PDF - http://www.womenandequalityunit.gov.uk/publications/muslimwomenfeedrep.pdf
"Not all women feel that their voice is being heard. Not all of them feel they can overcome the obstacles in their way to play a full role in their communities. Muslim women, in particular, have told us that they often feel excluded, sometimes by their own communities and sometimes by those outside it – and that this was particularly the case after 7th July atrocities. They feel that there are not enough Muslim women in public life – and the picture is not much better in politics either. And they are right."
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Analyzing terror campaigns on the internet: Technical sophistication, content richness, and Web interactivity
International Journal of Human-Computer Studies Volume 65, Issue 1 , January 2007, Pages 71-84
http://digbig.com/4qmcf
Jialun Qina, , , , Yilu Zhoub, , Edna Reidc, , Guanpi Laid, and Hsinchun Chenc
"Abstract
Terrorists and extremists are increasingly utilizing Internet technology to enhance their ability to influence the outside world. Due to the lack of multi-lingual and multimedia terrorist/extremist collections and advanced analytical methodologies, our empirical understanding of their Internet usage is still very limited. To address this research gap, we explore an integrated approach for identifying and collecting terrorist/extremist Web contents. We also propose a Dark Web Attribute System (DWAS) to enable quantitative Dark Web content analysis from three perspectives: technical sophistication, content richness, and Web interactivity."
PDF -http://digbig.com/4qmxc
http://digbig.com/4qmcf
Jialun Qina, , , , Yilu Zhoub, , Edna Reidc, , Guanpi Laid, and Hsinchun Chenc
"Abstract
Terrorists and extremists are increasingly utilizing Internet technology to enhance their ability to influence the outside world. Due to the lack of multi-lingual and multimedia terrorist/extremist collections and advanced analytical methodologies, our empirical understanding of their Internet usage is still very limited. To address this research gap, we explore an integrated approach for identifying and collecting terrorist/extremist Web contents. We also propose a Dark Web Attribute System (DWAS) to enable quantitative Dark Web content analysis from three perspectives: technical sophistication, content richness, and Web interactivity."
PDF -http://digbig.com/4qmxc
Crime Against Businesses in Two Ethnically Diverse Communities / Australian Institute of Criminology, December 2006
PDF - http://www.aic.gov.au/publications/tandi2/tandi321.pdf
“Patterns of victimization of ethnic businesses differ from English speaking businesses: overall rates of vandalism and/or graffiti, verbal abuse, and check and credit card fraud were higher for English speaking businesses. When the effects of other variables were held constant and business ethnicity was further broken down, the risks of shoplifting were higher for Chinese businesses and the risks of other property crime, including burglary, were higher for Vietnamese businesses compared with English speaking businesses. Yet, the risks of robbery and/or physical assault were greater for English speaking businesses. Australia is an immigrant society. Approximately 60 percent of overseas-born migrants were born in countries where English is either not an official language or is not the main language spoken by most of the population. Research suggests that language and cultural barriers can foster environments in which crime can be committed.”
“Patterns of victimization of ethnic businesses differ from English speaking businesses: overall rates of vandalism and/or graffiti, verbal abuse, and check and credit card fraud were higher for English speaking businesses. When the effects of other variables were held constant and business ethnicity was further broken down, the risks of shoplifting were higher for Chinese businesses and the risks of other property crime, including burglary, were higher for Vietnamese businesses compared with English speaking businesses. Yet, the risks of robbery and/or physical assault were greater for English speaking businesses. Australia is an immigrant society. Approximately 60 percent of overseas-born migrants were born in countries where English is either not an official language or is not the main language spoken by most of the population. Research suggests that language and cultural barriers can foster environments in which crime can be committed.”
[USA] The Public Spends Little to Provide Health Care for Undocumented Immigrants / Rand, 28 Dec 2006
PDF - http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/2006/RAND_RB9230.pdf
“The policy debate over immigration should focus not on health care costs but rather on a fuller analysis of all the fiscal benefits and costs of immigrants. Such an analysis should incorporate the taxes paid by immigrants and also the other public benefits received—in particular, public school costs—where the public costs for all types of immigrants, including undocumented immigrants, is likely to be much larger than those for nonimmigrants.” Contains summary data.
“The policy debate over immigration should focus not on health care costs but rather on a fuller analysis of all the fiscal benefits and costs of immigrants. Such an analysis should incorporate the taxes paid by immigrants and also the other public benefits received—in particular, public school costs—where the public costs for all types of immigrants, including undocumented immigrants, is likely to be much larger than those for nonimmigrants.” Contains summary data.
Fraud Risk Management: Developing a Strategy for Prevention, Detection, and Response / KPMG, December 2006
PDF - http://www.us.kpmg.com/RutUS_prod/Documents/12/FRMwp.pdf
"Provides an overview of fraud risk management fundamentals, identifies regulatory mandates from around the world, and spotlights critical practices that organizations have found to be effective when tailoring a business-driven anti-fraud program. Key sections include the following, understanding fraud and misconduct, convergence of regulatory challenges, key fraud risk management strategies including prevention, detection, and response, and, an ongoing process for managing fraud and misconduct risk."
"Provides an overview of fraud risk management fundamentals, identifies regulatory mandates from around the world, and spotlights critical practices that organizations have found to be effective when tailoring a business-driven anti-fraud program. Key sections include the following, understanding fraud and misconduct, convergence of regulatory challenges, key fraud risk management strategies including prevention, detection, and response, and, an ongoing process for managing fraud and misconduct risk."
Counter‐terrorism across the Policing Continuum
http://digbig.com/4qmwy
Police Practice and Research, Volume 7, Number 5 / December 2006, pp. 449 - 465
Darren Palmer and Chad Whelan [Sub Required]
Police Practice and Research, Volume 7, Number 5 / December 2006, pp. 449 - 465
Darren Palmer and Chad Whelan [Sub Required]
Global Security and Policing Change: The Impact of ‘Securitisation’ on Policing in England and Wales
http://digbig.com/4qmwy
Police Practice and Research, Volume 7, Number 5 / December 2006, pp. 379 - 390
Mike King and Doug Sharp [Sub Required]
Police Practice and Research, Volume 7, Number 5 / December 2006, pp. 379 - 390
Mike King and Doug Sharp [Sub Required]
A Virtual Reprise of the Stanley Milgram Obedience Experiments
PLOS ONE, 1, e39 (open access).
http://digbig.com/4qmww
Slater, M., Antley, M., Davison, A., Swapp, D., Guger, C., Barker, C., Pistrang, N. & Sanchez-Vives, M.V.
PDF - http://digbig.com/4qmwx
[A Virtual Reprise of the Stanley Milgram Obedience Experiments. The experiment has not previously been replicated by scientists, but a couple of years ago magician Derren Brown put reality show volunteers through the same experiment (pdf), and the Huffington Post reports that US TV channel ABC will screen a replication of the study on 3 January 2007.]
http://digbig.com/4qmww
Slater, M., Antley, M., Davison, A., Swapp, D., Guger, C., Barker, C., Pistrang, N. & Sanchez-Vives, M.V.
PDF - http://digbig.com/4qmwx
[A Virtual Reprise of the Stanley Milgram Obedience Experiments. The experiment has not previously been replicated by scientists, but a couple of years ago magician Derren Brown put reality show volunteers through the same experiment (pdf), and the Huffington Post reports that US TV channel ABC will screen a replication of the study on 3 January 2007.]
