http://digbig.com/4hwsj
Celestine Heaton-Armstrong
"It is time to get tough on the real causes of youth crime. If you can judge a society by the way it treats its children, where does that leave a society which exposes their children to extreme levels of violence in their media, then punishes them when they imitate the behaviour they see going on all around them? Teenagers rarely receive good press. Despite the fact that they are the future of society, they continually shame themselves, inflict their riotous behaviour on others and harm their own bodies with drug and alcohol abuse."
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
GOVERNMENT RULES OUT AMNESTY FOR IMMIGRANTS / The Voice, 30 May 2006
http://www.voice-online.co.uk/content.php?show=9266
Dominic Bascombe
"Top think tank IPPR says it makes total economic sense and will clean up the shambolic current policy. Tony Blair’s government remains defiant in the face of overwhelming evidence that an immigration amnesty is the solution to the ongoing crisis. The Home Office has refused calls for an amnesty despite the fact that one of Britain’s foremost think tanks has pointed to the economic advantages to be gained."
Dominic Bascombe
"Top think tank IPPR says it makes total economic sense and will clean up the shambolic current policy. Tony Blair’s government remains defiant in the face of overwhelming evidence that an immigration amnesty is the solution to the ongoing crisis. The Home Office has refused calls for an amnesty despite the fact that one of Britain’s foremost think tanks has pointed to the economic advantages to be gained."
Detectives use new skills to beat housing estate burglars / 24Dash, 30 May 2006
http://digbig.com/4hwsg
"House estate burglars targeted. Crime-cracking detectives are stepping up the war on housing estate burglars by using the latest analytical research which helps predict where future break-ins will occur. Over the past three years house burglary in Stockton-on-Tees has fallen dramatically. Once the average number of homes being broken into was more than 300 a month - now it is 66. But Det Chief Inspector Darren Best said despite the significant reductions achieved they are determined to put more pressure on criminals and cut crime even further.
New research has shown that if clusters of burglaries occur on an estate the next homes to be targeted will be within a 200 metre radius."
"House estate burglars targeted. Crime-cracking detectives are stepping up the war on housing estate burglars by using the latest analytical research which helps predict where future break-ins will occur. Over the past three years house burglary in Stockton-on-Tees has fallen dramatically. Once the average number of homes being broken into was more than 300 a month - now it is 66. But Det Chief Inspector Darren Best said despite the significant reductions achieved they are determined to put more pressure on criminals and cut crime even further.
New research has shown that if clusters of burglaries occur on an estate the next homes to be targeted will be within a 200 metre radius."
Progressive Nationalism: Citizenship and the Left / Demos, 24 May 2006
PDF - http://www.demos.co.uk/progressivenationalism_pdf_media_public.aspx
David Goodhart
"A new pamphlet seeks to establish a coherent and confident basis for centre-left thinking on the nation state and citizenship. Includes contributions from David Blunkett MP, John Denham MP, Neal Ascherson and others. Argues that the Home Office should be broken up and a new government department should be created to oversee immigration and integration. It also proposes that a detailed annual migration report should be produced by an independent panel set up under the new department’s auspices, including representatives of all the main political parties, employers, trades unions and immigrant groups."
David Goodhart
"A new pamphlet seeks to establish a coherent and confident basis for centre-left thinking on the nation state and citizenship. Includes contributions from David Blunkett MP, John Denham MP, Neal Ascherson and others. Argues that the Home Office should be broken up and a new government department should be created to oversee immigration and integration. It also proposes that a detailed annual migration report should be produced by an independent panel set up under the new department’s auspices, including representatives of all the main political parties, employers, trades unions and immigrant groups."
[Pakistan] No record of passports issued by missions abroad / The Peninsula, 29 May 2006
http://digbig.com/4hwse
"The Directorate of Passport and Immigration (DPI) — the passport issuing authority in Pakistan — admitted that it did not know to whom the country’s foreign missions were issuing the green travel document and in what number. “The Foreign Ministry has never shared with us the information to whom its missions have been issuing passports,” a senior DPI official said.
When contacted, the Foreign Office (FO) said its missions provided the “required” information to the Interior Ministry on a regular basis. However, it admitted, this required information does not include the details of passports issued. "
"The Directorate of Passport and Immigration (DPI) — the passport issuing authority in Pakistan — admitted that it did not know to whom the country’s foreign missions were issuing the green travel document and in what number. “The Foreign Ministry has never shared with us the information to whom its missions have been issuing passports,” a senior DPI official said.
When contacted, the Foreign Office (FO) said its missions provided the “required” information to the Interior Ministry on a regular basis. However, it admitted, this required information does not include the details of passports issued. "
[South Africa] National Policing Standard for Municipal Police Services regarding domestic violence / South African Police Service, 2006
PDF - http://www.info.gov.za/gazette/notices/2006/28581a.pdf
"The Domestic Violence Act, 1 16 of 1998, "imposes certain obligations on a member who receives a complaint of domestic violence. This national standard is intended to provide clear direction to a member on how to respond to a complaint of domestic violence in order to comply with the obligations imposed upon him or her in terms of the Domestic Violence Act". "
"The Domestic Violence Act, 1 16 of 1998, "imposes certain obligations on a member who receives a complaint of domestic violence. This national standard is intended to provide clear direction to a member on how to respond to a complaint of domestic violence in order to comply with the obligations imposed upon him or her in terms of the Domestic Violence Act". "
African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights: Oral statement on forced evictions in Africa / African Commission on Human and People's Rights :
Amnesty International, 11 May 2006
"Across Africa hundreds of thousands of people each year are forcibly evicted, in many cases being left homeless, losing their possessions without compensation and/or being forcibly displaced far from sources of clean water, food, sanitation, livelihood or education, in violation of regional and international law, including the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights. In most cases these forced evictions are conducted without any due process, consultation or adequate notice. Officials carrying out the evictions often resort to excessive use of force, including beating residents, and demolishing homes as well as destroying properties. Amnesty International has also documented cases where people, often children, have died during or as a result of forced evictions. Amnesty International has documented cases of forced evictions in Angola, Ghana, Nigeria, Sudan, Swaziland and Zimbabwe."
"Across Africa hundreds of thousands of people each year are forcibly evicted, in many cases being left homeless, losing their possessions without compensation and/or being forcibly displaced far from sources of clean water, food, sanitation, livelihood or education, in violation of regional and international law, including the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights. In most cases these forced evictions are conducted without any due process, consultation or adequate notice. Officials carrying out the evictions often resort to excessive use of force, including beating residents, and demolishing homes as well as destroying properties. Amnesty International has also documented cases where people, often children, have died during or as a result of forced evictions. Amnesty International has documented cases of forced evictions in Angola, Ghana, Nigeria, Sudan, Swaziland and Zimbabwe."
Understanding Security Sector Reform / Journal of Secuirty Sector Management, Vol 4 Issue 2 - April 2006
PDF - http://digbig.com/4hwsc
Chuter, David
"The lack of agreed definitions for terms and concepts in Security Sector Reform (SSR) has been widely recognised, and is agreed to be a weakness in the discipline. This article seeks to account for that weakness by tracing the history of SSR as a discipline (by Civil-Military Relations out of Development Studies) and to remedy it by an empirical and methodical discussion of the main issues, followed by some suggested definitions. David Chuter has worked for the UK government for almost thirty years, and is currently on loan to the French Ministry of Defence in Paris; He has been involved in practical SSR work in Africa and elsewhere for the last dozen years, and has lectured extensively on the subject. He is the author of Defence Transformation: A Short Guide to the Issues."
Chuter, David
"The lack of agreed definitions for terms and concepts in Security Sector Reform (SSR) has been widely recognised, and is agreed to be a weakness in the discipline. This article seeks to account for that weakness by tracing the history of SSR as a discipline (by Civil-Military Relations out of Development Studies) and to remedy it by an empirical and methodical discussion of the main issues, followed by some suggested definitions. David Chuter has worked for the UK government for almost thirty years, and is currently on loan to the French Ministry of Defence in Paris; He has been involved in practical SSR work in Africa and elsewhere for the last dozen years, and has lectured extensively on the subject. He is the author of Defence Transformation: A Short Guide to the Issues."
An Overview Of The Ghana Police Service / Journal of Security Sector Management, Vol 4 Issue 2 - April 2006
PDF - http://digbig.com/4hwry
Aning, Emmanuel Kwesi.
"This is a broad-based study that seeks to understand the structural and developmental processes that have taken place in the Ghana Police Service (GPS) since colonial times. The sphere of activities to be covered are wide, and thus a certain 'brutal' selectivity was used to enable the paper capture the dynamics of the developmental process that are crucial to defining how a police service should function in an increasingly confident and vocal constitutional democratic environment."
Aning, Emmanuel Kwesi.
"This is a broad-based study that seeks to understand the structural and developmental processes that have taken place in the Ghana Police Service (GPS) since colonial times. The sphere of activities to be covered are wide, and thus a certain 'brutal' selectivity was used to enable the paper capture the dynamics of the developmental process that are crucial to defining how a police service should function in an increasingly confident and vocal constitutional democratic environment."
Drug cocktail suspected in three more Detroit-area deaths; toll at least 44 / Canadian Press, 28 May 2006
http://digbig.com/4hwrw
"Three more people in Wayne County have died from what authorities suspect is a combination of heroin or cocaine and fentanyl, a prescription painkiller. The deaths bring the county's total of overdose deaths believed to have been caused by the mixture to 44 since May 18.
The county medical examiner's office was investigating the latest deaths. Toxicology tests were ordered, but results take about a month to arrive, the Detroit News reported. Other cities, including Philadelphia and Chicago, also have reported deaths from the drug combination. The Detroit area is the apparent hub of the problem, with more than 100 confirmed cases since last fall."
"Three more people in Wayne County have died from what authorities suspect is a combination of heroin or cocaine and fentanyl, a prescription painkiller. The deaths bring the county's total of overdose deaths believed to have been caused by the mixture to 44 since May 18.
The county medical examiner's office was investigating the latest deaths. Toxicology tests were ordered, but results take about a month to arrive, the Detroit News reported. Other cities, including Philadelphia and Chicago, also have reported deaths from the drug combination. The Detroit area is the apparent hub of the problem, with more than 100 confirmed cases since last fall."
Implementation of the Action Plan to Combat Terrorism / EC, May 2006
PDF - http://digbig.com/4hwrk
"This report responds to the European Council's request for a report every six months on the
implementation of the Action Plan to combat terrorism adopted in June 2004 and revised most
recently in February 2006. The report summarizes progress since December 2005 and the
state of play regarding ratification of the conventions and implementation of the legislative
acts regarded as having priority, the details of which are set out in ADD 1."
"This report responds to the European Council's request for a report every six months on the
implementation of the Action Plan to combat terrorism adopted in June 2004 and revised most
recently in February 2006. The report summarizes progress since December 2005 and the
state of play regarding ratification of the conventions and implementation of the legislative
acts regarded as having priority, the details of which are set out in ADD 1."
[Canada] CSIS concedes nine of 10 immigration applicants not screened / Ottawa Citizen, 30 May 2006
http://digbig.com/4hwqs
"About 90 per cent of immigration applicants from Pakistan and Afghanistan hotbeds for Islamic fundamentalism and central in the fight against terrorism haven't been adequately screened for security concerns over the past five years, Canada's spy agency said. The No. 2 man at the Canadian Security Intelligence Service said his organization simply doesn't have the resources necessary to do all the security checks it would like."
"About 90 per cent of immigration applicants from Pakistan and Afghanistan hotbeds for Islamic fundamentalism and central in the fight against terrorism haven't been adequately screened for security concerns over the past five years, Canada's spy agency said. The No. 2 man at the Canadian Security Intelligence Service said his organization simply doesn't have the resources necessary to do all the security checks it would like."
Somalis' struggle in the UK / BBC, 30 May 2006
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/5029390.stm
Dominic Casciani
"Highly visible on the street, but paradoxically a largely unknown people, uncomfortable questions are being asked about Britain's Somali immigrants - and the answers are by no means easy to find."
Dominic Casciani
"Highly visible on the street, but paradoxically a largely unknown people, uncomfortable questions are being asked about Britain's Somali immigrants - and the answers are by no means easy to find."
Does diversity make us unhappy? / BBC, 30 May 2006
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/happiness_formula/5012478.stm
Mark Easton
"It is an uncomfortable conclusion from happiness research data perhaps - but multicultural communities tend to be less trusting and less happy. "
Mark Easton
"It is an uncomfortable conclusion from happiness research data perhaps - but multicultural communities tend to be less trusting and less happy. "
U.S. to Keep Getting Data on Europeans / Forbes, 30 May 2006
http://digbig.com/4hwqp
"U.S. authorities will be able to keep trawling through personal data on passengers flying from Europe, even though the European Union's highest court found problems with the accord that made airlines share the information.
"U.S. authorities will be able to keep trawling through personal data on passengers flying from Europe, even though the European Union's highest court found problems with the accord that made airlines share the information.
Swiss bombproof bin tackles Paris trash / SwissInfo, 25 May 2006
http://digbig.com/4hwqm
Daniele Mariani
"A small Zurich-based firm has developed a rubbish bin that considerably reduces the effects of an explosion. Zurich-based Brüco has invented a bombproof rubbish bin – the "Trashshark", so called because its design is suggestive of a shark's head.The new design has already passed its first test. An explosives expert at armasuisse – the Swiss army agency which purchases and assesses military equipment – set off a hand-grenade inside one of the rubbish bins. As expected, the bin split in two, but it was effective in absorbing almost all 1,700 fragments of the hand-grenade.."
Daniele Mariani
"A small Zurich-based firm has developed a rubbish bin that considerably reduces the effects of an explosion. Zurich-based Brüco has invented a bombproof rubbish bin – the "Trashshark", so called because its design is suggestive of a shark's head.The new design has already passed its first test. An explosives expert at armasuisse – the Swiss army agency which purchases and assesses military equipment – set off a hand-grenade inside one of the rubbish bins. As expected, the bin split in two, but it was effective in absorbing almost all 1,700 fragments of the hand-grenade.."
[Switzerland] DOMESTIC SECURITY REPORT SWITZERLAND 2005 - Summary - 2006
PDF - http://www.bap.admin.ch/d/aktuell/medien/BISS_2005_d.pdf
English Summary - p.84 - 90
English Summary - p.84 - 90
Switzerland "not safe from terrorist attacks" / SwissInfo, 30 May 2006
http://digbig.com/4hwqh
"The rise in violence at sporting events is a major concern. Terrorism and hooliganism continue to pose a threat to Switzerland, according to an internal security report published on Tuesday.
The Federal Police Office's annual report noted that right- and left-wing extremism, human trafficking and the activities of criminal organisations were also major concerns in 2005."
"The rise in violence at sporting events is a major concern. Terrorism and hooliganism continue to pose a threat to Switzerland, according to an internal security report published on Tuesday.
The Federal Police Office's annual report noted that right- and left-wing extremism, human trafficking and the activities of criminal organisations were also major concerns in 2005."
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Al-Qaida suspect loses appeal to block UK extradition to Spain / Jurist paperchase, 26 May 2006
http://digbig.com/4htxr
Joshua Pantesco
"The Court of Appeal in London [official website] Friday refused to grant a stay of extradition to Farid Hilali, an alleged UK contact for the September 11 hijackers who is being deported to Spain to face terrorism charges for associating with convicted Al-Qaida member Imad Eddin Barakat Yarkas [Washington Post report]. Yarkas is suspected of leading an al-Qaida cell in Spain [JURIST report], and Hilali has been directly linked to the Sept. 11 attacks by a Spanish judge for allegedly contacting [BBC report] Yarkas during the weeks preceding the attacks. Hilali is appealing the first use of the new European arrest warrant [EU backgrounder], which is intended to replace the slower extradition process that can take years to complete. Hilali's extradition was first approved [JURIST report] by a lower UK court last June, where he unsuccessfully argued that if the UK extradited him to Spain, Spain would subsequently transfer him to his home country of Morocco, where he could be tortured, thus violating the UK Human Rights Act of 1998 [text]. That judge said that Spain may not transfer Hilali to Morocco without the UK's approval, and the Court of Appeals judge who upheld that ruling on Friday found unpersuasive the seven arguments put forth by Hilali for denying the extradition order. Reuters has more." [Brief]
Joshua Pantesco
"The Court of Appeal in London [official website] Friday refused to grant a stay of extradition to Farid Hilali, an alleged UK contact for the September 11 hijackers who is being deported to Spain to face terrorism charges for associating with convicted Al-Qaida member Imad Eddin Barakat Yarkas [Washington Post report]. Yarkas is suspected of leading an al-Qaida cell in Spain [JURIST report], and Hilali has been directly linked to the Sept. 11 attacks by a Spanish judge for allegedly contacting [BBC report] Yarkas during the weeks preceding the attacks. Hilali is appealing the first use of the new European arrest warrant [EU backgrounder], which is intended to replace the slower extradition process that can take years to complete. Hilali's extradition was first approved [JURIST report] by a lower UK court last June, where he unsuccessfully argued that if the UK extradited him to Spain, Spain would subsequently transfer him to his home country of Morocco, where he could be tortured, thus violating the UK Human Rights Act of 1998 [text]. That judge said that Spain may not transfer Hilali to Morocco without the UK's approval, and the Court of Appeals judge who upheld that ruling on Friday found unpersuasive the seven arguments put forth by Hilali for denying the extradition order. Reuters has more." [Brief]
UK parliament rights panel assails Blair stance on deportation to torture states / Jurist Newsburst, 26 May 2006
http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2006/05/uk-parliament-rights-panel-assails.php
Bernard Hibbitts
"The UK Parliament Joint Committee on Human Rights [official website] took the government of Prime Minister Tony Blair to task Friday for urging [JURIST report] the European Court of Human Rights [official website] to revisit its absolute prohibition against deporting people to states where they may be tortured and for entering into diplomatic agreements with those states purporting to guarantee good treatment for detainees. The Committee made its points in the context of a new report [text] on UK compliance with the terms of the UN Convention Against Torture [text]."
