat such tests so not only do we have the prospect of people being wrongly vilified but the genuinely wicked will go to the most lengths to deceive and receive an "all clear".

A delusion of security is worse than a real threat.

"They Though They Were Free" The Germans 1933-45 by German born US journalist Milton Meyer first published in 1955 is a book I read about 10 years ago and is one the most aclaimed insights into the build-up to WW2.

We often wonder how Germany, the most sophisticated country in Europe, could have allowed the Nazis to become so prominent and for a dictator to rule(and remember-they never had majority of votes)but this book gives an amazing account of how it happened by small increments.

I often pick it up today and it becomes even more relevant reading compared to what has been happening over the past few years.

The parallels are quite frightening.

Even if politicians believe what they are doing is right-the gradual chipping away of rights-they are opening the door for a far more sinister regime.

One of the main aspects was the continual identifying of a threat. It didn't really matter what the threat was, as long as there was one. Jews , Gypsies, Gays, Communists, one by one a new enemy was found.

The only difference I can see ? Then the evil but brilliant Joseph Goebells picked off left-wing or mainstream newspapers until eventually, by force, all sang from the same song sheet.

Today's publications are doing off their own bat.

This might have an unintended consequence. I can see, one day soon, spurred on by the New of the World etc, the government announcing that every man in the country will be forced to take a lie detector test to a question such as 'Do you ever find persons under 18 sexually attractive', with the hope that finally, all the pedos out there can be rounded up and sent to Auschwitz. 99% of men will say no, but of course, 90% of them will be shown to be lying...