European Sourcebook of Crime and Criminal Justice Statistics - 2006 / Boom Juridische Uitgevers, 2006
PDF - http://www.wodc.nl/eng/Images/O&B_241_lijst_tcm12-126275.pdf
Aebi, M.F., Aromaa, K., Aubusson de Cavarlay, B., Barclay, G., Gruszczyñska, B., Hofer, H. von, Hysi, V., Jehle, J.-M., Killias, M., Smit, P., Tavares, C
List of participating countries and national corespondents
General Introduction
1. The European Sourcebook Project / Police statistics
2. Prosecution statistics
3. Conviction statistics
4. Correctional statistics
Appendices
Offence definitions; Population figures
Aebi, M.F., Aromaa, K., Aubusson de Cavarlay, B., Barclay, G., Gruszczyñska, B., Hofer, H. von, Hysi, V., Jehle, J.-M., Killias, M., Smit, P., Tavares, C
List of participating countries and national corespondents
General Introduction
1. The European Sourcebook Project / Police statistics
2. Prosecution statistics
3. Conviction statistics
4. Correctional statistics
Appendices
Offence definitions; Population figures
Crime & Delinquency, January 2007, Volume 53, No. 1 [Sub Required]
http://cad.sagepub.com/content/vol53/issue1/
Examining the Overall and Offense-Specific Criminal Career Lengths of a Sample of Serious Offenders
Crime & Delinquency 2007 53: 3-37. [Abstract] [PDF] [References]
Michael E. Ezell
Enduring Risk? Old Criminal Records and Predictions of Future Criminal Involvement
Crime & Delinquency 2007 53: 64-83. [Abstract] [PDF] [References]
Megan C. Kurlychek, Robert Brame, and Shawn D. Bushway
Enduring Risk? Old Criminal Records and Predictions of Future Criminal Involvement
Crime & Delinquency 2007 53: 64-83. [Abstract] [PDF] [References]
Megan C. Kurlychek, Robert Brame, and Shawn D. Bushway
The Inextricable Link Between Age and Criminal History in Sentencing
Crime & Delinquency 2007 53: 156-183. [Abstract] [PDF] [References]
Shawn D. Bushway and Anne Morrison Piehl
Examining the Overall and Offense-Specific Criminal Career Lengths of a Sample of Serious Offenders
Crime & Delinquency 2007 53: 3-37. [Abstract] [PDF] [References]
Michael E. Ezell
Enduring Risk? Old Criminal Records and Predictions of Future Criminal Involvement
Crime & Delinquency 2007 53: 64-83. [Abstract] [PDF] [References]
Megan C. Kurlychek, Robert Brame, and Shawn D. Bushway
Enduring Risk? Old Criminal Records and Predictions of Future Criminal Involvement
Crime & Delinquency 2007 53: 64-83. [Abstract] [PDF] [References]
Megan C. Kurlychek, Robert Brame, and Shawn D. Bushway
The Inextricable Link Between Age and Criminal History in Sentencing
Crime & Delinquency 2007 53: 156-183. [Abstract] [PDF] [References]
Shawn D. Bushway and Anne Morrison Piehl
A latent Markov model for detecting patterns of criminal activity
http://digbig.com/4qmwt
Bartolucci, Francesco; Pennoni, Ful; Francis, Brian
Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series A (Statistics in Society), Volume 170, Number 1, January 2007, pp. 115-132(18)
" The paper investigates the problem of determining patterns of criminal behaviour from official criminal histories, concentrating on the variety and type of offending convictions. [..] Through this model, we analyse the conviction histories of a cohort of offenders who were born in England and Wales in 1953. The final model identifies five latent classes and specifies common transition probabilities for males and females between 5-year age periods, but with different initial probabilities." [Sub required]
Bartolucci, Francesco; Pennoni, Ful; Francis, Brian
Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series A (Statistics in Society), Volume 170, Number 1, January 2007, pp. 115-132(18)
" The paper investigates the problem of determining patterns of criminal behaviour from official criminal histories, concentrating on the variety and type of offending convictions. [..] Through this model, we analyse the conviction histories of a cohort of offenders who were born in England and Wales in 1953. The final model identifies five latent classes and specifies common transition probabilities for males and females between 5-year age periods, but with different initial probabilities." [Sub required]
Focus: Sex Workers and Drugs / Drugscope, 21 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qmwr
Anne Welsh
To complement the Druglink Blog this week we have created a new reading list on sex workers and drugs..(PDF )
Anne Welsh
To complement the Druglink Blog this week we have created a new reading list on sex workers and drugs..(PDF )
MISERY IN YOBTOWN / People, 31 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qmwq
Henry Austin
"Shadow of despair that hangs over once prosperous community of Corby. Wrecked homes, louts on streets, heroin menace and families ill with stress of trouble."
Henry Austin
"Shadow of despair that hangs over once prosperous community of Corby. Wrecked homes, louts on streets, heroin menace and families ill with stress of trouble."
Localities Operate Intelligence Centers To Pool Terror Data / Washington Post, 31 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qmwp
Mary Beth Sheridan and Spencer S. Hsu
"Fusion' Facilities Raise Privacy Worries As Wide Range of Information Is Collected."
Mary Beth Sheridan and Spencer S. Hsu
"Fusion' Facilities Raise Privacy Worries As Wide Range of Information Is Collected."
"Strategic Action Plan for the National Identity Scheme Safeguarding your identity - Comment Website
http://www.commentonthis.com/idaction/
"A version of the Home Office's "Strategic Action Plan for the National Identity Scheme Safeguarding your identity" in web page format which allows for links and comments on each of the paragraphs. This document certainly deserves criticism, and we will probably re-publish some of our comments on this new experimental website, as well as here."
"A version of the Home Office's "Strategic Action Plan for the National Identity Scheme Safeguarding your identity" in web page format which allows for links and comments on each of the paragraphs. This document certainly deserves criticism, and we will probably re-publish some of our comments on this new experimental website, as well as here."
Self-Confidence and Search Abstract / IZA Discussion Papers, December 2006
http://ftp.iza.org/dp2525.pdf
Armin Falk, David Huffman, Uwe Sunde
"Standard search theory assumes that individuals know, with certainty, how they compare to competing searchers in terms of ability. In contrast, we hypothesize that searchers are uncertain about relative ability, with important implications for search behavior. We test our hypotheses in a laboratory experiment. The first main finding is that people are substantially uncertain about whether they are a type with a high or low probability of success, determined by being above or below the median in terms of ability. Focusing on the case of job search, we discuss how our findings can provide a new explanation for various important stylized facts from field evidence."
Armin Falk, David Huffman, Uwe Sunde
"Standard search theory assumes that individuals know, with certainty, how they compare to competing searchers in terms of ability. In contrast, we hypothesize that searchers are uncertain about relative ability, with important implications for search behavior. We test our hypotheses in a laboratory experiment. The first main finding is that people are substantially uncertain about whether they are a type with a high or low probability of success, determined by being above or below the median in terms of ability. Focusing on the case of job search, we discuss how our findings can provide a new explanation for various important stylized facts from field evidence."
Saturday, December 30, 2006
MOST WANTED / This is Lincolnshire, 30 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qmsa
"Criminals who go on the run now have an even greater chance of being caught - because their face is plastered all over the Internet. Lincolnshire Police is one of just five forces in England and Wales to have its own Most Wanted website which shows the county's most notorious villains. Only four other forces - Merseyside, West Midlands, Devon and Cornwall and London's Metropolitan Police - have a most wanted website."
"Criminals who go on the run now have an even greater chance of being caught - because their face is plastered all over the Internet. Lincolnshire Police is one of just five forces in England and Wales to have its own Most Wanted website which shows the county's most notorious villains. Only four other forces - Merseyside, West Midlands, Devon and Cornwall and London's Metropolitan Police - have a most wanted website."
A migrant a minute now coming / Migration Watch, 27 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qmrw
"Migrants are now entering the UK at the rate of nearly one a minute. An analysis of the latest immigration statistics plus the recent IPPR report on the record emigration of British people highlight the unprecedented changes that are taking place in the nature of British society."
International Migration Statistics
http://digbig.com/4qmrx
"Migrants are now entering the UK at the rate of nearly one a minute. An analysis of the latest immigration statistics plus the recent IPPR report on the record emigration of British people highlight the unprecedented changes that are taking place in the nature of British society."