Bernard Hibbitts
"The UK Parliament Joint Committee on Human Rights [official website] took the government of Prime Minister Tony Blair to task Friday for urging [JURIST report] the European Court of Human Rights [official website] to revisit its absolute prohibition against deporting people to states where they may be tortured and for entering into diplomatic agreements with those states purporting to guarantee good treatment for detainees. The Committee made its points in the context of a new report [text] on UK compliance with the terms of the UN Convention Against Torture [text]."
Digital malice hits the playground / The Age, 27 May 2006
http://digbig.com/4htxp
David Wilson
"Students and parents should be prepared for playground taunts that can escalate into vicious online threats."
David Wilson
"Students and parents should be prepared for playground taunts that can escalate into vicious online threats."
[Australia] Sifting crime statistics for the truth / News.com Blog, 28 May 2006
http://digbig.com/4htxn
"Are you feeling safer? You should be, according to the latest national crime statistics that show a decline in offences. But why is that a different set of statistics show that more people are saying they are the victim of crime? Tthe Australian Bureau of Statistics released figures compiled by Australian police forces showing the number of victims declined in most offence categories in 2005, compared to 2004. The number of victims of homicide and related offences decreased by 10%, while victims of motor vehicle theft and unlawful entry with intent both decreased by 9%. Other theft (which includes theft from people, retail premises and motor vehicles) decreased by 7%.
But the ABS also conducts something called the Crime and Safety Survey, in which it goes straight to individuals and households and asks whether they have been the victim of crime and whether the crimes were reported to police. In the most recent survey, conducted during April to July 2005, the incidence of people experiencing assault increased from 4.3% of the population in 1998 to 4.8% in 2005, Home break-ins and motor vehicle theft were marginally down – nowhere near the extent shown in the official police statistics.
And that doesn’t take into account a significant under-reporting of some types of crimes.
According to the National Crime and Safety Survey, only 74% of victims of break-ins and 90% of victims of motor vehicle theft reported the crimes to police.
The under reporting was far more dramatic in robbery, where just 38% of victims told police. And when it came to assault, only 31% of victims officially reported the crimes.
The ABS warns that caution should be exercised when comparing official police crime figures with the victim survey results, as the two are compiled using different methods. But the obvious under reporting of certain crimes must leave a question mark over the figures so readily wielded by politicians and chief police commissioners when assuring us that Australia is a safer place. [Brief]
"Are you feeling safer? You should be, according to the latest national crime statistics that show a decline in offences. But why is that a different set of statistics show that more people are saying they are the victim of crime? Tthe Australian Bureau of Statistics released figures compiled by Australian police forces showing the number of victims declined in most offence categories in 2005, compared to 2004. The number of victims of homicide and related offences decreased by 10%, while victims of motor vehicle theft and unlawful entry with intent both decreased by 9%. Other theft (which includes theft from people, retail premises and motor vehicles) decreased by 7%.
But the ABS also conducts something called the Crime and Safety Survey, in which it goes straight to individuals and households and asks whether they have been the victim of crime and whether the crimes were reported to police. In the most recent survey, conducted during April to July 2005, the incidence of people experiencing assault increased from 4.3% of the population in 1998 to 4.8% in 2005, Home break-ins and motor vehicle theft were marginally down – nowhere near the extent shown in the official police statistics.
And that doesn’t take into account a significant under-reporting of some types of crimes.
According to the National Crime and Safety Survey, only 74% of victims of break-ins and 90% of victims of motor vehicle theft reported the crimes to police.
The under reporting was far more dramatic in robbery, where just 38% of victims told police. And when it came to assault, only 31% of victims officially reported the crimes.
The ABS warns that caution should be exercised when comparing official police crime figures with the victim survey results, as the two are compiled using different methods. But the obvious under reporting of certain crimes must leave a question mark over the figures so readily wielded by politicians and chief police commissioners when assuring us that Australia is a safer place. [Brief]
Influence of right-wing bloggers on the rise / Business Online, 28 May 2006
http://digbig.com/4htxk
Tim Montgomerie - Media File
"Over the past few weeks a number of right-of-centre blogs have been making news. Iain Dale used his personal blog to give legs to the revelation that Cherie Blair had autographed a copy of the Hutton report. Iain helped to ensure that Tory MPs took up a Mail on Sunday story that had been neglected by Monday and Tuesday’s newspapers." [Gov & Pol]
Tim Montgomerie - Media File
"Over the past few weeks a number of right-of-centre blogs have been making news. Iain Dale used his personal blog to give legs to the revelation that Cherie Blair had autographed a copy of the Hutton report. Iain helped to ensure that Tory MPs took up a Mail on Sunday story that had been neglected by Monday and Tuesday’s newspapers." [Gov & Pol]
PRISONER PARTICIPATION IN PRISON MANAGEMENT /
Presented in English at the International Penitentiary Congress (Barcelona, 31 March-1 April 2006), and in French at a meeting arranged by “DES Maintenant en Europe” (Maison de l’Europe, Paris, 4 April 2006).
http://www.prison.eu.org/article.php3?id_article=8100
"This article examines existing legislation on this question in the member States of the Council of Europe and the administrative instructions for putting this legislation into practice. The results of prisoner participation in practice in 26 prisons in England and Wales are described. The contribution of prisoner councils to a prison climate that helps prisoners to address their criminal behaviour is considered. The use of prisoner councils is also considered in relation to the inspections of the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT). Essential next steps for enlarging practice and encouraging research are presented."
http://www.prison.eu.org/article.php3?id_article=8100
"This article examines existing legislation on this question in the member States of the Council of Europe and the administrative instructions for putting this legislation into practice. The results of prisoner participation in practice in 26 prisons in England and Wales are described. The contribution of prisoner councils to a prison climate that helps prisoners to address their criminal behaviour is considered. The use of prisoner councils is also considered in relation to the inspections of the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT). Essential next steps for enlarging practice and encouraging research are presented."
Jane's Police Review, 25 May 2006 [Sub Required]
Critical responseHow police initially deal with any incident can have a huge impact on how the victim, their family and the community view the service. Terry Scaife looks at the first national guidelines to help officers respond effectively[Jane's Police Review - first posted to www.policereview.com – 25 May 2006]
Facing realityWith assaults on officers on the increase across the UK, Adam Spiller argues that officer safety training should reflect realistic incidents faced by officers to help keep them safe on the streets[Jane's Police Review - first posted to www.policereview.com – 25 May 2006]
Rebalancing the scales of justicePAJ Waddington examines the challenges of reforming the criminal justice system and managing public perceptions of sentencing[Jane's Police Review - first posted to www.policereview.com – 25 May 2006]
PC puts best foot forwardPC Kendra White started regularly running a five km route 14 years' ago pushing her one-week-old son in a pram.[Jane's Police Review - first posted to www.policereview.com – 25 May 2006]
Facing realityWith assaults on officers on the increase across the UK, Adam Spiller argues that officer safety training should reflect realistic incidents faced by officers to help keep them safe on the streets[Jane's Police Review - first posted to www.policereview.com – 25 May 2006]
Rebalancing the scales of justicePAJ Waddington examines the challenges of reforming the criminal justice system and managing public perceptions of sentencing[Jane's Police Review - first posted to www.policereview.com – 25 May 2006]
PC puts best foot forwardPC Kendra White started regularly running a five km route 14 years' ago pushing her one-week-old son in a pram.[Jane's Police Review - first posted to www.policereview.com – 25 May 2006]
MIPT Terrorism Knowledge Base - Website update
www.tkb.org
One-stop resource for comprehensive research and analysis on global terrorist incidents, terrorist organizations, and terrorism-related trials.
For users interested in official U.S government information on terrorism, the 2005 State Department Country Reports on Terrorism is now available on TKB. The State Department report focuses country-by-country on developments in terrorism-related issues, and also contains specific sections on terrorist havens, state-sponsored terrorism, and the global challenge of WMD.
Our first new feature is a direct link that gives instant access to our sophisticated GIS mapping system for every country in the TKB system. A click of the mouse is all it takes to gain access to high-tech satellite overlays, incident filters, and key infrastructure plots for every region of the globe.
Our second new feature is a series of population pyramids, which give a demographic snapshot for each country in the world. Population demographics are useful for comparative analysis and may be a predictor of future unrest. These pyramids are a simple way to visualize this important information.
One-stop resource for comprehensive research and analysis on global terrorist incidents, terrorist organizations, and terrorism-related trials.
For users interested in official U.S government information on terrorism, the 2005 State Department Country Reports on Terrorism is now available on TKB. The State Department report focuses country-by-country on developments in terrorism-related issues, and also contains specific sections on terrorist havens, state-sponsored terrorism, and the global challenge of WMD.
Our first new feature is a direct link that gives instant access to our sophisticated GIS mapping system for every country in the TKB system. A click of the mouse is all it takes to gain access to high-tech satellite overlays, incident filters, and key infrastructure plots for every region of the globe.
Our second new feature is a series of population pyramids, which give a demographic snapshot for each country in the world. Population demographics are useful for comparative analysis and may be a predictor of future unrest. These pyramids are a simple way to visualize this important information.
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Our prisons are not working - they need a radical overhaul / Social Affairs Unit, 26 May 2006
http://www.socialaffairsunit.org.uk/blog/archives/000946.php
Emily Kingham - prison writer-in-residence
Emily Kingham - prison writer-in-residence
Bichard reports widespread errors in Police data / The Register, 26 May 2006
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/05/26/bichard_part3/
Mark Ballard
"Almost half of all police forces that have have been audited by the police database team of HM Inspectorate of Constabulary have been pulled up for duff data management, said the third report of the Bichard enquiry.[PDF ]"
Mark Ballard
"Almost half of all police forces that have have been audited by the police database team of HM Inspectorate of Constabulary have been pulled up for duff data management, said the third report of the Bichard enquiry.[PDF ]"
[New Zealand] New Zealand's pioneering use of facial recognition technology in assessing passport applications is being heralded as a huge success /
Stuff, 27 May 2006
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3681192a6160,00.html
"New Zealand's pioneering use of facial recognition technology in assessing passport applications is being heralded as a huge success. Since April 2005, the New Zealand Passport Office has been using CryptoMetrics facial recognition technology to assess new passport applications.
The manager of the New Zealand Passport Office, David Philp, said New Zealand was thought to be the first passport issuing authority in the world to use the United States-made technology in this capacity. "It's a first-line of defence to stop people committing fraud and assuming false identities to get a passport," he said. False passports are invaluable to those who are involved in international crime and possibly terrorist activity."
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3681192a6160,00.html
"New Zealand's pioneering use of facial recognition technology in assessing passport applications is being heralded as a huge success. Since April 2005, the New Zealand Passport Office has been using CryptoMetrics facial recognition technology to assess new passport applications.
The manager of the New Zealand Passport Office, David Philp, said New Zealand was thought to be the first passport issuing authority in the world to use the United States-made technology in this capacity. "It's a first-line of defence to stop people committing fraud and assuming false identities to get a passport," he said. False passports are invaluable to those who are involved in international crime and possibly terrorist activity."
[Netherlands] The Dutch Favour Further European Integration / AgoraVox, 26 May 2006
http://www.agoravox.com/article.php3?id_article=4847
Atilla Arda
"Despite their critical attitude, Dutch people opt for a European approach to several issues. There is great support for a European policy concerning cross border issues such as the fight against terrorism (75%), asylum and immigration policy (68%), environmental protection (61%), police co-operation (60%) and economic policy (59%)"
Atilla Arda
"Despite their critical attitude, Dutch people opt for a European approach to several issues. There is great support for a European policy concerning cross border issues such as the fight against terrorism (75%), asylum and immigration policy (68%), environmental protection (61%), police co-operation (60%) and economic policy (59%)"
The fear haunting Europe / Open Democracy, 26 May 2006
http://digbig.com/4httq
Mats Engström
"The secret meetings of Europe's political authorities are sanctioning public policies that feed racist sentiment."
Mats Engström
"The secret meetings of Europe's political authorities are sanctioning public policies that feed racist sentiment."
Monstering youth: a job-creation scheme? 24 May 2006
http://archrights.blogspot.com/2006/05/monstering-youth-job-creation-scheme.html
" A good comment piece on the creation of the problem-youth industry, from someone on the frontline, in this week’s ‘Young People Now’..."
Shock: most young people not delinquent 26 May 2006 http://archrights.blogspot.com/2006/05/shock-most-young-people-not-delinquent.html
A new report slipped out from the Home Office yesterday: ‘delinquent youth groups and offending behaviour’. Using figures from the British Crime Survey, the researchers have studied the features of what they describe as ‘delinquent’ groups using the following criteria........" [Briefs]
http://archrights.blogspot.com/2006/05/monstering-youth-job-creation-scheme.html
" A good comment piece on the creation of the problem-youth industry, from someone on the frontline, in this week’s ‘Young People Now’..."
Shock: most young people not delinquent 26 May 2006 http://archrights.blogspot.com/2006/05/shock-most-young-people-not-delinquent.html
A new report slipped out from the Home Office yesterday: ‘delinquent youth groups and offending behaviour’. Using figures from the British Crime Survey, the researchers have studied the features of what they describe as ‘delinquent’ groups using the following criteria........" [Briefs]
Anti-social behaviour roadshow targets kids / Hucknall today, 26 May 2006
http://www.hucknalltoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=743&ArticleID=1529046
AN anti-social behaviour roadshow, targeted at schoolchildren, has been launched in Hucknall.
A successful pilot of the scheme, run by Ashfield Homes, took place at Broomhill Junior School on the Welbeck Estate. The assistant director of housing services at Ashfield Homes said the scheme had followed consultation with residents all over Ashfield. He claimed it soon became apparent that young children are not aware of the impact anti-social behaviour (ASB) could have on their community. "We felt the need to get the message across to youngsters from an early age," said Mr Holland."We designed an interactive booklet that could be used in school to explain what ASB is – and its consequences."This was quickly followed by an information booklet for parents and teachers. This raises awareness of action that can be taken against ASB perpetrators and their families." Since the launch, there has been positive feedback from school pupils, parents and teachers, as well as praise from government inspectors. Some schools have used the booklet for lessons in physical health and social education (PHSE). Numerous approaches have been made by secondary schools after they heard about the success of the roadshow.T o cater for this interest, Ashfield Homes's neighbourhood safety team brought [out]an interactive DVD that has proved very popular. From this, a 'One Life....Your Choice' package was born. Mr Holland said: "We take the view that involving young people is a key part in ensuring that housing estates are a clean and safe environment to live and play in." [Brief]
AN anti-social behaviour roadshow, targeted at schoolchildren, has been launched in Hucknall.
A successful pilot of the scheme, run by Ashfield Homes, took place at Broomhill Junior School on the Welbeck Estate. The assistant director of housing services at Ashfield Homes said the scheme had followed consultation with residents all over Ashfield. He claimed it soon became apparent that young children are not aware of the impact anti-social behaviour (ASB) could have on their community. "We felt the need to get the message across to youngsters from an early age," said Mr Holland."We designed an interactive booklet that could be used in school to explain what ASB is – and its consequences."This was quickly followed by an information booklet for parents and teachers. This raises awareness of action that can be taken against ASB perpetrators and their families." Since the launch, there has been positive feedback from school pupils, parents and teachers, as well as praise from government inspectors. Some schools have used the booklet for lessons in physical health and social education (PHSE). Numerous approaches have been made by secondary schools after they heard about the success of the roadshow.T o cater for this interest, Ashfield Homes's neighbourhood safety team brought [out]an interactive DVD that has proved very popular. From this, a 'One Life....Your Choice' package was born. Mr Holland said: "We take the view that involving young people is a key part in ensuring that housing estates are a clean and safe environment to live and play in." [Brief]
Criminals rip off electronic tags / BBC, 26 May 2006
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/5021752.stm
"More than 1,500 convicted criminals living in East Anglia removed their fitted electronic tags during a nine-month period last year. Curfew offence figures released by the Home Office under the Freedom of Information Act, cover the period 1 April, 2005, to 31 December, 2005. "
"More than 1,500 convicted criminals living in East Anglia removed their fitted electronic tags during a nine-month period last year. Curfew offence figures released by the Home Office under the Freedom of Information Act, cover the period 1 April, 2005, to 31 December, 2005. "
Friday, May 26, 2006
New Safeguards Needed for Torture Survivors Unfairly Detained / Medical Foundation for the Care of victims of Torture, 25 May 2006
http://www.torturecare.org.uk/articles/news/811
"New safeguards to identify asylum seekers who have been tortured are urgently needed if the Government is to avoid further costly compensation orders from the courts for denying those in detention "prompt medical attention", the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture has warned. The MF says the following safeguards must be introduced:..."