International Migration Statistics
http://digbig.com/4qmrx
Getting ex-offenders into law-abiding lives / Miami Herald, 30 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qmrt
EX-OFFENDER TASK FORCE
"Excerpts from the recent report by Gov. Jeb Bush's Ex-Offender Task Force. We began our work by studying the magnitude of the challenge of making reentry successful and quickly learned that Florida has the third largest prison population in America and more than 30,000 people returning home from prison each year. The continual growth of imprisonment has created an unprecedented challenge for our state and for the local communities that must absorb these individuals upon their return home."
The full report is at http://exoffendermyflorida.com.
EX-OFFENDER TASK FORCE
"Excerpts from the recent report by Gov. Jeb Bush's Ex-Offender Task Force. We began our work by studying the magnitude of the challenge of making reentry successful and quickly learned that Florida has the third largest prison population in America and more than 30,000 people returning home from prison each year. The continual growth of imprisonment has created an unprecedented challenge for our state and for the local communities that must absorb these individuals upon their return home."
The full report is at http://exoffendermyflorida.com.
Abuse court for Ryedale / York Press, 30 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qmrs
Tom Stirling
"VICTIMS of domestic violence in Ryedale will be given ground-breaking support in the law courts. A pilot scheme will see a new domestic abuse court fast-track those cases, hearing them at the first available opportunity."
Tom Stirling
"VICTIMS of domestic violence in Ryedale will be given ground-breaking support in the law courts. A pilot scheme will see a new domestic abuse court fast-track those cases, hearing them at the first available opportunity."
Psychosocial interventions following self-harm: Systematic review of their efficacy in preventing suicide
http://digbig.com/4qmrr
Br. J. Psychiatry. 2007; 190:11-17.
MIKE J. CRAWFORD, OLIVIA THOMAS, NUSRAT KHAN, and ELENA KULINSKAYA
Br. J. Psychiatry. 2007; 190:11-17.
MIKE J. CRAWFORD, OLIVIA THOMAS, NUSRAT KHAN, and ELENA KULINSKAYA
[USA] NIJ 2005 Annual Report / National Inistitute of Justice, December 2006
PDF - http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/213267.pdf
""Discusses agency contributions in the fields of forensics, policing and corrections, victimization, and international crime, as well as the role these contributions play in facing both new and ongoing challenges in criminal justice. Accomplishments in Forensics; Policing and Corrections ; Progress in Understanding and Fighting Victimization; International Crime, at Home and Abroad."
""Discusses agency contributions in the fields of forensics, policing and corrections, victimization, and international crime, as well as the role these contributions play in facing both new and ongoing challenges in criminal justice. Accomplishments in Forensics; Policing and Corrections ; Progress in Understanding and Fighting Victimization; International Crime, at Home and Abroad."
Guidelines for Juvenile Information Sharing / OJJDP, (NCJ 215786) October 2006
PDF - http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/215786.pdf
Mankey, J., Baca, P., Rondenell, B.S., et al.
"Provides comprehensive guidelines for State and local efforts to improve information sharing among key agencies involved with at-risk youth and juvenile offenders. Drawing on the experience and expertise of leaders from youth-serving agencies and information technology initiatives throughout the country, the guidelines integrate the three critical components of juvenile information sharing—collaboration, confidentiality, and technology—into an effective developmental framework."
Mankey, J., Baca, P., Rondenell, B.S., et al.
"Provides comprehensive guidelines for State and local efforts to improve information sharing among key agencies involved with at-risk youth and juvenile offenders. Drawing on the experience and expertise of leaders from youth-serving agencies and information technology initiatives throughout the country, the guidelines integrate the three critical components of juvenile information sharing—collaboration, confidentiality, and technology—into an effective developmental framework."
Eyewitness Evidence: Improving Its Probative Value
Psychological Science in the Public Interest , Vol 7, No 2 November 2006
PDF - https://www.psychologicalscience.org/journals/pspi/pspi_7_2_article.pdf
Gary L. Wells, Amina Memon, and Steven D. Penrod
PDF - https://www.psychologicalscience.org/journals/pspi/pspi_7_2_article.pdf
Gary L. Wells, Amina Memon, and Steven D. Penrod
Risk and Rationality in Adolescent Decision Making: Implications for Theory, Practice, and Public Policy
Psychological Science in the Public Interest, September 2006 (Vol. 7, No. 1)
http://digbig.com/4qmrp
Valerie F. Reyna and Frank Farley
PDF - http://www.psychologicalscience.org/pdf/pspi/pspi7_1.pdf
Editorial: Rationality and the Adolescent Mind (PDF - 435 KB)
Summary (PDF - 438 KB)
Introduction (PDF - 446 KB)
Download Background and Perspectives (PDF - 458 KB)
Significance of the Problem (PDF - 1,257 KB)
Explanatory Models of Adolescent Risk Taking (PDF - 508 KB)
Key Findings: Description (PDF - 479 KB)
Developmental Differences in Judgment and Decision Making (PDF - 463 KB)
General Discussion: Implications of Data and Development for Risk Reduction and Avoidance (PDF - 462 KB)
References (PDF - 480 KB)
http://digbig.com/4qmrp
Valerie F. Reyna and Frank Farley
PDF - http://www.psychologicalscience.org/pdf/pspi/pspi7_1.pdf
Editorial: Rationality and the Adolescent Mind (PDF - 435 KB)
Summary (PDF - 438 KB)
Introduction (PDF - 446 KB)
Download Background and Perspectives (PDF - 458 KB)
Significance of the Problem (PDF - 1,257 KB)
Explanatory Models of Adolescent Risk Taking (PDF - 508 KB)
Key Findings: Description (PDF - 479 KB)
Developmental Differences in Judgment and Decision Making (PDF - 463 KB)
General Discussion: Implications of Data and Development for Risk Reduction and Avoidance (PDF - 462 KB)
References (PDF - 480 KB)
When Evidence Is Not Real Evidence : What you see is not always what you get / Officer, 26 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qmrn
DR. DOUG HANSON
"With the advances in forensic science over the past decade, more and more convictions are heavily dependent on detailed and specific pieces of crime scene evidence. Hairs, fibers, threads from a piece of clothing, and of course DNA evidence, all add pieces to the puzzle of facts presented to a jury. In many cases much of this evidence is circumstantial and would not stand on its own, but as part of an overall picture it fits in. But what if the evidence gathered is not what it appears to be? Most jigsaw puzzles are cut from fairly standard patterns. Therefore, it is possible for a piece from one puzzle to fit into a similar space in an entirely different puzzle. The pieces all fit, but the picture is not right. If this puzzle is used to convict someone, then it is possible for a person to be convicted of a crime they did not commit."
DR. DOUG HANSON
"With the advances in forensic science over the past decade, more and more convictions are heavily dependent on detailed and specific pieces of crime scene evidence. Hairs, fibers, threads from a piece of clothing, and of course DNA evidence, all add pieces to the puzzle of facts presented to a jury. In many cases much of this evidence is circumstantial and would not stand on its own, but as part of an overall picture it fits in. But what if the evidence gathered is not what it appears to be? Most jigsaw puzzles are cut from fairly standard patterns. Therefore, it is possible for a piece from one puzzle to fit into a similar space in an entirely different puzzle. The pieces all fit, but the picture is not right. If this puzzle is used to convict someone, then it is possible for a person to be convicted of a crime they did not commit."
The ID that follows you beyond the grave / This is London, 25 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qmrj
"The Government's plans for ID cards include knowing when you are born, when you marry and when you die. People who fail to update their national identity card will be fined a staggering £1,000, it has been revealed. And it will cost £30 to replace a lost or stolen card or buy a new one if a name needs to be changed, for example when a woman gets married. A "draconian" regime of fines, which will also include £1,000 for failing to return a dead relative's ID card, is revealed in the latest Government plans for the controversial scheme."
"The Government's plans for ID cards include knowing when you are born, when you marry and when you die. People who fail to update their national identity card will be fined a staggering £1,000, it has been revealed. And it will cost £30 to replace a lost or stolen card or buy a new one if a name needs to be changed, for example when a woman gets married. A "draconian" regime of fines, which will also include £1,000 for failing to return a dead relative's ID card, is revealed in the latest Government plans for the controversial scheme."
The Bournewood safeguards: Draft illustrative code of practice / Dept of Health, 22 Dec 2006
PDF - http://www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/14/17/64/04141764.pdf
"The Bournewood Safeguards draft illustrative guidance is intended to be used by people exercising functions under the Bournewood provisions. The intention is that the guidance will eventually form part of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 Code of Practice (due to be issued in Spring 2007). Covering note invites comments on the draft guidance before June 2007."
Bournewood safeguards: Draft illustrative code of practice: Covering note
PDF - http://www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/14/17/63/04141763.pdf
"The Bournewood Safeguards draft illustrative guidance is intended to be used by people exercising functions under the Bournewood provisions. The intention is that the guidance will eventually form part of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 Code of Practice (due to be issued in Spring 2007). Covering note invites comments on the draft guidance before June 2007."
Bournewood safeguards: Draft illustrative code of practice: Covering note
PDF - http://www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/14/17/63/04141763.pdf
SFPD's new plan considers kids if parent arrested / San Francisco Chronicle, 25 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qmrh
Elizabeth Fernandez
"An incident last year triggered alarms among child welfare workers and helped lead to the creation of innovative new guidelines on how San Francisco police officers should deal with minors during the critical moments when their parents are arrested. The goal of the guidelines is to ensure that the children will not be forgotten, left alone or dropped off with strangers."
Elizabeth Fernandez
"An incident last year triggered alarms among child welfare workers and helped lead to the creation of innovative new guidelines on how San Francisco police officers should deal with minors during the critical moments when their parents are arrested. The goal of the guidelines is to ensure that the children will not be forgotten, left alone or dropped off with strangers."
Sangatte's criminal gangs now hold the key to reaching Britain / Guardian, 24 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qmrg
Jason Burke
"The media interest has declined and the migrants are from different countries, but thousands still gather to cross the Channel."
Jason Burke
"The media interest has declined and the migrants are from different countries, but thousands still gather to cross the Channel."
Sanctuary finds funding / Harrow Times, 27 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qmrb
Alex Ali
"A POLICE project, aimed at keeping victims of domestic violence and hate crime safe was given national funding. The Harrow Sanctuary Project made it possible for victims to remain in their homes and feel safe, without fear of attack. Harrow PC Mark Dowse, who helped design the scheme, said: "Prior to the introduction of the Harrow Sanctuary Project, there was a great deal of moral support being offered to victims of domestic violence and hate crime, but there were no facilities available to help them secure their homes and prevent repeat victimisation."
Alex Ali
"A POLICE project, aimed at keeping victims of domestic violence and hate crime safe was given national funding. The Harrow Sanctuary Project made it possible for victims to remain in their homes and feel safe, without fear of attack. Harrow PC Mark Dowse, who helped design the scheme, said: "Prior to the introduction of the Harrow Sanctuary Project, there was a great deal of moral support being offered to victims of domestic violence and hate crime, but there were no facilities available to help them secure their homes and prevent repeat victimisation."
Family and community fail Romanian sex slave / Reuters Alert, 27 Dec 2006
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L08877528.htm
Justyna Pawlak
(This is part of a package of stories ahead of Romania and Bulgaria's entry into the European Union on Jan. 1)
Justyna Pawlak
(This is part of a package of stories ahead of Romania and Bulgaria's entry into the European Union on Jan. 1)
Sex slavery plagues Romania and Bulgaria / Reuters Alert, 27 Dec 2006
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L13181613.htm
Justyna Pawlak
(This is part of a package of stories ahead of Romania and Bulgaria's entry into the European Union on Jan. 1)
Justyna Pawlak
(This is part of a package of stories ahead of Romania and Bulgaria's entry into the European Union on Jan. 1)
The “Rural Mystique”: Social Disorganization and Violence Beyond Urban Communities
Western Criminology Review, Volume 7, No. 3, December 2006
PDF - http://wcr.sonoma.edu/v07n3/56.bouffard/bouffard.pdf
Leana Allen Bouffard and Lisa R. Muftic
PDF - http://wcr.sonoma.edu/v07n3/56.bouffard/bouffard.pdf
Leana Allen Bouffard and Lisa R. Muftic
Testing the General Theory of Crime: Comparing the Effects of “Imprudent Behavior” and an Attitudinal Indicator of “Low Self-Control”
Western Criminology Review, Volume 7, No. 3, December 2006
PDF - http://wcr.sonoma.edu/v07n3/41.arneklev/arneklev.pdf
Bruce J. Arneklev, Lori Elis, and Sandra Medlicott
PDF - http://wcr.sonoma.edu/v07n3/41.arneklev/arneklev.pdf
Bruce J. Arneklev, Lori Elis, and Sandra Medlicott
Self-Restraint: A Study on the Capacity and Desire for Self-Control
Western Criminology Review, Volume 7, No. 3, December 2006
PDF - http://wcr.sonoma.edu/v07n3/27.cochran/cochran.pdf
John K. Cochran, Valentina Aleksa, and Mitchell B. Chamlin
PDF - http://wcr.sonoma.edu/v07n3/27.cochran/cochran.pdf
John K. Cochran, Valentina Aleksa, and Mitchell B. Chamlin
Research: A Practitioner’s Perspective, From the Streets: Keynote Speech As Delivered at the 2006 National Institute of Justice Conference on July 17,
2006
PDF - http://wcr.sonoma.edu/v07n3/01.bratton/bratton.pdf
Western Criminology Review, Volume 7, No. 3, December 2006
William J. Bratton
PDF - http://wcr.sonoma.edu/v07n3/01.bratton/bratton.pdf
Western Criminology Review, Volume 7, No. 3, December 2006
William J. Bratton
Prison issue knives to officers to cut suicide rate / This is Hampshire, 28 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qmqy
Chris Semple
"PRISON officers at Winchester prison are to be issued with special safety' knives in an attempt to reduce the number of inmates committing suicide. The knives will be carried by all officers on cell patrol and will be used to cut down any prisoners trying to hang themselves."
Chris Semple
"PRISON officers at Winchester prison are to be issued with special safety' knives in an attempt to reduce the number of inmates committing suicide. The knives will be carried by all officers on cell patrol and will be used to cut down any prisoners trying to hang themselves."
Tasers under the gun / New Haven Register, 24 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qmqx
Phil Helsel
"A review of Milford police records and interviews with police departments that use Taser stun guns show the devices are frequently being used during much less dangerous incidents: such as drunk and disorderly cases and fist fights. Stun guns are even being used to zap unruly unarmed suspects already placed in handcuffs."
Phil Helsel
"A review of Milford police records and interviews with police departments that use Taser stun guns show the devices are frequently being used during much less dangerous incidents: such as drunk and disorderly cases and fist fights. Stun guns are even being used to zap unruly unarmed suspects already placed in handcuffs."