"New safeguards to identify asylum seekers who have been tortured are urgently needed if the Government is to avoid further costly compensation orders from the courts for denying those in detention "prompt medical attention", the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture has warned. The MF says the following safeguards must be introduced:..."
Canada cracks down on rising violence / The Christian Science Monitor, 26 May 2006
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0526/p07s02-woam.html
Josie Newman
"In Canada, guns and gangs are a relatively new phenomenon, particularly in Toronto, known as "Toronto the Good" for its traditionally safe streets and low homicide rates. There were 52 deadly handgun shootings in the city in 2005, compared with 12 in 1995. Police and social workers alike attribute the acts largely to young black males - many of whom are the children of West Indian immigrants - who feel marginalized and drop out of school early to join the "gangsta" culture where they make quick money through drugs, guns, or prostitution."
Josie Newman
"In Canada, guns and gangs are a relatively new phenomenon, particularly in Toronto, known as "Toronto the Good" for its traditionally safe streets and low homicide rates. There were 52 deadly handgun shootings in the city in 2005, compared with 12 in 1995. Police and social workers alike attribute the acts largely to young black males - many of whom are the children of West Indian immigrants - who feel marginalized and drop out of school early to join the "gangsta" culture where they make quick money through drugs, guns, or prostitution."
Britain's shame: from multiculturalism to nativism / IRR, 22 May 2006
http://www.irr.org.uk/2006/may/ha000024.html
A. Sivanandan
"The problem in Britain is that the government has allowed these European preoccupations - which come out of totally different histories and struggles - to contaminate our debate. Assimilation was something that Britain consciously rejected in favour of integration as far back as forty years ago. In (one-time Labour Home Secretary) Roy Jenkins' classic definition, integration is 'not a flattening process of assimilation but equal opportunity accompanied by cultural diversity in an atmosphere of mutual tolerance'. "
A. Sivanandan
"The problem in Britain is that the government has allowed these European preoccupations - which come out of totally different histories and struggles - to contaminate our debate. Assimilation was something that Britain consciously rejected in favour of integration as far back as forty years ago. In (one-time Labour Home Secretary) Roy Jenkins' classic definition, integration is 'not a flattening process of assimilation but equal opportunity accompanied by cultural diversity in an atmosphere of mutual tolerance'. "
unaccompanied refugees and asylum seekers turning 18 /
PDF - http://digbig.com/4htpq
"This guide is about providing support to unaccompanied young people during the transition from childhood to dulthood. This is a complex and hallenging area of work and there has een a lack of training and information vailable to help professionals working with unaccompanied young people as they turn 18. The guide aims to help fill this gap by providing more information and guidance on this issue. "
"This guide is about providing support to unaccompanied young people during the transition from childhood to dulthood. This is a complex and hallenging area of work and there has een a lack of training and information vailable to help professionals working with unaccompanied young people as they turn 18. The guide aims to help fill this gap by providing more information and guidance on this issue. "
'Fair enough? Central and East European migrants in low-wage employment in the UK'. /
The Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS), the University of Oxford and the Sussex Centre for Migration Research at the University of Sussex, May 2006
PDF - http://www.irr.org.uk/pdf/Fair_Enough.pdf
PDF - http://www.irr.org.uk/pdf/Fair_Enough.pdf
Reid considers agency status for immigration unit / Financial Times, 24 May 2006
http://digbig.com/4htpc
Miranda Green and James Blitz
"The immigration directorate of the Home Office could be hived off as an arm's-length government agency with a powerful chief executive under ideas being considered by John Reid, the home secretary, as part of a strategic review of the department. Mr Reid told MPs yesterday that he did not believe the Home Office as a whole was "dysfunctional". But he identified fundamental failures that needed to be tackled by an overhaul of management and processes. He promised to consider any "radical" solutions proposed by Sir David Normington, permanent secretary, and Liam Byrne, the minister appointed to the immigration and reform brief." [Sub Required]
Miranda Green and James Blitz
"The immigration directorate of the Home Office could be hived off as an arm's-length government agency with a powerful chief executive under ideas being considered by John Reid, the home secretary, as part of a strategic review of the department. Mr Reid told MPs yesterday that he did not believe the Home Office as a whole was "dysfunctional". But he identified fundamental failures that needed to be tackled by an overhaul of management and processes. He promised to consider any "radical" solutions proposed by Sir David Normington, permanent secretary, and Liam Byrne, the minister appointed to the immigration and reform brief." [Sub Required]
[Germany] Germany to jam prisoners' mobile phones / The Register, 25 May 2006
http://digbig.com/4htpa
Jan Libbenga
"The German federal government is preparing a law that would allow the use of mobile phone jammers during major events, and in prisons. Blocking the use by criminals of mobile phones is seen as an important counter-terrorism weapon. By transmitting on the same radio frequencies as the mobile phone, a phone jammer can effortlessly stifle annoying chatter in movie theatres, at funerals or in hospitals. However, in many countries, including Germany, the technology is officially illegal. Phone jammers not only disrupt licensed services operated by the mobile carriers, but also other services operating in adjacent bands."
Jan Libbenga
"The German federal government is preparing a law that would allow the use of mobile phone jammers during major events, and in prisons. Blocking the use by criminals of mobile phones is seen as an important counter-terrorism weapon. By transmitting on the same radio frequencies as the mobile phone, a phone jammer can effortlessly stifle annoying chatter in movie theatres, at funerals or in hospitals. However, in many countries, including Germany, the technology is officially illegal. Phone jammers not only disrupt licensed services operated by the mobile carriers, but also other services operating in adjacent bands."
Force merger 'a blueprint' / This is Lancashire, 25 May 2006
http://digbig.com/4htny
Bill Jacobs
"THE MERGER of Lancashire and Cumbria constabularies could be the blueprint for force mergers across England, new Home Secretary John Reid believes. The minister is to reconsider predecessor Charles Clarke's plans for nationwide amalgamations but hopes that the North West could lead the way. While the Home Office insists he is committed to the need for bigger constabularies to meet new threats from organised crime and terrorists, they admit the former Defence Secretary will not just sign off the existing proposals. Dr Reid is to look again at the whole merger plan before considering the individual proposals."
Bill Jacobs
"THE MERGER of Lancashire and Cumbria constabularies could be the blueprint for force mergers across England, new Home Secretary John Reid believes. The minister is to reconsider predecessor Charles Clarke's plans for nationwide amalgamations but hopes that the North West could lead the way. While the Home Office insists he is committed to the need for bigger constabularies to meet new threats from organised crime and terrorists, they admit the former Defence Secretary will not just sign off the existing proposals. Dr Reid is to look again at the whole merger plan before considering the individual proposals."
Carders scam spammers - Philching / The Register, 24 May 2006
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/05/24/carders_scam_spammers/
John Leyden
"Fraudsters who deal in stolen credit card data have devised a means to extract money from sponsors of junk mail campaigns. Carders have signed up as affiliates to spam campaigns, but instead of sending out junk mail themselves they are using stolen credit card data to make purchases from the sponsors of spam campaigns, such as online pharmacies."
John Leyden
"Fraudsters who deal in stolen credit card data have devised a means to extract money from sponsors of junk mail campaigns. Carders have signed up as affiliates to spam campaigns, but instead of sending out junk mail themselves they are using stolen credit card data to make purchases from the sponsors of spam campaigns, such as online pharmacies."
Analysis: Fences are a growing global trend / World Peace herald, 24 May 2006
http://www.wpherald.com/storyview.php?StoryID=20060524-014449-3230r
Martin Sieff
"President George W. Bush's decision to build a security fence along the continent-spanning U.S.-Mexican border is already being fiercely criticized by Mexico's president. But it is part of a new global pattern. From Israel to India, fences are "in."
Martin Sieff
"President George W. Bush's decision to build a security fence along the continent-spanning U.S.-Mexican border is already being fiercely criticized by Mexico's president. But it is part of a new global pattern. From Israel to India, fences are "in."
Analysis: Montenegro and EU enlargement / World Peace Herald, 24 May 2006
http://www.wpherald.com/storyview.php?StoryID=20060524-010528-4590r
Stefan Nicola
"With Montenegro breaking away from Serbia, Europe is getting a new country. But what about the European Union? The successful Montenegrin push for independence from Serbia may pose a problem to the 27-member EU which is already suffering from enlargement fatigue."
Stefan Nicola
"With Montenegro breaking away from Serbia, Europe is getting a new country. But what about the European Union? The successful Montenegrin push for independence from Serbia may pose a problem to the 27-member EU which is already suffering from enlargement fatigue."
[Netherlands] Dutch parliament approves anti-terrorism law / Jurist PaperChase, 24 May 2006
http://digbig.com/4htkj
Jaime Jansen
"The Dutch parliament official website] has approved a new anti-terror bill that dramatically lowers the amount of evidence needed for Dutch police to arrest terror suspects and allows officials to hold suspects for up to two weeks without charge. The law will go into effect immediately and allows prosecutors to approve various surveillance methods for terror suspects without any reasonable suspicion of criminal activity. The measure also allows police in the Netherlands to spot search a suspect's person, vehicle and belongings without probable cause in some public places, such as airports, industrial complexes, sports stadiums and government buildings."
Jaime Jansen
"The Dutch parliament official website] has approved a new anti-terror bill that dramatically lowers the amount of evidence needed for Dutch police to arrest terror suspects and allows officials to hold suspects for up to two weeks without charge. The law will go into effect immediately and allows prosecutors to approve various surveillance methods for terror suspects without any reasonable suspicion of criminal activity. The measure also allows police in the Netherlands to spot search a suspect's person, vehicle and belongings without probable cause in some public places, such as airports, industrial complexes, sports stadiums and government buildings."
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Research shows Tasers can kill pigs / Wisconsin State Journal, 24 May 2006
http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/local/index.php?ntid=84995&ntpid=3
D.J. SLATER
"A controversial research project conducted by a UW- Madison professor showed that Tasers can kill pigs. John Webster, a professor of biomedical engineering at UW- Madison, recently discovered that it's possible for a Taser to cause ventricular fibrillation in pigs - a heart condition that will lead to death if not treated with electric defibrillation. However, since the Taser barb was placed only about 2 centimeters away from the pigs' hearts, research still hasn't shown if Tasers present a mortal danger to humans. Webster's experiment tested the distance between a Taser dart and 10 anesthetized pigs' hearts to see how close the dart must land to be lethal. "
CAN TASERS® DIRECTLY CAUSE VENTRICULAR FIBRILLATION?
PDF - http://www.engr.wisc.edu/bme/faculty/webster_john/EB2006Final.pdf
D.J. SLATER
"A controversial research project conducted by a UW- Madison professor showed that Tasers can kill pigs. John Webster, a professor of biomedical engineering at UW- Madison, recently discovered that it's possible for a Taser to cause ventricular fibrillation in pigs - a heart condition that will lead to death if not treated with electric defibrillation. However, since the Taser barb was placed only about 2 centimeters away from the pigs' hearts, research still hasn't shown if Tasers present a mortal danger to humans. Webster's experiment tested the distance between a Taser dart and 10 anesthetized pigs' hearts to see how close the dart must land to be lethal. "
CAN TASERS® DIRECTLY CAUSE VENTRICULAR FIBRILLATION?
PDF - http://www.engr.wisc.edu/bme/faculty/webster_john/EB2006Final.pdf
Canada fraud scheme linked to terrorist activities / Calgary Herald, 24 May 2006
http://digbig.com/4htgd
Linda Slobodian
"A criminal cell operating across Canada is funnelling millions of dollars to Dubai to fund terrorist activities through a sophisticated credit/debit card fraud scheme, says the head of Alberta's Integrated Response to Organized Crime unit. It is but one of a number of ''extremely prevalent'' organized crime groups reaping huge profits from an old crime with a new twist."
Linda Slobodian
"A criminal cell operating across Canada is funnelling millions of dollars to Dubai to fund terrorist activities through a sophisticated credit/debit card fraud scheme, says the head of Alberta's Integrated Response to Organized Crime unit. It is but one of a number of ''extremely prevalent'' organized crime groups reaping huge profits from an old crime with a new twist."
Labor market outcomes of natives and immigrants: Evidence from the ECHP / OECD, 16 May 2006
PDF - http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/12/29/36752412.pdf
Franco Peracchi : Domenico Depalo University of Rome “Tor Vergata”
"Almost all Western European countries are experiencing an increasing inflow of immigrants. The statistics released by the OECD for the period 1994—2001 show that the ratio of immigrants (no matter how defined) has grown steadily in all Western European countries considered, except Belgium. These immigration flows are changing the societies of receiving countries in several respects. At the same time, however, the countries of Western Europe are also experiencing other important demographic changes, as they all are ageing population societies. A key issue, therefore, is how the combined effect of these demographic changes affects labor market outcomes."
Franco Peracchi : Domenico Depalo University of Rome “Tor Vergata”
"Almost all Western European countries are experiencing an increasing inflow of immigrants. The statistics released by the OECD for the period 1994—2001 show that the ratio of immigrants (no matter how defined) has grown steadily in all Western European countries considered, except Belgium. These immigration flows are changing the societies of receiving countries in several respects. At the same time, however, the countries of Western Europe are also experiencing other important demographic changes, as they all are ageing population societies. A key issue, therefore, is how the combined effect of these demographic changes affects labor market outcomes."
[Australia] Prisoner Rehabilitation: Department of Corrective Services / NSW Auditor General, May 2006
PDF - http://digbig.com/4htfy
"INMATES are churned through Australia's largest prison system without any serious attempt to determine whether they are being rehabilitated. In a new report, NSW Auditor-General Bob Sendt calls on the state Government to monitor prisoners' health, education and work skills, instead of focusing solely on the rate at which they reoffend. "The community expects prisons not merely to contain prisoners, but to provide an opportunity for them to rehabilitate, to change their lifestyle and become more productive members of society."
"INMATES are churned through Australia's largest prison system without any serious attempt to determine whether they are being rehabilitated. In a new report, NSW Auditor-General Bob Sendt calls on the state Government to monitor prisoners' health, education and work skills, instead of focusing solely on the rate at which they reoffend. "The community expects prisons not merely to contain prisoners, but to provide an opportunity for them to rehabilitate, to change their lifestyle and become more productive members of society."
Urban crime rankings / Reform, 2006
PDF - http://www.reform.co.uk/filestore/pdf/Urban%20crime%20rankings,%20Reform,%202006.pdf
"The report, Urban Crime Rankings, uses new data obtained from police forces by Freedom of Information requests on seven offences: murder, rape, assault, burglary, robbery, vehicle crime and firearm incidents. It argues that more intelligible statistics and new models of accountability will increase local pressure for better police performance in high crime cities and towns."
"The report, Urban Crime Rankings, uses new data obtained from police forces by Freedom of Information requests on seven offences: murder, rape, assault, burglary, robbery, vehicle crime and firearm incidents. It argues that more intelligible statistics and new models of accountability will increase local pressure for better police performance in high crime cities and towns."
CIFAS Responds - Parliamentary Group Inquiry on ID Fraud, 23 May 2006
PDF - http://www.creditman.biz/uk/members/uploads/1051145232006.pdf
"CIFAS, the UK's Fraud Prevention Service, has submitted evidence to the current Inquiry by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Identity Fraud into "the immediate steps that Government could take to tackle the growing problem of identity fraud".
"CIFAS, the UK's Fraud Prevention Service, has submitted evidence to the current Inquiry by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Identity Fraud into "the immediate steps that Government could take to tackle the growing problem of identity fraud".
Running Away Report / CSCI, May 2006
PDF - http://www.csci.org.uk/pdf/running_away_tagged.pdf
"The dangers the young people face while on the run ranged from stealing for their survival to life-threatening activities."
"The dangers the young people face while on the run ranged from stealing for their survival to life-threatening activities."