Justice Dept. Database Stirs Privacy Fears : Size and Scope of the Interagency Investigative Tool Worry Civil Libertarians / Washington Post, 26 Dec
2006
http://digbig.com/4qmqw
Dan Eggen
"The Justice Department is building a massive database that allows state and local police officers around the country to search millions of case files from the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and other federal law enforcement agencies, according to Justice officials. The system, known as "OneDOJ," already holds approximately 1 million case records and is projected to triple in size over the next three years, Justice officials said. The files include investigative reports, criminal-history information, details of offenses, and the names, addresses and other information of criminal suspects or targets, officials said." [2 pages]
http://digbig.com/4qmqw
Dan Eggen
"The Justice Department is building a massive database that allows state and local police officers around the country to search millions of case files from the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and other federal law enforcement agencies, according to Justice officials. The system, known as "OneDOJ," already holds approximately 1 million case records and is projected to triple in size over the next three years, Justice officials said. The files include investigative reports, criminal-history information, details of offenses, and the names, addresses and other information of criminal suspects or targets, officials said." [2 pages]
UK crime rate rise detailed, prison population surge predicted in leaked report / Jurist PaperChase Newsburst, 25 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qmqt
Kate Heneroty
"A recent UK Home Office [official website] report [text part 1, part 2, PDF] prepared for Prime Minister Tony Blair details the country's first increase in crime since the mid-1990s and predicts a massive 25% increase in its prison population over the next five years, according to the Sunday Times. The report also observes a growing gap between Britain's poorest and wealthiest residents and details a lack of cohesion among ethnic groups contributing to an upward crime trend. It makes suggestions for reducing crime including heroin vaccinations, a ban on alcohol advertising, chemical castration, ID chip implants, public shaming, parenting classes, and the use of bounty hunters. To increase cohesion in society, the report suggests a ban on face-obscuring veils [JURIST news archive] in schools. The Sunday Times has local coverage. [Brief]
Policy Review: Crime, Justice and Cohesion / Cabinet Office, November 2006
PDF - http://www.times-archive.co.uk/onlinespecials//crime1.pdf
Part 2 - PDF - http://www.times-archive.co.uk/onlinespecials//crime2.pdf
Kate Heneroty
"A recent UK Home Office [official website] report [text part 1, part 2, PDF] prepared for Prime Minister Tony Blair details the country's first increase in crime since the mid-1990s and predicts a massive 25% increase in its prison population over the next five years, according to the Sunday Times. The report also observes a growing gap between Britain's poorest and wealthiest residents and details a lack of cohesion among ethnic groups contributing to an upward crime trend. It makes suggestions for reducing crime including heroin vaccinations, a ban on alcohol advertising, chemical castration, ID chip implants, public shaming, parenting classes, and the use of bounty hunters. To increase cohesion in society, the report suggests a ban on face-obscuring veils [JURIST news archive] in schools. The Sunday Times has local coverage. [Brief]
Policy Review: Crime, Justice and Cohesion / Cabinet Office, November 2006
PDF - http://www.times-archive.co.uk/onlinespecials//crime1.pdf
Part 2 - PDF - http://www.times-archive.co.uk/onlinespecials//crime2.pdf
[Jamaica] Flawed critique, flawed analysis - Deportee study followed tried and tested methodology / Jamaican gleaner, 24 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qmqr
Annmarie Barnes
"I write in response to an article published in the In Focus section of The Sunday Gleaner on December 17, in which UWI professor, Bernard Headley, suggested that the recently completed Criminal Deportation Study, of which I am the main author, is flawed. The criticisms levelled at the study team and the funders of the research project are at variance with the facts and distract attention from the substantive elements of the country's first systematic attempt to interrogate the impact of criminal deportation on the society, and to develop a comprehensive policy framework for addressing the increased deportation of Jamaican nationals who have been convicted of crimes in other countries."
Annmarie Barnes
"I write in response to an article published in the In Focus section of The Sunday Gleaner on December 17, in which UWI professor, Bernard Headley, suggested that the recently completed Criminal Deportation Study, of which I am the main author, is flawed. The criticisms levelled at the study team and the funders of the research project are at variance with the facts and distract attention from the substantive elements of the country's first systematic attempt to interrogate the impact of criminal deportation on the society, and to develop a comprehensive policy framework for addressing the increased deportation of Jamaican nationals who have been convicted of crimes in other countries."
[Venezuela ] Inside story of a regime of terror / The Guardian, 28 Dec 2006
http://www.guardian.co.uk/venezuela/story/0,,1979196,00.html
Rory Carroll
"Foreign inmates face daily fight for survival in one of the world's most brutal jails. Britain has an agreement with Venezuela but bureaucratic hurdles can last more than three years."
Rory Carroll
"Foreign inmates face daily fight for survival in one of the world's most brutal jails. Britain has an agreement with Venezuela but bureaucratic hurdles can last more than three years."
ILLITERACY REINFORCES PRISONERS' CAPTIVITY / San Francisco Chronicle, 27 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qmqq
James Sterngold
" State prisons are crowded with inmates lacking a basic education -- Their dismal job prospects mean they're likely to land back behind bars"
James Sterngold
" State prisons are crowded with inmates lacking a basic education -- Their dismal job prospects mean they're likely to land back behind bars"
High-sensitivity detection of TNT
PNAS December 26, 2006 vol. 103 no. 52 19630-19634
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/103/52/19630
Michael B. Pushkarsky, Ilya G. Dunayevskiy, Manu Prasanna, Alexei G. Tsekoun, Rowel Go, and C. Kumar N. Patel [Sub Required]
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/103/52/19630
Michael B. Pushkarsky, Ilya G. Dunayevskiy, Manu Prasanna, Alexei G. Tsekoun, Rowel Go, and C. Kumar N. Patel [Sub Required]
Gift cards just the ticket for organized crime / Canwest News Service, 26 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qmqm
Andrew Mayeda
"Those gift cards that countless shoppers will be cashing in are also landing under the Christmas trees of organized-crime groups, who use them as ``virtual currency'' for drug deals and money laundering, according to the RCMP. A recent organized-crime threat assessment for Canada and the United States identified gift cards and prepaid debit cards as one of the tools in the financial-crime kit of organized crime. The assessment was compiled by the RCMP, the FBI and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration." [2 pages]
Andrew Mayeda
"Those gift cards that countless shoppers will be cashing in are also landing under the Christmas trees of organized-crime groups, who use them as ``virtual currency'' for drug deals and money laundering, according to the RCMP. A recent organized-crime threat assessment for Canada and the United States identified gift cards and prepaid debit cards as one of the tools in the financial-crime kit of organized crime. The assessment was compiled by the RCMP, the FBI and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration." [2 pages]
Forensics reaches into the future : How far should we let the DNA database go? / Register, 27 Dec 2006
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/12/27/forensics_feature/
Page: 1 2 3 Next >
Chris Williams
"We began researching this piece long before the recent murders in Suffolk. That horror has served to remind us that forensic technologies are now often the first thought in any criminal investigation. The shiny power of DNA technology is in no doubt, but are we in danger of being dazzled by it?"
Page: 1 2 3 Next >
Chris Williams
"We began researching this piece long before the recent murders in Suffolk. That horror has served to remind us that forensic technologies are now often the first thought in any criminal investigation. The shiny power of DNA technology is in no doubt, but are we in danger of being dazzled by it?"
Europol to become a more effective EU agency to help police cooperation between the Member States / EU Brussels, 20 December 2006
http://digbig.com/4qmqk
IP/06/1861
"The European Police Office (Europol) is about to be transformed. In order to give the Office a more flexible operating framework, the Commission has put forward a draft Council decision to replace the Convention of 26 July 1995, which set it up. As a result, Europol will become more flexible and effective in its task of assisting the Member States in the fight against terrorism, organised crime and all forms of serious crime."
IP/06/1861
"The European Police Office (Europol) is about to be transformed. In order to give the Office a more flexible operating framework, the Commission has put forward a draft Council decision to replace the Convention of 26 July 1995, which set it up. As a result, Europol will become more flexible and effective in its task of assisting the Member States in the fight against terrorism, organised crime and all forms of serious crime."
[Brazil] Colorful New Passports for Brazil / OhmyNews, 26 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qmqj
Antonio Carlos Rix
"Security measures bring travel documents up to international standards. From January the Brazilian government will be releasing a new model of passport. This change was necessary for security reasons because the Brazilian passport is much sought after by criminals. With the changes, Brazil comes to terms with the norms of the International Civil Aviation Organization."
Antonio Carlos Rix
"Security measures bring travel documents up to international standards. From January the Brazilian government will be releasing a new model of passport. This change was necessary for security reasons because the Brazilian passport is much sought after by criminals. With the changes, Brazil comes to terms with the norms of the International Civil Aviation Organization."
Media Muslim coverage scrutinised / BBC, 28 Dec 2006
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6212821.stm
Charlie Beckett Presenter, Radio 4's Analysis
Charlie Beckett Presenter, Radio 4's Analysis
Arrest Deters Kerb Crawlers From Further Prostitution Activity / Medical News Today, 27 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qmqh
"New research indicates that men arrested for buying sex from prostitutes are much less likely to continue their prostitution activity than clients of prostitutes not arrested for such behavior."
A Large Specific Deterrent Effect of Arrest for Patronizing a Prostitute.
PLoS ONE 1(1): e60. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0000060
http://digbig.com/4qmxa
Brewer DD, Potterat JJ, Muth SQ, Roberts JM (2006)
PDF - http://digbig.com/4qmxb
"New research indicates that men arrested for buying sex from prostitutes are much less likely to continue their prostitution activity than clients of prostitutes not arrested for such behavior."
A Large Specific Deterrent Effect of Arrest for Patronizing a Prostitute.
PLoS ONE 1(1): e60. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0000060
http://digbig.com/4qmxa
Brewer DD, Potterat JJ, Muth SQ, Roberts JM (2006)
PDF - http://digbig.com/4qmxb
Archbishop of York calls for an end to talk about multiculturalism / This is London, 25 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qmqg
"The Archbishop of York warned today that community cohesion can only be meaningfully achieved if there is an end to talk of multi-culturalism and cultural diversity. In his Christmas Day sermon, Dr John Sentamu, urged people to come together to "build our dwelling tent together".
Read the Archbishop's sermon in full
Read more... • Cardinal: England is 'profoundly needy land'
"The Archbishop of York warned today that community cohesion can only be meaningfully achieved if there is an end to talk of multi-culturalism and cultural diversity. In his Christmas Day sermon, Dr John Sentamu, urged people to come together to "build our dwelling tent together".
Read the Archbishop's sermon in full
Read more... • Cardinal: England is 'profoundly needy land'
[Australia] ACT asylum seekers to get free health care / ABC News, 28 Dec 2006
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200612/s1818766.htm
"All asylum seekers living in the ACT will be able to receive free health care from next year.
Under the Federal Government's Medicare program, some asylum seekers on temporary protection visas have been forced to pay for public hospital visits, dental and other community health services. The ACT Health Minister Katy Gallagher says the Government has followed the lead of Victoria and granted the exemption. "These asylum seekers aren't able to work, they aren't able to earn an income and therefore to charge them full rate for access to health care is not fair, it's not practical, they can't afford it," she said. "And as a result for these type of asylum seekers many of them are not accessing health services when they need them." [Brief]
"All asylum seekers living in the ACT will be able to receive free health care from next year.
Under the Federal Government's Medicare program, some asylum seekers on temporary protection visas have been forced to pay for public hospital visits, dental and other community health services. The ACT Health Minister Katy Gallagher says the Government has followed the lead of Victoria and granted the exemption. "These asylum seekers aren't able to work, they aren't able to earn an income and therefore to charge them full rate for access to health care is not fair, it's not practical, they can't afford it," she said. "And as a result for these type of asylum seekers many of them are not accessing health services when they need them." [Brief]
[Ireland] 1 In 3 Drivers Under 'The Limit' For Alcohol Still Test Positive For Drugs / Medical News Today, 26 Dec 2006
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=59001
"One in three drivers suspected of driving while ‘over the limit,’ but subsequently found to be below maximum permissible levels of alcohol, nevertheless tested positive for a range of drugs, reveals research in Injury Prevention."
Drinking, drugs and driving in Ireland: more evidence for action
Inj. Prev., Dec 2006; 12: 404 - 408
P Fitzpatrick, L Daly, C P Leavy, and D A Cusack
Abstract - http://ip.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/12/6/404
[Sub Required]
"One in three drivers suspected of driving while ‘over the limit,’ but subsequently found to be below maximum permissible levels of alcohol, nevertheless tested positive for a range of drugs, reveals research in Injury Prevention."
Drinking, drugs and driving in Ireland: more evidence for action
Inj. Prev., Dec 2006; 12: 404 - 408
P Fitzpatrick, L Daly, C P Leavy, and D A Cusack
Abstract - http://ip.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/12/6/404
[Sub Required]
[USA] Immigration Consequences of Criminal Activity / CRS, updated 12 Dec 2006
PDF - http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/78335.pdf
Michael John Garcia
"Congress has broad plenary authority to determine classes of aliens who may be admitted into the United States and the grounds for which they may be removed. Pursuant to the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA),2 as amended, certain conduct may either disqualify an alien from entering the United States or provide grounds for his or her removal. Prominently included among this conduct is criminal activity."
Michael John Garcia
"Congress has broad plenary authority to determine classes of aliens who may be admitted into the United States and the grounds for which they may be removed. Pursuant to the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA),2 as amended, certain conduct may either disqualify an alien from entering the United States or provide grounds for his or her removal. Prominently included among this conduct is criminal activity."
Friday, December 29, 2006
[Australia] Home-grown cells Australia's big terror threat / Age, 30 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qmnt
Ian Munro
"AUSTRALIA will have to live with an ongoing terrorist threat — at its most lethal from a small cell of home-grown terrorists — according to the head of a terrorism think tank. Al-Qaeda in Indonesia had been dismantled and its ally, Jemaah Islamiah (JI), was rebuilding, but the greatest threat to Australians' security now was the self-contained and self-motivated, home-grown terror group, Terrorism Intelligence Centre director Clive Williams said."
Ian Munro
"AUSTRALIA will have to live with an ongoing terrorist threat — at its most lethal from a small cell of home-grown terrorists — according to the head of a terrorism think tank. Al-Qaeda in Indonesia had been dismantled and its ally, Jemaah Islamiah (JI), was rebuilding, but the greatest threat to Australians' security now was the self-contained and self-motivated, home-grown terror group, Terrorism Intelligence Centre director Clive Williams said."
[Australia] Does crime increase over Christmas and New Year? / BOCSAR, 29 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qmns
"The NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research is often asked whether crime increases over the Christmas and New Year period. In response to these enquiries, we have carried out an analysis of crime statistics for selected offences. Figures 1 and 2 below show the average number of criminal incidents recorded by NSW Police occurring on each day from 18 December to 14 January. The averages were calculated by considering data from four consecutive years, 2002/03 to 2005/06. We have only considered incidents where an incident date was recorded by Police.1 Figure 1 shows the daily average number of personal crime incidents and Figure 2 shows the daily average number of property crime incidents."
"The NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research is often asked whether crime increases over the Christmas and New Year period. In response to these enquiries, we have carried out an analysis of crime statistics for selected offences. Figures 1 and 2 below show the average number of criminal incidents recorded by NSW Police occurring on each day from 18 December to 14 January. The averages were calculated by considering data from four consecutive years, 2002/03 to 2005/06. We have only considered incidents where an incident date was recorded by Police.1 Figure 1 shows the daily average number of personal crime incidents and Figure 2 shows the daily average number of property crime incidents."
Home Office Circular 42/2006 / National Offender Management Service (NOMS) - Offender, Law and Sentencing Policy Directorate, Criminal Law Policy Unit
27 Dec 2006
http://www.knowledgenetwork.gov.uk/HO/circular.nsf/79755433dd36a66980256d4f004d1514/4597cd4c98b621418025724b004d9c6a?OpenDocument
The Home Office has published Home Office Circular 42/2006 on the subject of the Fraud Act 2006.
http://www.knowledgenetwork.gov.uk/HO/circular.nsf/79755433dd36a66980256d4f004d1514/4597cd4c98b621418025724b004d9c6a?OpenDocument
The Home Office has published Home Office Circular 42/2006 on the subject of the Fraud Act 2006.
YouTube clip leads to arrest in Canadian murder hunt / Register, 22 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qmnh
By John Leyden → More by this author
"Mounties get their man. A video clip posted on YouTube has helped Canadian police in the investigation of a nightclub murder. Police in the southern Canadian city of Hamilton posted a clip from club surveillance cameras onto the popular naff clip sharing site in an appeal for information."