Pakistan to review policy of issuance of passports to Burma / Islamic Republic News Agency, 23 May 2006
http://www.irna.ir/en/news/view/menu-239/0605234117000906.htm
Pakistan-Burmese Muslims /WRD/
Pakistan will review the policy of issuance of Pakistani Passports to Burmese Muslims resident in Saudi Arabia and a committee will soon submit its recommendations. Restricted validity special passports are issued to Burmese Muslims in pursuance of a 1986 directive of the then President of Pakistan. The policy has been subject to constant review and the issuance of Passports to Burmese Muslims by the Consulate General was in line with the Government policy. An Inter-Ministerial Meeting was expected shortly to formulate specific recommendations in respect of the grant of Pakistani Passports to Burmese Muslim resident in Saudi Arabia. "[Brief]
Pakistan-Burmese Muslims /WRD/
Pakistan will review the policy of issuance of Pakistani Passports to Burmese Muslims resident in Saudi Arabia and a committee will soon submit its recommendations. Restricted validity special passports are issued to Burmese Muslims in pursuance of a 1986 directive of the then President of Pakistan. The policy has been subject to constant review and the issuance of Passports to Burmese Muslims by the Consulate General was in line with the Government policy. An Inter-Ministerial Meeting was expected shortly to formulate specific recommendations in respect of the grant of Pakistani Passports to Burmese Muslim resident in Saudi Arabia. "[Brief]
National Strategy for the Management of Offenders / Scottish Prison Service, May 2006
PDF - http://www.sps.gov.uk/Uploads/603DC2DB-C4D1-4B3C-B83C-280221F8698F.pdf"A blueprint to help bring different parts of criminal justice and social welfare together to tackle re-offending has been published. "
Drugs 'blight most parts of UK' / BBC, 22 May 2006
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4998522.stm
"Three-quarters of people in the UK say drugs are a problem in their area, according to a BBC survey. "
Drugs Survey:
PDF - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/22_05_06_drugs_survey_bbc_icm.pdf
"Three-quarters of people in the UK say drugs are a problem in their area, according to a BBC survey. "
Drugs Survey:
PDF - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/22_05_06_drugs_survey_bbc_icm.pdf
Working with change, meeting the challenge: an asylum policy and legislation update / Refugee Council, 2006
PDF - http://digbig.com/4htfr
This conference aimed to:
• Identify the main challenges of current and proposed government policy and legislation
• Discuss the implications of changes in policy and legislation to service provision
• Relate new asylum policy and legislation to roles of statutory and other agencies
• Determine ways of improving services and integration for asylum seekers and refugees
• Demonstrate practical initiatives to develop more comprehensive and consistent support
This conference aimed to:
• Identify the main challenges of current and proposed government policy and legislation
• Discuss the implications of changes in policy and legislation to service provision
• Relate new asylum policy and legislation to roles of statutory and other agencies
• Determine ways of improving services and integration for asylum seekers and refugees
• Demonstrate practical initiatives to develop more comprehensive and consistent support
Field Search Software / Justnet, 2006
https://www.justnet.org/fieldsearch/
About 70 percent of all sex offenders are placed on probation nationwide, and most have access to the Internet. The management and monitoring of sex offenders' computer use is important for many reasons. First, it can alert authorities to a new crime such as possession of child pornography. Second, it can provide proper supervision and containment of the offenders by reinforcing treatment prohibitions against access to sexual material and by reducing community risk by increasing the offender's perception of containment. Lastly, monitoring computer use is essential to help the treatment agency understand the offender. Conducting an examination of the offender's computer early in supervision provides the officer and the treatment agency with valuable information regarding the offender's sexual interest and intensity. Therefore, effective management of the offender's computer use requires a thorough understanding of what to look for and how to find it.
This software is provided free of charge to community corrections agencies. [USA?] However, Field Search should be approved for use and supported by your agency's policies and procedures before it is used in the field.
About 70 percent of all sex offenders are placed on probation nationwide, and most have access to the Internet. The management and monitoring of sex offenders' computer use is important for many reasons. First, it can alert authorities to a new crime such as possession of child pornography. Second, it can provide proper supervision and containment of the offenders by reinforcing treatment prohibitions against access to sexual material and by reducing community risk by increasing the offender's perception of containment. Lastly, monitoring computer use is essential to help the treatment agency understand the offender. Conducting an examination of the offender's computer early in supervision provides the officer and the treatment agency with valuable information regarding the offender's sexual interest and intensity. Therefore, effective management of the offender's computer use requires a thorough understanding of what to look for and how to find it.
This software is provided free of charge to community corrections agencies. [USA?] However, Field Search should be approved for use and supported by your agency's policies and procedures before it is used in the field.
Terrorism Focus, Volume 3, Issue 20 (May 23, 2006)
http://www.jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=2370002
New Reports Allege Foreign Fighters in Iraq Returning to Europe
Killing of Turkish Judge May Inspire Further Attacks by Religious Radicals
Baloch Insurgents Escalate Attacks on Infrastructure
Assessing al-Qaeda's Position in Iraq
Al-Qaeda Doctrine: The Eventual Need for Semi-Conventional Forces
New Reports Allege Foreign Fighters in Iraq Returning to Europe
Killing of Turkish Judge May Inspire Further Attacks by Religious Radicals
Baloch Insurgents Escalate Attacks on Infrastructure
Assessing al-Qaeda's Position in Iraq
Al-Qaeda Doctrine: The Eventual Need for Semi-Conventional Forces
Mullah Dadullah Evades Capture Once Again / Terrorism Focus, Volume 3, Issue 20 (May 23, 2006)
http://www.jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=2370002
On May 19, General Rahmatullah Raufi, an Afghan army commander in the south, announced the possible capture of Mullah Dadullah, one of the Taliban's key military leaders, during an operation in Kandahar province (PakTribune, May 22). After the announcement, however, a man claiming to be Dadullah called a reporter with Afghan Islamic Press, refuting the reports of his capture (Afghan Islamic Press, May 20). After asking Dadullah certain identifying questions, the reporter with AIP stated that he "was completely sure that it was Mullah Dadullah" (Afghan Islamic Press, May 20). On May 22, U.S. military spokesman Major James Yonts confirmed the capture of "a high-ranking Taliban who does fit the general description of Mullah Dadullah but I can confirm to you it is not Mullah Dadullah" (BBC, May 22). This is not the first time Dadullah has evaded capture.
On May 19, General Rahmatullah Raufi, an Afghan army commander in the south, announced the possible capture of Mullah Dadullah, one of the Taliban's key military leaders, during an operation in Kandahar province (PakTribune, May 22). After the announcement, however, a man claiming to be Dadullah called a reporter with Afghan Islamic Press, refuting the reports of his capture (Afghan Islamic Press, May 20). After asking Dadullah certain identifying questions, the reporter with AIP stated that he "was completely sure that it was Mullah Dadullah" (Afghan Islamic Press, May 20). On May 22, U.S. military spokesman Major James Yonts confirmed the capture of "a high-ranking Taliban who does fit the general description of Mullah Dadullah but I can confirm to you it is not Mullah Dadullah" (BBC, May 22). This is not the first time Dadullah has evaded capture.
[New Zealand] Govt bid to detect terror threat / Stuff, 24 May 2006
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3677814a10,00.html
DAN EATONA
"A National surveillance and early-warning system designed to detect biological strikes by terrorists, biosecurity threats and disease outbreaks is being put in place to plug gaps in New Zealand's defences. "
DAN EATONA
"A National surveillance and early-warning system designed to detect biological strikes by terrorists, biosecurity threats and disease outbreaks is being put in place to plug gaps in New Zealand's defences. "
E-passport Tag Comes With Switch / RFID Journal, 23 May 2006
http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/2361/1/1/
Jonathan Collins
"To bolster data security, SmartCode's tag design has a button that must be pressed to make the tag operable. Israeli RFID systems provider SmartCode says it has developed an RFID tag with a switch that users would need to activate before the tag could transmit data. The company aims to provide a low-cost way to prevent RFID-enabled passports and ID cards from being skimmed (having data pulled from the RFID tag over an unauthorized connection) while in a holder's bag or pocket."
Jonathan Collins
"To bolster data security, SmartCode's tag design has a button that must be pressed to make the tag operable. Israeli RFID systems provider SmartCode says it has developed an RFID tag with a switch that users would need to activate before the tag could transmit data. The company aims to provide a low-cost way to prevent RFID-enabled passports and ID cards from being skimmed (having data pulled from the RFID tag over an unauthorized connection) while in a holder's bag or pocket."
Release of Sudden, Unexplained Infant Death Investigation Reporting Form / JAMA, Vol. 295 No. 20, May 24/31, 2006
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/295/20/2351
"CDC, in collaboration with other federal agencies and organizations representing medical examiners, coroners, death-scene investigators, law enforcement officials, forensic nurses, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) researchers, infant death review experts, and parents of infants who died from SIDS, launched an initiative in 2004 to improve the investigation and reporting of sudden, unexplained infant deaths (SUIDs). As part of this effort, on March 1, 2006, CDC released the Sudden, Unexplained Infant Death Investigation (SUIDI) Reporting Form for state and local use in infant death-scene investigations."
The new form is shorter and simpler than the 1996 form. For example, most questions can be answered by checking the appropriate box or filling in the blank provided. The form is available online at http://www.cdc.gov/SIDS
Additional information on the SUID Initiative is available at http://www.cdc.gov/SIDS.
"CDC, in collaboration with other federal agencies and organizations representing medical examiners, coroners, death-scene investigators, law enforcement officials, forensic nurses, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) researchers, infant death review experts, and parents of infants who died from SIDS, launched an initiative in 2004 to improve the investigation and reporting of sudden, unexplained infant deaths (SUIDs). As part of this effort, on March 1, 2006, CDC released the Sudden, Unexplained Infant Death Investigation (SUIDI) Reporting Form for state and local use in infant death-scene investigations."
The new form is shorter and simpler than the 1996 form. For example, most questions can be answered by checking the appropriate box or filling in the blank provided. The form is available online at http://www.cdc.gov/SIDS
Additional information on the SUID Initiative is available at http://www.cdc.gov/SIDS.
Sri Lanka a Safe Haven? / NCADC News Service, 25 May 2006
Hansard: House of Commons debates Wednesday 25th May 2006
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmhansrd/cm060524/debtext/60524-0319.htm#06052472000001
According to the Home Office it is safe to remove people to Sri Lanka. However, Kim Howells, the Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FOC), is of the opinion that Sri Lanka is a very dangerous place. 205 persons were deported to Sri Lanka in the first three months of this year and removals are still taking place. A delegation of MPs who recently returned from Sri Lanka spoke about what they found there in an adjournment debate in parliament yesterday - it was very distressing. Kim Howells was very clear that the situation in Sri Lanka is bad, that all sides in the ongoing conflict are involved in attacks upon civilians.
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmhansrd/cm060524/debtext/60524-0319.htm#06052472000001
According to the Home Office it is safe to remove people to Sri Lanka. However, Kim Howells, the Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FOC), is of the opinion that Sri Lanka is a very dangerous place. 205 persons were deported to Sri Lanka in the first three months of this year and removals are still taking place. A delegation of MPs who recently returned from Sri Lanka spoke about what they found there in an adjournment debate in parliament yesterday - it was very distressing. Kim Howells was very clear that the situation in Sri Lanka is bad, that all sides in the ongoing conflict are involved in attacks upon civilians.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Shoeprint database to keep criminals on their toes / New Zealand Herald, 23 May 2006
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10383088
Louisa Cleave
Suspects and criminals will be asked for a shoeprint as well as fingerprints and DNA for a new crime-fighting database. The national shoeprint database will take shoe impressions from three police districts - Auckland City, Central (covering New Plymouth, Palmerston North and Wanganui) and Canterbury - over a three-year trial run by police and the Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR).
Louisa Cleave
Suspects and criminals will be asked for a shoeprint as well as fingerprints and DNA for a new crime-fighting database. The national shoeprint database will take shoe impressions from three police districts - Auckland City, Central (covering New Plymouth, Palmerston North and Wanganui) and Canterbury - over a three-year trial run by police and the Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR).
Police queue for Swedish cell phone technology / Sweden.se, 22 May 2006
http://www.sweden.se/templates/cs/News____14691.aspx
"Law enforcement agencies around the world are showing interest in a Swedish invention that enables investigators to extract information from cell phones and SIM cards to trace criminals and solve crimes. Stockholm company Micro Systemation has invented a technique to help investigators extract and store such information for use in criminal enquiries. “My guess is that searching for evidence in mobile phones is a relevant strategy in the overwhelming majority of criminal investigations,” said Micro Systemation CEO Joel Bollö."
"Law enforcement agencies around the world are showing interest in a Swedish invention that enables investigators to extract information from cell phones and SIM cards to trace criminals and solve crimes. Stockholm company Micro Systemation has invented a technique to help investigators extract and store such information for use in criminal enquiries. “My guess is that searching for evidence in mobile phones is a relevant strategy in the overwhelming majority of criminal investigations,” said Micro Systemation CEO Joel Bollö."
Police to develop national video ID system / Silicon, 22 May 2006
http://www.silicon.com/publicsector/0,3800010403,39159033,00.htm
Andy McCue
"Facial recognition will automatically identify images of wanted criminals. The video recognition system will link into a national police database, called Find, for storing and transmitting facial images of a person and their criminal history. The service will also make the images and information available in mobile format to police officers on the beat, along with mobile fingerprint checking capability."
Andy McCue
"Facial recognition will automatically identify images of wanted criminals. The video recognition system will link into a national police database, called Find, for storing and transmitting facial images of a person and their criminal history. The service will also make the images and information available in mobile format to police officers on the beat, along with mobile fingerprint checking capability."
Monday, May 22, 2006
TURKISH AUTHORITIES UNCOVER PKK BOMB-MAKING TACTICS / Terroism focuas - Briefs, Volume 3, Issue 19 (May 17, 2006)
http://www.jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=2369992
"urkish authorities recently uncovered an active plot by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) to acquire cellular phones for use in remote-controlled bomb explosions (Yeni Safak, May 8). The operation involved PKK operatives placing false employment advertisements in newspapers in order to gather identity information from job candidates (Yeni Safak, May 8). The identify information is then used to acquire mobile telephones using names not associated with PKK members. The PKK uses these unmarked phones in remote-controlled bomb explosions against Turkish government interests. Additionally, the PKK uses the cell phones for internal communication between operatives, making it more difficult for authorities to trace or listen in on communications (Yeni Safak, May 8). In light of the plot, Turkey's Communications Ministry and Telecommunications Agency is changing the registration process for cellular phones, requiring new subscribers to register for an account in person (Yeni Safak, May 8)." [Snippet]
"urkish authorities recently uncovered an active plot by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) to acquire cellular phones for use in remote-controlled bomb explosions (Yeni Safak, May 8). The operation involved PKK operatives placing false employment advertisements in newspapers in order to gather identity information from job candidates (Yeni Safak, May 8). The identify information is then used to acquire mobile telephones using names not associated with PKK members. The PKK uses these unmarked phones in remote-controlled bomb explosions against Turkish government interests. Additionally, the PKK uses the cell phones for internal communication between operatives, making it more difficult for authorities to trace or listen in on communications (Yeni Safak, May 8). In light of the plot, Turkey's Communications Ministry and Telecommunications Agency is changing the registration process for cellular phones, requiring new subscribers to register for an account in person (Yeni Safak, May 8)." [Snippet]
Irreversible Consequences: Racial Profiling and Lethal Force in the 'War on Terror' / Center for Human Rights and Global Justice (CHRGJ) at New York,
PDF - http://www.irr.org.uk/pdf/Irreversible_Consequences.pdf
"In the UK, the police claimed that they had identified the Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes as a suspect in the failed 21 July bombings, because he had 'Mongolian eyes' and also due to his 'clothing and behaviour'. Rigoberto Alpizar was a US citizen of Costa Rican descent who suffered from a bi-polar disorder and had omitted to take his medication. He became agitated on a flight between Miami and Orlando and was shot dead by air marshals on the jetway, who claimed he was he was reaching for his bag. Both cases demonstrate all too clearly the truth of the CHRGJ's assertion that the usual safeguards attached to the use of force by law enforcement officers no longer applies when the suspects are terrorists. International law and regional conventions suggest that a bomb attack must be 'imminent' to justify lethal force which can only be used in situations of absolute necessity. However, IACP states that suspicion of an imminent threat based on a 'reasonable' belief that the suspect has the capability to detonate a bomb is enough to justify an officer aiming for the suspect's head and shooting to kill."
"In the UK, the police claimed that they had identified the Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes as a suspect in the failed 21 July bombings, because he had 'Mongolian eyes' and also due to his 'clothing and behaviour'. Rigoberto Alpizar was a US citizen of Costa Rican descent who suffered from a bi-polar disorder and had omitted to take his medication. He became agitated on a flight between Miami and Orlando and was shot dead by air marshals on the jetway, who claimed he was he was reaching for his bag. Both cases demonstrate all too clearly the truth of the CHRGJ's assertion that the usual safeguards attached to the use of force by law enforcement officers no longer applies when the suspects are terrorists. International law and regional conventions suggest that a bomb attack must be 'imminent' to justify lethal force which can only be used in situations of absolute necessity. However, IACP states that suspicion of an imminent threat based on a 'reasonable' belief that the suspect has the capability to detonate a bomb is enough to justify an officer aiming for the suspect's head and shooting to kill."