By John Leyden → More by this author
"Mounties get their man. A video clip posted on YouTube has helped Canadian police in the investigation of a nightclub murder. Police in the southern Canadian city of Hamilton posted a clip from club surveillance cameras onto the popular naff clip sharing site in an appeal for information."
Cloaking device makes invisible progress : Light-emitting objects problem whacked / Register, 28 Dec 2006
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/12/28/maxwell_invisiblity_cloak/
Chris Williams
"Mathematicians have proposed improvements to cloaking technology to hide objects which emit their own electromagnetic radiation. In October, a transatlantic team of scientists demonstrated the world's first working invisibility cloak, which uses metamaterials to bend electromagnetism around an object as if it weren't there."
Chris Williams
"Mathematicians have proposed improvements to cloaking technology to hide objects which emit their own electromagnetic radiation. In October, a transatlantic team of scientists demonstrated the world's first working invisibility cloak, which uses metamaterials to bend electromagnetism around an object as if it weren't there."
Good Samaritans keeping our streets safe / Western Mail, 26 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qmne
Sam Burson
"A GROUP dubbed the Street Pastors are set to expand all over Wales after their alternative methods for ensuring law and order received a glowing police report. The group have been patrolling a Welsh town for eight months, and are now planning to induct more volunteers, and cover more nights. The Street Pastors, consisting of Christian volunteers, have been spending Friday evenings trying to minimise trouble caused by the weekly throng of drunken revellers in Wrexham."
Sam Burson
"A GROUP dubbed the Street Pastors are set to expand all over Wales after their alternative methods for ensuring law and order received a glowing police report. The group have been patrolling a Welsh town for eight months, and are now planning to induct more volunteers, and cover more nights. The Street Pastors, consisting of Christian volunteers, have been spending Friday evenings trying to minimise trouble caused by the weekly throng of drunken revellers in Wrexham."
Online criminals threatened with sex offenders' register / Register, 22 Dec 2006
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/12/22/sexual_offences_increase/
OUT-LAW.COM
"Web of offences widened. Internet and email users can be added to the sex offenders' register for a whole slew of new offences after the Home Office drastically increased the number of relevant offences. An unspecified range of offences related to internet and phone use has been added. Now people committing a crime that involves improper use of public electronic communications networks can be made to be subject to the strict conditions imposed by being on the sex offenders' register."
OUT-LAW.COM
"Web of offences widened. Internet and email users can be added to the sex offenders' register for a whole slew of new offences after the Home Office drastically increased the number of relevant offences. An unspecified range of offences related to internet and phone use has been added. Now people committing a crime that involves improper use of public electronic communications networks can be made to be subject to the strict conditions imposed by being on the sex offenders' register."
Extradition for Nuclear Terrorism—Qualms / International Extradition Blog, 26 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qmna
McNabb Associates, P.C.
"The death of Alexander Litvinenko has elevated the profile of polonium-210 to such a degree that a Polish restaurant in the United Kingdom has seen an unprecedented surge in patronage by the mere fact that it is called “Polonium.”[1] What has been less reported, as detailed by Igor Khripunov and William C. Potter in the San Jose Mercury News, is how the apparent use of a polonium-210 pill as a murder weapon just may fall within the confines of the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism [hereinafter Convention].[2]"
McNabb Associates, P.C.
"The death of Alexander Litvinenko has elevated the profile of polonium-210 to such a degree that a Polish restaurant in the United Kingdom has seen an unprecedented surge in patronage by the mere fact that it is called “Polonium.”[1] What has been less reported, as detailed by Igor Khripunov and William C. Potter in the San Jose Mercury News, is how the apparent use of a polonium-210 pill as a murder weapon just may fall within the confines of the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism [hereinafter Convention].[2]"
Extradition from the Netherlands to the United States—Wesam al Delaema Update / International Extrdition Blog, 20 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qmmy
McNabb Associates, P.C.
"The long and fascinating story of Wesam al Delaema seems to have reached an end in the Netherlands, with a surely just-as-interesting story about to begin in the United States. If you recall, we have discussed Mr. al Delaema—who is the first individual to be charged with committing terrorism in Iraq—at length, most recently in February of this year. The United States wants him extradited, and he has attempted to avoid extradition by arguing that he is innocent and could be sent to Guantanamo Bay."
McNabb Associates, P.C.
"The long and fascinating story of Wesam al Delaema seems to have reached an end in the Netherlands, with a surely just-as-interesting story about to begin in the United States. If you recall, we have discussed Mr. al Delaema—who is the first individual to be charged with committing terrorism in Iraq—at length, most recently in February of this year. The United States wants him extradited, and he has attempted to avoid extradition by arguing that he is innocent and could be sent to Guantanamo Bay."
Police alert over menace from illegal drug labs / Yorkshire Post, 28 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qmms
Paul Whitehouse
"A NEW illegal drug presents such an unprecedented risk to the public that police are being forced to review the protective equipment and training for officers who will raid production laboratories. Crystal meth, a derivative of amphetamine which can be made from readily available ingredients, has ravaged communities across America where it is hugely popular and its use in the UK is increasing."
Paul Whitehouse
"A NEW illegal drug presents such an unprecedented risk to the public that police are being forced to review the protective equipment and training for officers who will raid production laboratories. Crystal meth, a derivative of amphetamine which can be made from readily available ingredients, has ravaged communities across America where it is hugely popular and its use in the UK is increasing."
Crack and coke shame of North / The Sunday Sun, 24 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qmmr
Phil Doherty
"There are believed to be 6000 crack and cocaine addicts in the North who need to find £150m a year through crime and prostitution to fuel their habit."
Phil Doherty
"There are believed to be 6000 crack and cocaine addicts in the North who need to find £150m a year through crime and prostitution to fuel their habit."
The Bad guys know what they're doing / International Herald Tribune, 19 Dec 2006
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/12/19/opinion/edferg.php
Charles D. Ferguson
"The glaring but largely overlooked message in the radiation poisoning of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko is that the underworld has become expert in effectively using radioactive materials for malicious purposes. This is the first example of real or attempted radiological crime or terrorism where the perpetrators were true experts. This case should alter government's perception of radiological terrorism in the same way that 9/11 affected their overall perception of terrorism."
Charles D. Ferguson
"The glaring but largely overlooked message in the radiation poisoning of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko is that the underworld has become expert in effectively using radioactive materials for malicious purposes. This is the first example of real or attempted radiological crime or terrorism where the perpetrators were true experts. This case should alter government's perception of radiological terrorism in the same way that 9/11 affected their overall perception of terrorism."
New York Spurs Counterterrorism Efforts / Council on Foreign Relations, 28 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qmmq
Eben Kaplan
Introduction
How do cities and states deal with the threat of terrorism?
Do the federal authorities coordinate with local governments?
How are relations between the federal government and New York?
What counterterrorism efforts has New York City made since 9/11?
Can New York's counterterrorism efforts be duplicated elsewhere?
What lessons have other cities and states drawn from New York?
What are some other local disaster-prevention methods?
What are some criticisms of these local efforts?
Eben Kaplan
Introduction
How do cities and states deal with the threat of terrorism?
Do the federal authorities coordinate with local governments?
How are relations between the federal government and New York?
What counterterrorism efforts has New York City made since 9/11?
Can New York's counterterrorism efforts be duplicated elsewhere?
What lessons have other cities and states drawn from New York?
What are some other local disaster-prevention methods?
What are some criticisms of these local efforts?
Saturday, December 23, 2006
‘I WILL BE A CHANGED MAN’ / The Voice, 23 Dec 2006
http://www.voice-online.co.uk/content.php?show=10569
DALE MCNISH
"Inmates back to classroom to improve on self-development and life-changing skills. Awoyemi, was one of 11 inmates at Brixton prison who recently went back to the classroom to improve on their social and life skills, covering topics such as identity, reclaiming control, coping with interviews, how to change the behaviour, taking charge of the past, identifying skills and interests and seizing the opportunity. The inmates were awarded certificates of achievement in addition to getting a book for successfully completing the eight-week accredited course at a graduation exercise held on the prison compound."