Melting the Ice: Fighting Methamphetamine - Webcast / CADCA, 18 May 2005
http://www.health.org/multimedia/webcasts/w.aspx?ID=454
View the Webcast
"It’s an epidemic… spreading across the country from west to east and is near the top of the Office of National Drug Control Policy’s priority list. Methamphetamine kills people every day and knows no boundaries. During this hour-long broadcast, we’ll hear from law enforcement about the realities of fighting a drug that is “homegrown”--made using over-the-counter cold medicines and dangerous household chemicals. We’ll also see how community involvement can make a difference. One grass-roots program that began in America’s heartland is now a model for the rest of the country. Find out the signs of meth use and meth production so you can help take back your community from this ravaging drug epidemic. Finally, hear from a recovering meth addict about her struggle and ultimate triumph over one of the most addicting drugs ever. Together, we can help melt the ice!"
View the Webcast
"It’s an epidemic… spreading across the country from west to east and is near the top of the Office of National Drug Control Policy’s priority list. Methamphetamine kills people every day and knows no boundaries. During this hour-long broadcast, we’ll hear from law enforcement about the realities of fighting a drug that is “homegrown”--made using over-the-counter cold medicines and dangerous household chemicals. We’ll also see how community involvement can make a difference. One grass-roots program that began in America’s heartland is now a model for the rest of the country. Find out the signs of meth use and meth production so you can help take back your community from this ravaging drug epidemic. Finally, hear from a recovering meth addict about her struggle and ultimate triumph over one of the most addicting drugs ever. Together, we can help melt the ice!"
Party drug sold online / The Age, 22 May 2006
http://digbig.com/4hsbn
Jano Gibson
"A credit card and internet access are all that's needed to import the potentially deadly recreational drug known as G into Australia. G has become a popular party drug because it produces an ecstasy-like high. The drug - also known as GBL, GHB, grievous bodily harm and liquid ecstasy - is an industrial solvent normally used as a paint thinner. Taking the drug is as risky as Russian roulette. A tiny miscalculation in the dose can cause unconsciousness, coma and death."
Jano Gibson
"A credit card and internet access are all that's needed to import the potentially deadly recreational drug known as G into Australia. G has become a popular party drug because it produces an ecstasy-like high. The drug - also known as GBL, GHB, grievous bodily harm and liquid ecstasy - is an industrial solvent normally used as a paint thinner. Taking the drug is as risky as Russian roulette. A tiny miscalculation in the dose can cause unconsciousness, coma and death."
Alternatives to Custody – The Case For Community Sentencing Centre For Criminology, Oxford University, 10 May 2006
http://digbig.com/4hsay
Lord Phillips Of Worth Matravers Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales
Lord Phillips Of Worth Matravers Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales
Mosques move to be more 'English' / This is Bradford, 12 May 2006
http://digbig.com/4hsaw
Steve Wright
"Reports into the July 7 terror attacks revealed that the four bombers, including Bradford-born Shehzad Tanweer, were motivated by a mixture of anger at perceived injustices by the West against Muslims and a desire for martyrdom. T&A reporters Steve Wright and Saima Mir report on what is being done in Bradford to help prevent young Muslims being influenced by extremist groups while Parliamentary Correspondent Anika Bourley hears a call for harmony from the district's MPs. Mosques and schools in Bradford are moving away from traditional teaching in a bid to ensure young Muslim men are not lured into extremist activities like the London bombers."
Steve Wright
"Reports into the July 7 terror attacks revealed that the four bombers, including Bradford-born Shehzad Tanweer, were motivated by a mixture of anger at perceived injustices by the West against Muslims and a desire for martyrdom. T&A reporters Steve Wright and Saima Mir report on what is being done in Bradford to help prevent young Muslims being influenced by extremist groups while Parliamentary Correspondent Anika Bourley hears a call for harmony from the district's MPs. Mosques and schools in Bradford are moving away from traditional teaching in a bid to ensure young Muslim men are not lured into extremist activities like the London bombers."
Fortress Blair - PM bets on biometric ring of steel to 'fix' immigration / The Register, 22 May 2006
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/05/22/blair_biometric_migration_fix/
John Lettice
"Analysis: ID cards last week received one of their strongest endorsements yet from the Prime Minister, to the extent that the walls of the Bliarbunker could now be said to consist largely of e-Borders, ID cards and John Reid. Blair, under severe pressure from opposition leader David Cameron, appropriately enough described an e-Borders and ID card based Fortress Britain as the ultimate fix for illegal immigration. And Blair actually went further than previous statements (and, indeed, the ID Cards Act he has just rammed through Parliament), saying "we need identity cards both for foreign nationals and for British nationals. If we want to track people coming in and out of our country and to know the identity of people who are here, then that is what we have to do."
John Lettice
"Analysis: ID cards last week received one of their strongest endorsements yet from the Prime Minister, to the extent that the walls of the Bliarbunker could now be said to consist largely of e-Borders, ID cards and John Reid. Blair, under severe pressure from opposition leader David Cameron, appropriately enough described an e-Borders and ID card based Fortress Britain as the ultimate fix for illegal immigration. And Blair actually went further than previous statements (and, indeed, the ID Cards Act he has just rammed through Parliament), saying "we need identity cards both for foreign nationals and for British nationals. If we want to track people coming in and out of our country and to know the identity of people who are here, then that is what we have to do."
5000 women are smuggled into Britain every year in the 21st century slave trade / Sunday Herald, 21 May 2006
http://www.sundayherald.com/55887
THE FIGHT AGAINST PEOPLE TRAFFICKERS
http://www.sundayherald.com/55874
PART TWO: THE TRAFFICKER’S STORY
http://www.sundayherald.com/55803
PART THREE: THE COP’S STORY
http://www.sundayherald.com/55873
THE FIGHT AGAINST PEOPLE TRAFFICKERS
http://www.sundayherald.com/55874
PART TWO: THE TRAFFICKER’S STORY
http://www.sundayherald.com/55803
PART THREE: THE COP’S STORY
http://www.sundayherald.com/55873
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Cardiac Monitoring of Human Subjects Exposed to the Taser
http://www.aemj.org/cgi/content/abstract/13/5_suppl_1/S47-a
Acad Emerg Med Volume 13, Number 5_suppl_1 47
Saul D. Levine, Christian Sloane, Theodore C. Chan, Gary M. Vilke and James Dunford
University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA
ABSTRACT
Objectives: The Taser device delivers sustained high-voltage electricity and is now used as a "less-lethal" weapon by approximately one third of U.S. law enforcement agencies. Although generally regarded as safe, there are no prospective human studies of the Taser despite well-publicized reports of sudden death in association with their use. We sought to evaluate for rhythm changes utilizing cardiac monitoring during deployment of the Taser on healthy human volunteers.
PDF - http://www.aemj.org/cgi/reprint/13/5_suppl_1/S47-a
Acad Emerg Med Volume 13, Number 5_suppl_1 47
Saul D. Levine, Christian Sloane, Theodore C. Chan, Gary M. Vilke and James Dunford
University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA
ABSTRACT
Objectives: The Taser device delivers sustained high-voltage electricity and is now used as a "less-lethal" weapon by approximately one third of U.S. law enforcement agencies. Although generally regarded as safe, there are no prospective human studies of the Taser despite well-publicized reports of sudden death in association with their use. We sought to evaluate for rhythm changes utilizing cardiac monitoring during deployment of the Taser on healthy human volunteers.
PDF - http://www.aemj.org/cgi/reprint/13/5_suppl_1/S47-a
Report warns RFID is not best for tracking people / FCW, 19 May 2006
http://www.fcw.com/article94595-05-19-06-Print
Michael Arnone
"Radio frequency identification technology in secure travel documents could harm national security and personal privacy, according to a draft report the Homeland Security Department.
DHS and other federal agencies use RFID to efficiently track and identify equipment and other goods, wrote the report’s authors, but they warned that using RFID technology to track people is not a good idea. Without formidable safeguards, RFID technology in identification cards and tokens could allow others to track individuals’ movements, profile their activities, and manipulate identification and other information, the report states. RFID will make people more prone to surveillance and less aware that others are tracking them. Users also won’t know what information they are sharing, the report states. "
The Use of RFID for Human Identification (Draft Report) (DHS Data Privacy and Integrity Advisory Committee) PDF - http://digbig.com/4hrty
Michael Arnone
"Radio frequency identification technology in secure travel documents could harm national security and personal privacy, according to a draft report the Homeland Security Department.
DHS and other federal agencies use RFID to efficiently track and identify equipment and other goods, wrote the report’s authors, but they warned that using RFID technology to track people is not a good idea. Without formidable safeguards, RFID technology in identification cards and tokens could allow others to track individuals’ movements, profile their activities, and manipulate identification and other information, the report states. RFID will make people more prone to surveillance and less aware that others are tracking them. Users also won’t know what information they are sharing, the report states. "
The Use of RFID for Human Identification (Draft Report) (DHS Data Privacy and Integrity Advisory Committee) PDF - http://digbig.com/4hrty
Detecting Chemical Agents Targeted On Civilians / Medical News Today, 15 May 2006
http://digbig.com/4hrtt
"Concerns about terrorist activity have created the need for early warning systems that quickly and accurately detect hazardous substances in water, food and air. Chemical weapons (CW) agents, which can be used against civilian populations, are among the threats. Efforts are underway to develop fast and portable technology for detecting CW agents dispersed by terrorists. Jack Syage and colleagues are reporting development of a new screening technology for CW agents. In a report scheduled for the May issue of Analytical Chemistry, [Sub Required] they describe use of the technology (photoionization mass spectrometry) to detect VX, GA, GB, HN1 and other CW agents. With the standard existing method for detecting CW agents (gas chromatography/mass spectrometry), it takes upwards of one hour to test each sample. That is too slow to test the large number of samples that are needed to conduct continuous screening against terrorist incidents. Syagen’s screening technology can detect a wide range of CW and other hazardous substances in about 45 seconds. The researchers envision it as the basis for a routine, real-time early warning system for CW agents and other hazardous compounds in air and water." [Snippet]
"Concerns about terrorist activity have created the need for early warning systems that quickly and accurately detect hazardous substances in water, food and air. Chemical weapons (CW) agents, which can be used against civilian populations, are among the threats. Efforts are underway to develop fast and portable technology for detecting CW agents dispersed by terrorists. Jack Syage and colleagues are reporting development of a new screening technology for CW agents. In a report scheduled for the May issue of Analytical Chemistry, [Sub Required] they describe use of the technology (photoionization mass spectrometry) to detect VX, GA, GB, HN1 and other CW agents. With the standard existing method for detecting CW agents (gas chromatography/mass spectrometry), it takes upwards of one hour to test each sample. That is too slow to test the large number of samples that are needed to conduct continuous screening against terrorist incidents. Syagen’s screening technology can detect a wide range of CW and other hazardous substances in about 45 seconds. The researchers envision it as the basis for a routine, real-time early warning system for CW agents and other hazardous compounds in air and water." [Snippet]
UK Victims Of Rape, Especially Children, Failed By Lack Of Referral Centres And Experienced Doctors / Medical News Today, 15 May 2006
http://digbig.com/4hrtq
"A study published in the latest issue of the Journal of Clinical Forensic Medicine [Sub Required] examined the availability of Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) in the UK and compared their services with each other and with non-SARC police victim examination suites. A SARC is a model service established to address the forensic and therapeutic needs arising following sexual assault. In 2005 there were only 13 SARCs in England and Wales for more than 60,000 sexual offences recorded by police, of which 14,000 were offences of rape."
"A study published in the latest issue of the Journal of Clinical Forensic Medicine [Sub Required] examined the availability of Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) in the UK and compared their services with each other and with non-SARC police victim examination suites. A SARC is a model service established to address the forensic and therapeutic needs arising following sexual assault. In 2005 there were only 13 SARCs in England and Wales for more than 60,000 sexual offences recorded by police, of which 14,000 were offences of rape."
Public oppose police regionalisation - May 2006
PDF - http://conservativehome.blogs.com/torydiary/files/police_mergers_poll.pdf
A Populus survey for the Policy Exchange think tank reveals that yet another plank of Labour's regionalisation agenda is unpopular with the public. The survey reveals that opposition to plans for the merging of police forces is greatest when the public is most aware of the proposals. Among those surveyed who are aware of the merger plans, Populus found that 43% were opposed and only 20% supportive.
A Populus survey for the Policy Exchange think tank reveals that yet another plank of Labour's regionalisation agenda is unpopular with the public. The survey reveals that opposition to plans for the merging of police forces is greatest when the public is most aware of the proposals. Among those surveyed who are aware of the merger plans, Populus found that 43% were opposed and only 20% supportive.
UK Terrorism Legislation in an International Context / BBC, 10 May 2006
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4760031.stm
In full: attorney general speech
The full text of Attorney General Lord Goldsmith's speech to the Royal United Services Institute, including his call for the Guantanamo Bay detention centre to close.
In full: attorney general speech
The full text of Attorney General Lord Goldsmith's speech to the Royal United Services Institute, including his call for the Guantanamo Bay detention centre to close.
Non-national populations in the EU Member States - Issue number 8/2006
PDF - http://digbig.com/4hrtd
Population and social conditions
The publication gives information on size, composition and change of the non-national population in EU member states starting from 1990. This overview is based on data supplied by countries within the framework of the joint Eurostat-UNECE-UNSD-ILO-CoE Questionnaire on international migration statistics.
Population and social conditions
The publication gives information on size, composition and change of the non-national population in EU member states starting from 1990. This overview is based on data supplied by countries within the framework of the joint Eurostat-UNECE-UNSD-ILO-CoE Questionnaire on international migration statistics.
Government learnt nothing from London attacks - security expert / Muslim News, 19 May 2006
http://www.muslimnews.co.uk/news/news.php?article=11096
"The UK government is in a 'state of denial' over any links between last year's London bombing and the Iraq war, according to a leading security expert. "Almost a year later, the British government appears to have learnt nothing" from the attacks on July 7 2005, said Professor of Peace Studies, Paul Rogers. "
"The UK government is in a 'state of denial' over any links between last year's London bombing and the Iraq war, according to a leading security expert. "Almost a year later, the British government appears to have learnt nothing" from the attacks on July 7 2005, said Professor of Peace Studies, Paul Rogers. "
In Focus: The right people for me : Helping children do well in long-term foster care / CSCI, 16 May 2006
PDF - http://www.csci.org.uk/pdf/foster_care_170506.pdf
This bulletin is designed to assist those with responsibilities for looked after children to improve the stability of foster care placements. It will be useful for:
managers of foster care agencies
councils responsible for looked after children and for their education
foster carers
organisations such as the Fostering Network.
This bulletin is designed to assist those with responsibilities for looked after children to improve the stability of foster care placements. It will be useful for:
managers of foster care agencies
councils responsible for looked after children and for their education
foster carers
organisations such as the Fostering Network.
Call for uniform marijuana laws / The Australian, 16 May 2006
http://digbig.com/4hrtb
"A SINGLE nationwide set of laws to combat the trafficking and use of cannabis could be created under a commonwealth crackdown that treats marijuana as being as dangerous as heroin.
The federal Government wants the states and territories to abandon their varied laws on cannabis, which have decriminalised personal use in some states, in favour of tough uniform national laws. The Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy also endorsed a national strategy yesterday on alcohol abuse, and said it would develop a plan over the next six months to fight the growing use of amphetamines and other dangerous stimulants."
"A SINGLE nationwide set of laws to combat the trafficking and use of cannabis could be created under a commonwealth crackdown that treats marijuana as being as dangerous as heroin.
The federal Government wants the states and territories to abandon their varied laws on cannabis, which have decriminalised personal use in some states, in favour of tough uniform national laws. The Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy also endorsed a national strategy yesterday on alcohol abuse, and said it would develop a plan over the next six months to fight the growing use of amphetamines and other dangerous stimulants."
Jihadists' return worries Europe / Washington times, 18 May 2006
http://www.washtimes.com/world/20060517-100814-7938r.htm
"They are highly motivated, battle-hardened, mobile -- and therefore, dangerous. And the return of Europe's jihadists from Iraq is giving the Continent's intelligence services nightmares. As far back as October, Iraqi Interior Minister Bayan Jabr warned that intercepted correspondence between Abu Musab Zarqawi, the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, and other figures in the movement had revealed a decision to send large numbers of Islamist volunteers back to their countries of origin to wage holy war. Mr. Jabr said several hundred militant fighters had left for home by last fall. Baltazar Garzon, a Spanish judge who has led inquiries into al Qaeda in Spain, said in an interview last week that there were indications that large numbers of veterans of the Iraqi jihad were returning to Europe. "
"They are highly motivated, battle-hardened, mobile -- and therefore, dangerous. And the return of Europe's jihadists from Iraq is giving the Continent's intelligence services nightmares. As far back as October, Iraqi Interior Minister Bayan Jabr warned that intercepted correspondence between Abu Musab Zarqawi, the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, and other figures in the movement had revealed a decision to send large numbers of Islamist volunteers back to their countries of origin to wage holy war. Mr. Jabr said several hundred militant fighters had left for home by last fall. Baltazar Garzon, a Spanish judge who has led inquiries into al Qaeda in Spain, said in an interview last week that there were indications that large numbers of veterans of the Iraqi jihad were returning to Europe. "
Integration? - National Anthems
Move to translate national anthem stirs controversy / AftenPosten, May 2006
http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article1319173.ece
A proposal to translate Norway's national anthem into a language used by many of the country's immigrants is stirring controversy. Opponents claim those who can't understand the Norwegian lyrics should just hum along instead.
"The debate comes just weeks after a proposal to translate the American national anthem into Spanish stirred controversy as well."
The German National Anthem in Turkish? / Der Spiegel, May 2006
http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/0,1518,414145,00.html
A German politician has triggered a debate by calling for an official Turkish translation of the German national anthem to symbolize how multicultural Germany has become. But conservatives worry it would send the wrong signal about integration.
http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article1319173.ece
A proposal to translate Norway's national anthem into a language used by many of the country's immigrants is stirring controversy. Opponents claim those who can't understand the Norwegian lyrics should just hum along instead.
"The debate comes just weeks after a proposal to translate the American national anthem into Spanish stirred controversy as well."
The German National Anthem in Turkish? / Der Spiegel, May 2006
http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/0,1518,414145,00.html
A German politician has triggered a debate by calling for an official Turkish translation of the German national anthem to symbolize how multicultural Germany has become. But conservatives worry it would send the wrong signal about integration.
Exploding the myths / Liberty, 17 May 2006
PDF - http://digbig.com/4hrsx
This 3 page document explodes the myths surrounding the current attack on the Human Rights Act.
This 3 page document explodes the myths surrounding the current attack on the Human Rights Act.
HRS: Stun Gun Seems to Subdue Without Fatal VF / MedPage Today, 18 May 2006
http://www.medpagetoday.com/Cardiology/Arrhythmias/tb/3333
Neil Osterweil
"Study found no evidence that electrical stun guns, Tasers, for example, were capable of inducing ventricular arrhythmias when used at standard voltages. This study was published as an abstract and presented as a poster at a conference. These data and conclusions should be considered to be preliminary as they have not yet been reviewed and published in a peer-reviewed publication."
Neil Osterweil
"Study found no evidence that electrical stun guns, Tasers, for example, were capable of inducing ventricular arrhythmias when used at standard voltages. This study was published as an abstract and presented as a poster at a conference. These data and conclusions should be considered to be preliminary as they have not yet been reviewed and published in a peer-reviewed publication."
Friday, May 19, 2006
The truth about 7/7: it was meaningless / Spiked Online, 16 May 2006
http://www.spiked-online.com/articles/0000000CB05F.htm
Brendan O'Neill
"From what we've read over the past 10 months - the reams of analysis, commentary and speculation - you might think they did it as part of some Islamist conspiracy, or to register their opposition to the war in Iraq, or because they were evil and wished to topple British, even Western civilisation. In fact, as the UK government's narrative on 7/7 now reveals, there is little hard evidence that they did it for any of those reasons. The truth appears to be that 7/7 was meaningless; it was a nihilistic attack carried out by four fairly ordinary blokes for no easily discernible aim or agenda."
Brendan O'Neill
"From what we've read over the past 10 months - the reams of analysis, commentary and speculation - you might think they did it as part of some Islamist conspiracy, or to register their opposition to the war in Iraq, or because they were evil and wished to topple British, even Western civilisation. In fact, as the UK government's narrative on 7/7 now reveals, there is little hard evidence that they did it for any of those reasons. The truth appears to be that 7/7 was meaningless; it was a nihilistic attack carried out by four fairly ordinary blokes for no easily discernible aim or agenda."
Animal research: extremists are not the problem / Spiked Online, 16 May 2006
http://www.spiked-online.com/articles/0000000CB060.htm
James Panton
"Tony Blair explained that it is 'a sign of just how important I believe it is that as many people as possible stand up against the tiny group of extremists threatening medical research and advances in this country'. The trouble with this is that the real threat to medical research and advances is not 'a tiny group of extremists', but an unwillingness on the part of government ministers to make the moral arguments for vivisection. The extremists merely feed off the authorities' defensiveness."
James Panton
"Tony Blair explained that it is 'a sign of just how important I believe it is that as many people as possible stand up against the tiny group of extremists threatening medical research and advances in this country'. The trouble with this is that the real threat to medical research and advances is not 'a tiny group of extremists', but an unwillingness on the part of government ministers to make the moral arguments for vivisection. The extremists merely feed off the authorities' defensiveness."
The 'right to die'? No thanks / Spiked Online, 19 May 2006
http://www.spiked-online.com/articles/0000000CB071.htm
Kevin Yuill
"The Assisted Dying Bill also demonstrates the obsession with words in this debate. In the past, it was referred to by both pro- and anti- groups as 'assisted suicide'. The phrase assisted suicide - oxymoronic, as Thomas Szazs has pointed out before on spiked - has fallen from favour, perhaps because of the spate of suicide bombings in the news, evidently replaced by the gentler 'assisted dying' (see Killing to be kind?, by Thomas Szazs). Though it removes the taint of suicide, this descriptive phrase is, if anything, more vague and obfuscating. It could, of course, cover a litany of sins and certainly does not rule out the dreaded euthanasia. One might ask, is not capital punishment also 'assisted dying'? What about murder?"
Kevin Yuill
"The Assisted Dying Bill also demonstrates the obsession with words in this debate. In the past, it was referred to by both pro- and anti- groups as 'assisted suicide'. The phrase assisted suicide - oxymoronic, as Thomas Szazs has pointed out before on spiked - has fallen from favour, perhaps because of the spate of suicide bombings in the news, evidently replaced by the gentler 'assisted dying' (see Killing to be kind?, by Thomas Szazs). Though it removes the taint of suicide, this descriptive phrase is, if anything, more vague and obfuscating. It could, of course, cover a litany of sins and certainly does not rule out the dreaded euthanasia. One might ask, is not capital punishment also 'assisted dying'? What about murder?"
Device helps police zero in on suspect / JS Online, 13 May 2006
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=423664
LINDA SPICE
"Critics question reliability of voice stress analyzer. Some argue that using the voice stress analyzer is no better than a coin flip. Advocates contend that its psychological value during questioning can lead to a confession or eliminate a person as a suspect. They say it's a less expensive, time-efficient alternative to the polygraph, which records blood pressure, respiration and electro-dermal activity, or sweating, and requires eight weeks of training, compared with the six days of training for the stress analyzer."
LINDA SPICE
"Critics question reliability of voice stress analyzer. Some argue that using the voice stress analyzer is no better than a coin flip. Advocates contend that its psychological value during questioning can lead to a confession or eliminate a person as a suspect. They say it's a less expensive, time-efficient alternative to the polygraph, which records blood pressure, respiration and electro-dermal activity, or sweating, and requires eight weeks of training, compared with the six days of training for the stress analyzer."
Teens' online postings are new tool for police / Boston Globe, 15 May 2006
http://digbig.com/4hrqa
Wendy Davis
"When Judge Brian Boatright of Jefferson County, Colo., found a 16-year-old Evergreen High School student standing before him guilty of a weapons charge last month, the strongest evidence hadn't come from a police search, a neighbor's tip, or even a wiretap. The evidence had been supplied by the teen, who this year had posted pictures of himself surrounded by guns on his page of the social networking website MySpace.com."
Wendy Davis
"When Judge Brian Boatright of Jefferson County, Colo., found a 16-year-old Evergreen High School student standing before him guilty of a weapons charge last month, the strongest evidence hadn't come from a police search, a neighbor's tip, or even a wiretap. The evidence had been supplied by the teen, who this year had posted pictures of himself surrounded by guns on his page of the social networking website MySpace.com."
Brain Power / GovTech, May 2006
http://www.govtech.net/magazine/story.php?id=99373
Jim McKay
"The Classification System for Serial Criminal Patterns (CSSCP) is the brainchild of Dr. Tom Muscarello, an assistant professor at DePaul University. It's different from other crime-analysis systems being used by law enforcement in that the CSSCP thinks 24 hours a day, seven days a week -- not just when prompted by an analyst. It can, however, be prompted to search for a particular data set, analyze data from multiple crimes and find patterns that link crimes without human intervention. "
Jim McKay
"The Classification System for Serial Criminal Patterns (CSSCP) is the brainchild of Dr. Tom Muscarello, an assistant professor at DePaul University. It's different from other crime-analysis systems being used by law enforcement in that the CSSCP thinks 24 hours a day, seven days a week -- not just when prompted by an analyst. It can, however, be prompted to search for a particular data set, analyze data from multiple crimes and find patterns that link crimes without human intervention. "
Observatory" on CIA "rendition" / Statewatch, May 2006
http://www.statewatch.org/rendition/rendition.html
"Statewatch today launches a new "Observatory" on the enquiries taking place into "rendition" and the use of European countries by the CIA for the transport and illegal detention of prisoners.The Observatory includes extensive documentation with the full-text of 173 documents submitted so far to the ongoing European Parliament inquiry (TDIP) into these matters - many of them published for the first time.Among the documents are detailed submissions on the inquiries in Italy (the Milan abduction), Spain (rendition flights), Canada (the Meher Arar public inquiry) and Ireland (the use of Shannon airport) as well as submissions from 26 national parliaments in Europe. Also included are reports issued by the European Parliament, Council of Europe and NGOs."
"Statewatch today launches a new "Observatory" on the enquiries taking place into "rendition" and the use of European countries by the CIA for the transport and illegal detention of prisoners.The Observatory includes extensive documentation with the full-text of 173 documents submitted so far to the ongoing European Parliament inquiry (TDIP) into these matters - many of them published for the first time.Among the documents are detailed submissions on the inquiries in Italy (the Milan abduction), Spain (rendition flights), Canada (the Meher Arar public inquiry) and Ireland (the use of Shannon airport) as well as submissions from 26 national parliaments in Europe. Also included are reports issued by the European Parliament, Council of Europe and NGOs."
Assimilation policies carry risks / The Hill, 17 May 2006
http://digbig.com/4hrpa
Oxford Analytica : an international consulting firm providing strategic analysis on world events for business and government leaders
"Integration is a subjective and personal process; there is no single model to correct the historical failures of integration models in Western states. These failures come down to one point: often the policy approaches taken by states are aimed at protecting the existing national identity and reducing perceived security concerns, at the expense of the processes of identification and permitting a two-way integration processes."
Oxford Analytica : an international consulting firm providing strategic analysis on world events for business and government leaders
"Integration is a subjective and personal process; there is no single model to correct the historical failures of integration models in Western states. These failures come down to one point: often the policy approaches taken by states are aimed at protecting the existing national identity and reducing perceived security concerns, at the expense of the processes of identification and permitting a two-way integration processes."
Extraordinary Rendition Complicity and its consequences / Justice Org. May 2006
PDF - http://www.justice.org.uk/images/pdfs/PhilippeSands15May2006.pdf
JUSTICE International Rule of Law Lecture 2006
Professor Philippe Sands QC Director, Centre of International Courts and Tribunals, University College London
JUSTICE International Rule of Law Lecture 2006
Professor Philippe Sands QC Director, Centre of International Courts and Tribunals, University College London
Common Ground: Gypsies and Irish Travellers report / CRE, May 2006
PDF - http://www.cre.gov.uk/commonground_report.pdf
"The issues analysed and addressed in this investigation are central to the CRE's twin mandates of equality and social cohesion. Our vision is of an integrated society in which all members of the public have equality of opportunity; can participate fully in all aspects of society; engage positively with one another; and have a shared sense of what it means to be a member of their local community, with the rights and responsibilities that this entails."
"The issues analysed and addressed in this investigation are central to the CRE's twin mandates of equality and social cohesion. Our vision is of an integrated society in which all members of the public have equality of opportunity; can participate fully in all aspects of society; engage positively with one another; and have a shared sense of what it means to be a member of their local community, with the rights and responsibilities that this entails."
[Zimbabwe] Hunger forces Zim girls into forced marriages / Mail & Guardian, 17 May 2006
http://digbig.com/4hrnw
"Faced with starvation after six years of poor harvests, Zimbabweans are resorting to centuries-old traditions of "forced marriages", known in the local Shona language as "kuzvarira", for survival. The practice, which involves a father giving away his usually under-age daughter (without her consent) to a richer man in return for food and other economic support, had died over the past 100 years. But some hungry families from rural communities, far removed from the glare of human rights groups and the media, are reviving the old custom out of desperation to survive an unprecedented economic and food crisis, which critics blame as much on poor weather as on mismanagement by President Robert Mugabe's government."
"Faced with starvation after six years of poor harvests, Zimbabweans are resorting to centuries-old traditions of "forced marriages", known in the local Shona language as "kuzvarira", for survival. The practice, which involves a father giving away his usually under-age daughter (without her consent) to a richer man in return for food and other economic support, had died over the past 100 years. But some hungry families from rural communities, far removed from the glare of human rights groups and the media, are reviving the old custom out of desperation to survive an unprecedented economic and food crisis, which critics blame as much on poor weather as on mismanagement by President Robert Mugabe's government."
Will Increasingly Sophisticated Anti-Terror Technologies Be The Key To Keeping Us Safe? / NewsWire Press Release, 17 May 2006
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060517/dcw042.html?.v=50
National Geographic Channel's 'Explorer: Outsmarting Terror' Highlights the Crucial New High-Tech Tactics Intended to Protect Us . They are an enemy that is elusive and deadly, resilient and implacable. Today's terrorists have incited fear in millions of people by striking where we live, shop, commute, study or work. But can ingenuity and science protect us from an enemy capable of deploying an extreme range of weapons, from low-tech explosives to guided missiles? Will a new generation of defensive technologies be able to outmaneuver terrorists who strive to strike without warning? National Geographic Channel's "Explorer" examines these questions as it investigates the increasingly sophisticated responses to countering terror.
National Geographic Channel's 'Explorer: Outsmarting Terror' Highlights the Crucial New High-Tech Tactics Intended to Protect Us . They are an enemy that is elusive and deadly, resilient and implacable. Today's terrorists have incited fear in millions of people by striking where we live, shop, commute, study or work. But can ingenuity and science protect us from an enemy capable of deploying an extreme range of weapons, from low-tech explosives to guided missiles? Will a new generation of defensive technologies be able to outmaneuver terrorists who strive to strike without warning? National Geographic Channel's "Explorer" examines these questions as it investigates the increasingly sophisticated responses to countering terror.
Police Federation Conference 2006 - Dcouments
Police Federation Conference 2006 Outcomes, Thursday 18th May 2006 - Click here to download - PDF
Chairman's Keynote Speech - Police Federation Conference, Wednesday 17th May 2006 AM - Federation raises alarm over ACPO’s plan to cut officer numbers by 25,000 - Click here to download - PDF
Chairman's Speech - Police Federation Conference, Tuesday 16th May 2006 PM- Click here to download - PDF
Chairman's Keynote Speech - Police Federation Conference, Wednesday 17th May 2006 AM - Federation raises alarm over ACPO’s plan to cut officer numbers by 25,000 - Click here to download - PDF
Chairman's Speech - Police Federation Conference, Tuesday 16th May 2006 PM- Click here to download - PDF
Inquiry & Analysis - Jihad & Terrorism Studies Project/ Initiative on Monitoring Islamist & Jihad Websites / MEMRI, 17 May 2006
http://www.memri.org/bin/opener_latest.cgi?ID=IA27506 .
D. Hazan
"Most of the media in the Arab world - newspapers, television, and radio - are affiliated with various political forces, whether governmental or opposition, operating from within the country or outside it. These media are an important tool in the power struggles among the rival political forces behind them. With the development of the Internet in the Middle East, websites have become yet another tool in the struggle between rival Arab forces. One prominent example of Internet use as part of this struggle is the campaign by http://www.tajdeed.org.uk/ - which belongs to the Saudi Islamist opposition operating in London and is directed by Dr. Sheikh Muhammad Al-Mas'ari, who also heads the Al-Tajdeed Al-Islami organization - against http://www.alhesbah.org/ , a leading Islamist site that is a conduit for messages from Al-Qaeda and other jihad organizations."
D. Hazan
"Most of the media in the Arab world - newspapers, television, and radio - are affiliated with various political forces, whether governmental or opposition, operating from within the country or outside it. These media are an important tool in the power struggles among the rival political forces behind them. With the development of the Internet in the Middle East, websites have become yet another tool in the struggle between rival Arab forces. One prominent example of Internet use as part of this struggle is the campaign by http://www.tajdeed.org.uk/ - which belongs to the Saudi Islamist opposition operating in London and is directed by Dr. Sheikh Muhammad Al-Mas'ari, who also heads the Al-Tajdeed Al-Islami organization - against http://www.alhesbah.org/ , a leading Islamist site that is a conduit for messages from Al-Qaeda and other jihad organizations."
[Australia] Immigration won't fix skills shortage: report / The Age, 17 May 2006
http://digbig.com/4hrmw
Tim Colebatch
"A big increase in skilled migration would not deliver the economic benefits its supporters claim, although it would have a small positive effect, the Productivity Commission has concluded.
In a report commissioned by the Federal Government, commissioner Judith Sloan said modelling showed that while a 50 per cent increase in skilled migration would relieve some of the pressures of skills shortages, the overall effect would be fairly minor for the economy."
The Productivity Council's report - PDF - http://digbig.com/4hrmx
Tim Colebatch
"A big increase in skilled migration would not deliver the economic benefits its supporters claim, although it would have a small positive effect, the Productivity Commission has concluded.
In a report commissioned by the Federal Government, commissioner Judith Sloan said modelling showed that while a 50 per cent increase in skilled migration would relieve some of the pressures of skills shortages, the overall effect would be fairly minor for the economy."
The Productivity Council's report - PDF - http://digbig.com/4hrmx
Naming and shaming: Violation of Privacy / Young People Now, 17 May 2006
http://digbig.com/4hqhe
"Newspapers across the UK are successfully challenging the courts to lift reporting restrictions in cases involving young people. PJ White investigates the impact this is having on young people's lives.
"Newspapers across the UK are successfully challenging the courts to lift reporting restrictions in cases involving young people. PJ White investigates the impact this is having on young people's lives.
London’s intelligence failure / Open Democracy, 18 May 2006
http://www.opendemocracy.net/conflict/intelligence_3557.jsp
Paul Rogers
"In around a hundred pages of documentation in total, there is scarcely a mention of Iraq. The question was raised the day after the reports were published in an interview with the new home secretary (and former defence minister) John Reid, who repeated the denial of any serious connection between the motivations of the bombers and the situation in Iraq. This assessment contrasts markedly with the experience of many journalists and researchers questioning young people (especially those of Pakistani origin) in several of Britain's cities after the explosions."
Paul Rogers
"In around a hundred pages of documentation in total, there is scarcely a mention of Iraq. The question was raised the day after the reports were published in an interview with the new home secretary (and former defence minister) John Reid, who repeated the denial of any serious connection between the motivations of the bombers and the situation in Iraq. This assessment contrasts markedly with the experience of many journalists and researchers questioning young people (especially those of Pakistani origin) in several of Britain's cities after the explosions."
Retired Gurkhas prepare to migrate to UK after change in visa rules / Gulf News, 19 May 2006
http://www.gulfnews.com/world/United_Kingdom/10040984.html
"Hundreds of retired Gurkhas are preparing to emigrate from Nepal to Britain following a change in rules for issuing visas to old soldiers.
Twenty-nine applications were lodged with the British embassy in Kathmandu after the change became apparent. Major Tikendra Dewan, of the British Gurkha Welfare Society, will file a similar number of applications every day for a week. Purna Gurung, 53, who hopes to work as a security guard or a driver, said: "Because of the crisis in Nepal everyone would like to go to the UK it's civilised. Here it's dangerous to go out." The visa change addresses an anomaly that had infuriated veterans' groups. Official policy said only Gurkhas who retired after 1997 were allowed to settle in Britain while older veterans were excluded. But the Home Office routinely granted older Gurkhas leave to remain while the Kathmandu embassy refused to let them even travel to the UK in case they stayed. Visa officers abroad are now told to use the same "discretion" as the Home Office." [Snippet]
"Hundreds of retired Gurkhas are preparing to emigrate from Nepal to Britain following a change in rules for issuing visas to old soldiers.
Twenty-nine applications were lodged with the British embassy in Kathmandu after the change became apparent. Major Tikendra Dewan, of the British Gurkha Welfare Society, will file a similar number of applications every day for a week. Purna Gurung, 53, who hopes to work as a security guard or a driver, said: "Because of the crisis in Nepal everyone would like to go to the UK it's civilised. Here it's dangerous to go out." The visa change addresses an anomaly that had infuriated veterans' groups. Official policy said only Gurkhas who retired after 1997 were allowed to settle in Britain while older veterans were excluded. But the Home Office routinely granted older Gurkhas leave to remain while the Kathmandu embassy refused to let them even travel to the UK in case they stayed. Visa officers abroad are now told to use the same "discretion" as the Home Office." [Snippet]
Justice: You're Just So Distant These Days / The Friday Thing, 19 May 2006
http://www.thefridayproject.co.uk/hi/tft/politics/002045.php
"The problem that dogs any intelligent discussion of the justice system is that most of us don't know very much about it, because we're not policemen, lawyers or habitual criminals. Instead we tend to base our opinions on what we read in the papers or see on TV, and the media, on the whole, tends to focus on cases guaranteed to provoke outrage: the rapist who attacks again a month after being released, the 12-year-old with 50 convictions, etc. The result is that many people genuinely believe that the justice system is a criminal's playground; a place where you never get anything more than a slap on the wrist, and, if you have the sheer bad luck to actually be convicted, just get a couple of months in a cell with Sky TV, a Toshiba laptop and a Playstation."
"The problem that dogs any intelligent discussion of the justice system is that most of us don't know very much about it, because we're not policemen, lawyers or habitual criminals. Instead we tend to base our opinions on what we read in the papers or see on TV, and the media, on the whole, tends to focus on cases guaranteed to provoke outrage: the rapist who attacks again a month after being released, the 12-year-old with 50 convictions, etc. The result is that many people genuinely believe that the justice system is a criminal's playground; a place where you never get anything more than a slap on the wrist, and, if you have the sheer bad luck to actually be convicted, just get a couple of months in a cell with Sky TV, a Toshiba laptop and a Playstation."
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Choking Game Information - Website
http://www.chokinggameinformation.com/
"The intention of this site is to provide an educational clearinghouse of information on the asphyxiation behavior known among our youth as'The Choking Game' or 'The Pass out Game'. By any of the many names kids call it - it can be a fatal past-time. Children are dying and being injured because it is not drugs or illegal and as adolescent do, they believe they are invincible. Compounded by 75% of parents having no knowledge of this activity's existence. Parents, officials, and law enforcement need to be educated as the ever growing popularity or this deadly activity in order for our children to be safe."
"The intention of this site is to provide an educational clearinghouse of information on the asphyxiation behavior known among our youth as'The Choking Game' or 'The Pass out Game'. By any of the many names kids call it - it can be a fatal past-time. Children are dying and being injured because it is not drugs or illegal and as adolescent do, they believe they are invincible. Compounded by 75% of parents having no knowledge of this activity's existence. Parents, officials, and law enforcement need to be educated as the ever growing popularity or this deadly activity in order for our children to be safe."
Bin Laden, Zarqawi and Moussaoui / the New Anatolian, 16 May 2006
http://www.thenewanatolian.com/opinion-6838.html
Faik Bulutfaik
"After years of allegedly operating in Iraq as a elusive individual and shadowy force, the Jordanian-born Palestinian Islamist militant Abu Musab al Zarqawi was sometimes heard but never seen. He stepped into the public limelight with a video released on the Internet on April 24. As did Osama bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaeda, and his Egyptian deputy Ayman al Zawahiri."
Faik Bulutfaik
"After years of allegedly operating in Iraq as a elusive individual and shadowy force, the Jordanian-born Palestinian Islamist militant Abu Musab al Zarqawi was sometimes heard but never seen. He stepped into the public limelight with a video released on the Internet on April 24. As did Osama bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaeda, and his Egyptian deputy Ayman al Zawahiri."
LAPD Chief Blogs For Better Relations / Tech Web, 15 May 2006
http://digbig.com/4hrgr
K C Jones
"In a welcome posting, Police Chief William Bratton said he hoped to encourage dialogue between residents and the police department. The Los Angeles Police Department has launched a new blog. In another early posting, labeled "We've Changed," he touted a crime decrease and refuted a recent newspaper article claiming crime has risen. He said the department he took over did not accurately report crime before he took over nearly four years ago. "
http://lapdblog.typepad.com/lapd_blog/2006/05/chief_william_j.html
K C Jones
"In a welcome posting, Police Chief William Bratton said he hoped to encourage dialogue between residents and the police department. The Los Angeles Police Department has launched a new blog. In another early posting, labeled "We've Changed," he touted a crime decrease and refuted a recent newspaper article claiming crime has risen. He said the department he took over did not accurately report crime before he took over nearly four years ago. "
http://lapdblog.typepad.com/lapd_blog/2006/05/chief_william_j.html
Statewatch analysis : Transferring the Third Pillar, May 2006
PDF - http://digbig.com/4hrgp
Professor Steve Peers, Department of Law, University of Essex
"The European Commission has announced that it will soon make a formal
proposal to transfer some or all aspects of the current ‘third pillar’ of EU
law (which concerns policing and criminal law) to the ‘first pillar’ of EU law
(which concerns ‘normal’ EC law, covering such issues as the EU internal
market, environmental law and labour law). The text of the Commission’s
formal proposal is not yet available. The analysis addresses four key issues concerning this proposed transfer."
Professor Steve Peers, Department of Law, University of Essex
"The European Commission has announced that it will soon make a formal
proposal to transfer some or all aspects of the current ‘third pillar’ of EU
law (which concerns policing and criminal law) to the ‘first pillar’ of EU law
(which concerns ‘normal’ EC law, covering such issues as the EU internal
market, environmental law and labour law). The text of the Commission’s
formal proposal is not yet available. The analysis addresses four key issues concerning this proposed transfer."
Court dispenses gentle justice to mentally ill / Sacramento Bee, 15 May 2006
http://digbig.com/4hrgk
Claire Cooper
"The common denominator: All are mentally ill, some so severely that they bring their "voices" to court. Many have been bouncing for years from court to jail to treatment and then, back to jail. The goal here is to break the cycle by stabilizing their lives.Sacramento County plans soon to start a pilot mental health court using Santa Clara County's as a model. Local criminal justice officials say up to 18 percent of the county jail population might be referred to such a court. "To handle (the mentally ill) the same way that the masses are dealt with just doesn't work."
Claire Cooper
"The common denominator: All are mentally ill, some so severely that they bring their "voices" to court. Many have been bouncing for years from court to jail to treatment and then, back to jail. The goal here is to break the cycle by stabilizing their lives.Sacramento County plans soon to start a pilot mental health court using Santa Clara County's as a model. Local criminal justice officials say up to 18 percent of the county jail population might be referred to such a court. "To handle (the mentally ill) the same way that the masses are dealt with just doesn't work."
Lost in migration: Asylum seekers face challenges amid efforts to stem flows of illegal migrants / U.N., May 2006
http://www.un.org/events/tenstories_2006/story.asp?storyID=2200
"Against the backdrop of escalating migratory flows and growing concerns over security, the institution of asylum finds itself in need of protection as the line gets blurred between victims who flee persecution and migrants who seek economic opportunity. "
"Against the backdrop of escalating migratory flows and growing concerns over security, the institution of asylum finds itself in need of protection as the line gets blurred between victims who flee persecution and migrants who seek economic opportunity. "
French Assembly passes bill restricting immigration by unskilled workers / Jurist PaperChase, 17 May 2006
http://digbig.com/4hrgc
Joe Shaulis
"The French National Assembly [official website] voted overwhelmingly to tighten immigration requirements for unskilled workers. The Senate [official website] is expected to consider the bill [JURIST document; legislative information] next month. If adopted, the measure would allow only highly qualified immigrants from outside the EU to obtain a renewable "skills and talents" residency permit. Such immigrants would have to agree to learn French, and their families would wait longer to get their own residency cards. Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy [BBC profile; official profile] said more selective immigration would align France with other countries. Opposition parties and human rights groups such as SOS Rascisme [advocacy website] have criticized the bill as discriminatory. Last weekend, more than 10,000 people marched through Paris [JURIST report] to protest the legislation. The issue of immigration has become especially sensitive [JURIST report] in France in the wake of rioting [JURIST report] started by immigrant youth that broke out in Paris and elsewhere in the country last October and lasted some three weeks. BBC News has more. Le Monde has local coverage. [Snippet]
Joe Shaulis
"The French National Assembly [official website] voted overwhelmingly to tighten immigration requirements for unskilled workers. The Senate [official website] is expected to consider the bill [JURIST document; legislative information] next month. If adopted, the measure would allow only highly qualified immigrants from outside the EU to obtain a renewable "skills and talents" residency permit. Such immigrants would have to agree to learn French, and their families would wait longer to get their own residency cards. Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy [BBC profile; official profile] said more selective immigration would align France with other countries. Opposition parties and human rights groups such as SOS Rascisme [advocacy website] have criticized the bill as discriminatory. Last weekend, more than 10,000 people marched through Paris [JURIST report] to protest the legislation. The issue of immigration has become especially sensitive [JURIST report] in France in the wake of rioting [JURIST report] started by immigrant youth that broke out in Paris and elsewhere in the country last October and lasted some three weeks. BBC News has more. Le Monde has local coverage. [Snippet]
Europe delegation says CIA confirmed renditions, but suggested state complicity / Jurist PaperChase, 17 May 2006
http://digbig.com/4hrgb
Joe Shaulis
"Members of a European Parliament [official website] delegation just back from a visit to the US [JURIST report] told reporters in Strasbourg Wednesday that CIA [official website] officials had confirmed to them "that between 30 and 50 people have been transported by extraordinary rendition", but had indicated it was "not possible to organize extraordinary rendition such as this without the active complicity of European governments." Committee rapporteur Giovanni Claudio Fava [official profile] added that what he called a "first hand source" had acknowledged the existence of seven US secret prisons or "black sites" in "countries of Asia, Europe and Africa", all of which had now been closed down due to public pressure except for one "still operating in a North African country." Overall, however, committee members said that US responses to their queries, made in connection with their own continuing investigation [official website] of alleged renditions, had been "patchy and inconsistent" [JURIST report]. On Tuesday, a UN human rights official said the CIA was generally stonewalling [JURIST report] probes into renditions. EUobserver has more. Reuters has additional coverage. [Snippet]
Joe Shaulis
"Members of a European Parliament [official website] delegation just back from a visit to the US [JURIST report] told reporters in Strasbourg Wednesday that CIA [official website] officials had confirmed to them "that between 30 and 50 people have been transported by extraordinary rendition", but had indicated it was "not possible to organize extraordinary rendition such as this without the active complicity of European governments." Committee rapporteur Giovanni Claudio Fava [official profile] added that what he called a "first hand source" had acknowledged the existence of seven US secret prisons or "black sites" in "countries of Asia, Europe and Africa", all of which had now been closed down due to public pressure except for one "still operating in a North African country." Overall, however, committee members said that US responses to their queries, made in connection with their own continuing investigation [official website] of alleged renditions, had been "patchy and inconsistent" [JURIST report]. On Tuesday, a UN human rights official said the CIA was generally stonewalling [JURIST report] probes into renditions. EUobserver has more. Reuters has additional coverage. [Snippet]
Bad Politics, Worse Law: Re-writing the UK Human Rights Act / Jurist Froum, 16 May 2006
http://digbig.com/4hrga
Chandra Lekha Sriram
"Chair of Human Rights at the University of East London School of Law (UK), says that the UK government's push to limit the application of the Human Rights Act in matters of public safety is politically dubious and legally unjustifiable..."
Chandra Lekha Sriram
"Chair of Human Rights at the University of East London School of Law (UK), says that the UK government's push to limit the application of the Human Rights Act in matters of public safety is politically dubious and legally unjustifiable..."
Japan parliament approves bill requiring fingerprints, photos for foreign visitors / Jurist PaperChase, 17 May 2006
Joe Shaulis
Visitors to Japan [JURIST news archive] will be electronically fingerprinted and photographed under a bill approved Wednesday by the House of Councillors [official website], the upper house of Japan's parliament. Foreign visitors 16 and older will have their fingerprints and pictures taken upon entering the country beginning in November 2007. Permanent residents, state guests and diplomats will be exempt. The lower house approved the proposal [BBC report] in March. The government of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi [official website] says the new procedures, similar to those in the United States, will prevent terrorism [JURIST news archive] and other crimes. The Democratic Party of Japan [party website], the main opposition party, and the Japan Federation of Bar Associations [group website; opinion paper] warned that gathering the data and storing it in a database would violate foreigners' privacy. AFP has more. NHK has local coverage. [Snippet]
Visitors to Japan [JURIST news archive] will be electronically fingerprinted and photographed under a bill approved Wednesday by the House of Councillors [official website], the upper house of Japan's parliament. Foreign visitors 16 and older will have their fingerprints and pictures taken upon entering the country beginning in November 2007. Permanent residents, state guests and diplomats will be exempt. The lower house approved the proposal [BBC report] in March. The government of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi [official website] says the new procedures, similar to those in the United States, will prevent terrorism [JURIST news archive] and other crimes. The Democratic Party of Japan [party website], the main opposition party, and the Japan Federation of Bar Associations [group website; opinion paper] warned that gathering the data and storing it in a database would violate foreigners' privacy. AFP has more. NHK has local coverage. [Snippet]
Pupils in 'respect' zones / This is Bradford, 18 May 2006
http://digbig.com/4hrfs
Mark Casci
"A computer game aimed at turning teenagers into model citizens was launched by police. The website aims to encourage children to respect others and their environment. It was launched by West Yorkshire Police at Prince Henry's Grammar School in Otley."
Mark Casci
"A computer game aimed at turning teenagers into model citizens was launched by police. The website aims to encourage children to respect others and their environment. It was launched by West Yorkshire Police at Prince Henry's Grammar School in Otley."
Information Systems Strategy for the Police Service (ISS4PS) / ACPO, May 2006
Information Systems Strategy for the Police Service (ISS4PS) Volume1
PDF - http://www.acpo.police.uk/policies/ITC001-3901-ISS4PSVersion3VolumeOne2.pdf
Information Systems Strategy for the Police Service (ISS4PS) Volume 2
PDF -
http://www.acpo.police.uk/policies/ITC001-3901-ISS4PSVersion3VolumeTwo.pdf
Information Systems Strategy for the Police Service (ISS4PS) Annexes
PDF - http://www.acpo.police.uk/policies/ITC001-3901-ISS4PSVersion3VolumeTwoAnnexesDraftRelease-V0
PDF - http://www.acpo.police.uk/policies/ITC001-3901-ISS4PSVersion3VolumeOne2.pdf
Information Systems Strategy for the Police Service (ISS4PS) Volume 2
PDF -
http://www.acpo.police.uk/policies/ITC001-3901-ISS4PSVersion3VolumeTwo.pdf
Information Systems Strategy for the Police Service (ISS4PS) Annexes
PDF - http://www.acpo.police.uk/policies/ITC001-3901-ISS4PSVersion3VolumeTwoAnnexesDraftRelease-V0
Federation survey shows police struggle in the face of increasing dangers / Police Federation, May 2006
PDF - http://www.polfed.org/PF_Federation_Survey160506.pdf
Police officers are struggling to effectively and safely deliver a 24/7 emergency response to the public in the face of the growing menace of gun and knife attacks and increased assaults. The results of a Police Federation survey released today at their annual conference show that of 141,000 police officers throughout England and Wales nearly half of those who responded believe their lives have been placed in serious jeopardy on at least one occasion over the last two years. Over 40% of officers who responded have been assaulted whilst arresting suspects in the last two years; nationally this equates to 56,000 police officers.
See also - http://bluesandtwos.blogspot.com/2006/05/police-federation-arm-police-poll.html
Police officers are struggling to effectively and safely deliver a 24/7 emergency response to the public in the face of the growing menace of gun and knife attacks and increased assaults. The results of a Police Federation survey released today at their annual conference show that of 141,000 police officers throughout England and Wales nearly half of those who responded believe their lives have been placed in serious jeopardy on at least one occasion over the last two years. Over 40% of officers who responded have been assaulted whilst arresting suspects in the last two years; nationally this equates to 56,000 police officers.
See also - http://bluesandtwos.blogspot.com/2006/05/police-federation-arm-police-poll.html
DEPORTED FOR FARE DODGING / The Voice, 15 May 2006
http://www.voice-online.co.uk/content.php?show=9176
DOMINIC BASCOMBE
"Under the EU Directive it is now impossible to deport EU nationals only on the basis of a prison sentence. Many non-EU foreigners will have rights of residence in the UK and may have been here for many years, with no effective contact remaining with their country of origin."
DOMINIC BASCOMBE
"Under the EU Directive it is now impossible to deport EU nationals only on the basis of a prison sentence. Many non-EU foreigners will have rights of residence in the UK and may have been here for many years, with no effective contact remaining with their country of origin."
Witnesses to change / Legal Week, 18 May 2006
http://www.legalweek.com/ViewItem.asp?id=28947
Dominic Carman
"The continuing fallout from Meadow has, in the view of some commentators, helped to undermine the role of expert witnesses — in civil as well as criminal cases. As James Bad-enoch QC, chairman of the Expert Witness Institute (EWI), explains: "Out of all this has come the extraordinary vilification of expert witnesses as an evil bunch who take money for giving whatever answer they are asked to give. The idea has been drummed up that they are fat cats who are paid to say anything they want to say and cause great injustice. It is deeply unfair and grossly inaccurate." "
Dominic Carman
"The continuing fallout from Meadow has, in the view of some commentators, helped to undermine the role of expert witnesses — in civil as well as criminal cases. As James Bad-enoch QC, chairman of the Expert Witness Institute (EWI), explains: "Out of all this has come the extraordinary vilification of expert witnesses as an evil bunch who take money for giving whatever answer they are asked to give. The idea has been drummed up that they are fat cats who are paid to say anything they want to say and cause great injustice. It is deeply unfair and grossly inaccurate." "
Viewpoints: the Human Rights Act / BBC, 18 May 2006
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4990414.stm
As the prime minister admits he is considering re-writing the Human Rights Act, six experts - for and against the legislation - give their views.
"Many human rights cases have involved victims challenging governments" Shami Chakrabarti, Liberty
"We should be proud that we respect the human rights of people Maeve Sherlock, the Refugee Council
"The volume of cases where Human Rights Act issues have been argued has been relatively small" Simon Gallant, consultant solicitor, Mishcon de Reya
"The members of this autocratic [government] do not have to suffer the consequences" Nigel Farage MEP, UK Independence Party
"It seems criminals and illegal immigrants are elevated to some extraordinary higher status" Clive Elliot, Victims of Crime Trust
"The way the Act is working at the moment is manifestly an abuse of common sense" David Conway, of think-tank Civitas
As the prime minister admits he is considering re-writing the Human Rights Act, six experts - for and against the legislation - give their views.
"Many human rights cases have involved victims challenging governments" Shami Chakrabarti, Liberty
"We should be proud that we respect the human rights of people Maeve Sherlock, the Refugee Council
"The volume of cases where Human Rights Act issues have been argued has been relatively small" Simon Gallant, consultant solicitor, Mishcon de Reya
"The members of this autocratic [government] do not have to suffer the consequences" Nigel Farage MEP, UK Independence Party
"It seems criminals and illegal immigrants are elevated to some extraordinary higher status" Clive Elliot, Victims of Crime Trust
"The way the Act is working at the moment is manifestly an abuse of common sense" David Conway, of think-tank Civitas
Tactical Realities in the Counterterrorism War/ Stratfor, 17 May 2006
http://www.stratfor.com/products/premium/read_article.php?id=266303
Fred Burton
"The British government last week released two reports concerning the July 7, 2005, suicide attacks in London. Be that as it may, the reports do provide a very interesting window into the internal workings of the British intelligence and security services. Even more significantly, they speak to problems of collection and analysis that occur whenever a Western government, through its intelligence and security apparatus, attempts to pre-empt vague, potential threats or to thwart an amorphous enemy. "
Fred Burton
"The British government last week released two reports concerning the July 7, 2005, suicide attacks in London. Be that as it may, the reports do provide a very interesting window into the internal workings of the British intelligence and security services. Even more significantly, they speak to problems of collection and analysis that occur whenever a Western government, through its intelligence and security apparatus, attempts to pre-empt vague, potential threats or to thwart an amorphous enemy. "
Immigration - Points scoring / Legal Week, 18 May 2006
http://www.legalweek.com/ViewItem.asp?id=28937
Julia Onslow-Cole
The Government is proposing radical changes to the rules for employing migrants In March this year the Home Office published a paper on changes to the UK immigration system entitled Controlling Our Borders: Making Migration Work For Britain, Five Year Strategy For Asylum And Immigration. It advised that the new system will be designed in consultation with interested parties during the next couple of years and will be gradually phased in.
Julia Onslow-Cole
The Government is proposing radical changes to the rules for employing migrants In March this year the Home Office published a paper on changes to the UK immigration system entitled Controlling Our Borders: Making Migration Work For Britain, Five Year Strategy For Asylum And Immigration. It advised that the new system will be designed in consultation with interested parties during the next couple of years and will be gradually phased in.
Monday, May 15, 2006
[Australia] New rules on visas for refugees / The Age, 15 May 2006
http://digbig.com/4hqam
Andra Jackson
"REFUGEES who have lived in Australia for three years will have to prove claims of persecution a second time if they are to stay. In a landmark ruling on Friday, the full bench of the Federal Court dismissed an appeal by an Afghan refugee about the entitlement of people on temporary protection visas to permanent protection visas."
Andra Jackson
"REFUGEES who have lived in Australia for three years will have to prove claims of persecution a second time if they are to stay. In a landmark ruling on Friday, the full bench of the Federal Court dismissed an appeal by an Afghan refugee about the entitlement of people on temporary protection visas to permanent protection visas."
Passports to get hi-tech identity / Financial Express,
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=127122
Huma Siddiqui
"Biometrically-enabled e-passports promise to deter passport theft and forgeries, as well as speed up immigration checks"
Huma Siddiqui
"Biometrically-enabled e-passports promise to deter passport theft and forgeries, as well as speed up immigration checks"
Voice-based lie detector faces slow acceptance / AP Wire, 14 May 2006
http://digbig.com/4hqah
"More than 50 Wisconsin law enforcement agencies have begun to rely on a voice analysis system as an investigative tool to detect lies, while other agencies argue the analyzer is no more accurate than a coin flip. The system works by measuring tremors and stress through voice vibrations. Advocates say the analyzer is a cheaper, faster alternative to the polygraph, which records blood pressure, breathing and sweat. But opponents say the technology is unproven and reliable."
"More than 50 Wisconsin law enforcement agencies have begun to rely on a voice analysis system as an investigative tool to detect lies, while other agencies argue the analyzer is no more accurate than a coin flip. The system works by measuring tremors and stress through voice vibrations. Advocates say the analyzer is a cheaper, faster alternative to the polygraph, which records blood pressure, breathing and sweat. But opponents say the technology is unproven and reliable."
[Uganda/Rwanda] Who gave Rwandan rebels Ugandan passports? / Daily Monitor, 15 May 2006
http://digbig.com/4hqag
"The government is investigating how Ugandan passports were issued to leaders of a Rwandan rebel group operating in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
One of the men was arrested in Germany last month after he entered Europe on a Ugandan passport. In an exclusive interview with Daily Monitor, the Minister of Internal Affairs, Dr Ruhakana Rugunda confirmed that the man was traveling on a Ugandan passport.
He said, however, that preliminary findings by a team of investigators showed that the holders of the passports used false names to acquire them. “ We are trying to get the exact circumstances how they got the passports,” Rugunda said. “Uganda is looking into the accomplices in the immigration department who had a hand in it.” The probe into Immigration comes as a new law turning the embattled Immigration Department into a directorate after a series of scandals hit the organisation.2
"The government is investigating how Ugandan passports were issued to leaders of a Rwandan rebel group operating in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
One of the men was arrested in Germany last month after he entered Europe on a Ugandan passport. In an exclusive interview with Daily Monitor, the Minister of Internal Affairs, Dr Ruhakana Rugunda confirmed that the man was traveling on a Ugandan passport.
He said, however, that preliminary findings by a team of investigators showed that the holders of the passports used false names to acquire them. “ We are trying to get the exact circumstances how they got the passports,” Rugunda said. “Uganda is looking into the accomplices in the immigration department who had a hand in it.” The probe into Immigration comes as a new law turning the embattled Immigration Department into a directorate after a series of scandals hit the organisation.2
Regional Alcohol Indicators for the North West / LJMU - Centre for Public Health, 15 May 2006
Edited by Michela Morleo, Dan Dedman, Karen Hughes, Jeremy Hooper, Karen Tocque and Mark A. Bellis
Volume 1 (Part 1) - PDF - http://www.nwph.net/nwpho/Publications/AlcoholNW_may06.pdf
Volume 1 (Part 2) - PDF - http://www.nwph.net/nwpho/Publications/AlcoholNW_LAprofiles.pdf
Volume 1 (Part 1) - PDF - http://www.nwph.net/nwpho/Publications/AlcoholNW_may06.pdf
Volume 1 (Part 2) - PDF - http://www.nwph.net/nwpho/Publications/AlcoholNW_LAprofiles.pdf
“Unlocking Potential: Making Prisons Safe for Everyone” / European Network on Drugs and Infections Prevention in Prison
PDF - http://digbig.com/4hpyw
Report of the 8th European Conference of Drug and HIV/AIDS Services in Prison - Budapest, 7th-9th July 2005
Editor: Martina Melis
Report of the 8th European Conference of Drug and HIV/AIDS Services in Prison - Budapest, 7th-9th July 2005
Editor: Martina Melis
IDENTITY CRISIS / The Sunday Mail, 14 May 2006
http://digbig.com/4hpyr
Norman Silvester
"THE Royal Mail have been banned from handling passports in a bid to cut the number being stolen and sold on the black market. Posties have lost the delivery contract as civil servants admit 600,000 British passports are missing - with the Royal Mail losing up to 55,000 every year. Police say stolen passports are changing hands for up to £10,000."
Norman Silvester
"THE Royal Mail have been banned from handling passports in a bid to cut the number being stolen and sold on the black market. Posties have lost the delivery contract as civil servants admit 600,000 British passports are missing - with the Royal Mail losing up to 55,000 every year. Police say stolen passports are changing hands for up to £10,000."
Thin grey line: retired officers to give police helping hand / Herald, 15 May 2006
http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/61969.html
Lucy Admas
The demand for the "thin grey line" is now so great the Home Office is planning a national system to tap a vast reservoir of veteran officers. Chief constables have also created full-time teams of former detectives to reopen old cases. The scheme costs forces from £80 to £500 a day, depending on the rank and experience of the retired officers, but they save on overheads and profit from experience.
Lucy Admas
The demand for the "thin grey line" is now so great the Home Office is planning a national system to tap a vast reservoir of veteran officers. Chief constables have also created full-time teams of former detectives to reopen old cases. The scheme costs forces from £80 to £500 a day, depending on the rank and experience of the retired officers, but they save on overheads and profit from experience.
Sunday, May 14, 2006
[Scotland] Bobbies on beat to get helping hand / The Sunday Times, 14 May 2006
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2090-2180111,00.html
Kathleen Nutt
NEIGHBOURHOOD wardens are to be given greater powers and a new police rank of assistant constable created under Labour plans to put more officers on the streets to tackle serious crime. The wardens, who already issue on-the-spot fines for petty offences such as dog-fouling and fly-tipping, would be given the power to issue formal police cautions and to move drunks off the streets. Assistant constables would focus on paperwork and petty offences, freeing up regular police officers to tackle serious crime.
Kathleen Nutt
NEIGHBOURHOOD wardens are to be given greater powers and a new police rank of assistant constable created under Labour plans to put more officers on the streets to tackle serious crime. The wardens, who already issue on-the-spot fines for petty offences such as dog-fouling and fly-tipping, would be given the power to issue formal police cautions and to move drunks off the streets. Assistant constables would focus on paperwork and petty offences, freeing up regular police officers to tackle serious crime.
[Kenya] Kenya: Immigration runs out of passports / The Sunday Standard, 14 May 2006
http://digbig.com/4hpsr
"Having failed to procure passports via what snowballed to become the Anglo Leasing scam, the Department of Immigration has run out of passports and might not issue any in two weeks time. The move will hit hard students travelling abroad for studies, patients seeking medical treatment, the business community and those wishing to renew their passports after the ten-year expiry period. Internally, the saga is blamed on the Treasury, which has failed to give the department a go-ahead to procure additional passports without tendering — due to what insiders say is fear of sparking another Anglo Leasing-like contract. This will now see the department return the money allocated for the exercise back to the Treasury at the end of the financial year (June 30), as a passport crisis hits Kenya for the first time in history. This is unless the Treasury issues the go-ahead this week. But the immigration department insists there is no cause for alarm.
"Having failed to procure passports via what snowballed to become the Anglo Leasing scam, the Department of Immigration has run out of passports and might not issue any in two weeks time. The move will hit hard students travelling abroad for studies, patients seeking medical treatment, the business community and those wishing to renew their passports after the ten-year expiry period. Internally, the saga is blamed on the Treasury, which has failed to give the department a go-ahead to procure additional passports without tendering — due to what insiders say is fear of sparking another Anglo Leasing-like contract. This will now see the department return the money allocated for the exercise back to the Treasury at the end of the financial year (June 30), as a passport crisis hits Kenya for the first time in history. This is unless the Treasury issues the go-ahead this week. But the immigration department insists there is no cause for alarm.
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