DALE MCNISH
"Inmates back to classroom to improve on self-development and life-changing skills. Awoyemi, was one of 11 inmates at Brixton prison who recently went back to the classroom to improve on their social and life skills, covering topics such as identity, reclaiming control, coping with interviews, how to change the behaviour, taking charge of the past, identifying skills and interests and seizing the opportunity. The inmates were awarded certificates of achievement in addition to getting a book for successfully completing the eight-week accredited course at a graduation exercise held on the prison compound."
[Kenya] Revised Requirements for Passports and Identification Cards / Kenya / London News, 23 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qksh
Sumba Snr and agencies
""Change in regulationThe Government shall from January 1, 2007 issue passports valid for 10 years thereby phasing out renewal after 5 years. The renewal fee will be inbuilt in the initial payment. However, passports already in circulation shall be renewed at the prevailing fees schedule as they fall due. The move is expected to enhance service delivery and make Kenyan passports conform to International Civil Aviation Organisation’s standard which discourages use of wet stamps to curb possible manipulation."
Sumba Snr and agencies
""Change in regulationThe Government shall from January 1, 2007 issue passports valid for 10 years thereby phasing out renewal after 5 years. The renewal fee will be inbuilt in the initial payment. However, passports already in circulation shall be renewed at the prevailing fees schedule as they fall due. The move is expected to enhance service delivery and make Kenyan passports conform to International Civil Aviation Organisation’s standard which discourages use of wet stamps to curb possible manipulation."
Friday, December 22, 2006
Stars back use of machine to cure heroin addiction / Herald, 22 Dec 2006
http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/77280.html
MARTYN McLAUGHLIN
"Drug rehabilitation experts and politicians have called for clinical trials on an abstinence treatment hailed by a succession of former celebrity drug users. The electromedicine device, known as Net, is gathering growing support among addiction specialists, and a group of its champions have already met First Minister Jack McConnell."
MARTYN McLAUGHLIN
"Drug rehabilitation experts and politicians have called for clinical trials on an abstinence treatment hailed by a succession of former celebrity drug users. The electromedicine device, known as Net, is gathering growing support among addiction specialists, and a group of its champions have already met First Minister Jack McConnell."
[USA] The missing pieces in the sex-offender debate / Rochester City, 20 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qkpk
TIM LOUIS MACALUSO
"State legislators trooped back to Albany for one day last week, primarily to try to iron out differences on a tough new sex-offender law. But despite the media attention before the special session, legislators failed once again to reach an agreement. The law, which New York politicians have been haggling over for 13 years, is called a "civil confinement" law. It would permit the state to hold many sex offenders in psychiatric hospitals after they've served their prison sentence. The idea is popular with politicians: few crimes disturb the public more than those involving sex offenses."
TIM LOUIS MACALUSO
"State legislators trooped back to Albany for one day last week, primarily to try to iron out differences on a tough new sex-offender law. But despite the media attention before the special session, legislators failed once again to reach an agreement. The law, which New York politicians have been haggling over for 13 years, is called a "civil confinement" law. It would permit the state to hold many sex offenders in psychiatric hospitals after they've served their prison sentence. The idea is popular with politicians: few crimes disturb the public more than those involving sex offenses."
[USA] Police increasingly watching Internet / Herald Tribune, 18 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qkpj
KRISTEN KRIDEL
"Florida law enforcement agencies, backed by hundreds of thousands of dollars in state grants, now are patrolling the Internet in the same way officers have traditionally pounded the streets of their beats.Investigators have been seeking out online sexual predators for years. But experts say the number of officers searching for cyberspace crimes is rapidly rising as they turn social networking Web sites, such as Facebook.com and MySpace.com, into their personal beats."
KRISTEN KRIDEL
"Florida law enforcement agencies, backed by hundreds of thousands of dollars in state grants, now are patrolling the Internet in the same way officers have traditionally pounded the streets of their beats.Investigators have been seeking out online sexual predators for years. But experts say the number of officers searching for cyberspace crimes is rapidly rising as they turn social networking Web sites, such as Facebook.com and MySpace.com, into their personal beats."
A discrete-time survival study of drug use and property offending : implications for early intervention and treatment / Australian Institute of Crimin
PDF - http://www.aic.gov.au/publications/tbp/tbp024/tbp024.pdf
Jason Payne
"One Australian is estimated to become the victim of a property crime such as burglary or theft every 30 seconds. And the popular perception is that most of these crimes - which cost us more than $5 billion a year - are carried out by drug addicts trying to fund their expensive habits. But a new Australian Institute of Criminology study shows the links between property crimes and illicit drugs is far more complex than we think. The study looked at 1500 prisoners convicted of property crimes in Queensland, Western Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory. It found that while most of the offenders were drug users – 89 per cent had used cannabis and 75 per cent had used other drugs such as amphetamines, heroin or cocaine – the use of drugs didn’t necessarily cause the crime." [Hat-tip: Gotcha]
Jason Payne
"One Australian is estimated to become the victim of a property crime such as burglary or theft every 30 seconds. And the popular perception is that most of these crimes - which cost us more than $5 billion a year - are carried out by drug addicts trying to fund their expensive habits. But a new Australian Institute of Criminology study shows the links between property crimes and illicit drugs is far more complex than we think. The study looked at 1500 prisoners convicted of property crimes in Queensland, Western Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory. It found that while most of the offenders were drug users – 89 per cent had used cannabis and 75 per cent had used other drugs such as amphetamines, heroin or cocaine – the use of drugs didn’t necessarily cause the crime." [Hat-tip: Gotcha]
New roadblocks to drunk driving / LA Times, 18 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qkpf
Shari Roan
"The decline in alcohol-related deaths has stalled, spurring high-tech strategies."
Shari Roan
"The decline in alcohol-related deaths has stalled, spurring high-tech strategies."
[Australia] Injecting room 'not bad' for crime / Sydney Morning Herald, 21 Dec 2006
"Sydney's controversial supervised injecting room has had no impact on local crime rates, new figures show. The NSW Opposition has repeatedly called for the medically supervised injecting centre (MSIC) at Kings Cross to be shut down, most recently claiming users were going there to inject the drug ice. Critics of the facility claim it attracts drug users to the area to deal narcotics and leads to increased crime. But the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) found crime in Kings Cross has remained steady or declined since the injecting room opened five years ago."
Recent trends in property and drug-related crime in Kings Cross
PDF - http://digbig.com/4qkpe
Recent trends in property and drug-related crime in Kings Cross
PDF - http://digbig.com/4qkpe
Fingerprint technology helps identify the dead / Medical Devices & Surgical Technology Week, 24 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qkpb
"Technology developed for roadside fingerprints using hand-held devices - announced in the media - has also been pioneered in identifying the dead, it has been revealed. The University of Leicester, working with Leicestershire Constabulary and the Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Hamburg, recorded the first ever use of the technology on the dead over six months ago. The purpose of developing the technique is to enable rapid identification of the deceased and would be of particular benefit in cases of mass fatalities." [Sub Required]
"Technology developed for roadside fingerprints using hand-held devices - announced in the media - has also been pioneered in identifying the dead, it has been revealed. The University of Leicester, working with Leicestershire Constabulary and the Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Hamburg, recorded the first ever use of the technology on the dead over six months ago. The purpose of developing the technique is to enable rapid identification of the deceased and would be of particular benefit in cases of mass fatalities." [Sub Required]
UK Statute Law Database: use with care / Impact, 21 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qkpa
"I've received 2 comments on my post about the new UK Statute Law database. They're featured below that post of course, but are worth repeating here so that potential users of the database are aware of its limitations. A Lecturer on Law at Edinburgh Law School, commented: "I have tested this against a few statutes I know well and found that there are a number of inaccuracies."
"I've received 2 comments on my post about the new UK Statute Law database. They're featured below that post of course, but are worth repeating here so that potential users of the database are aware of its limitations. A Lecturer on Law at Edinburgh Law School, commented: "I have tested this against a few statutes I know well and found that there are a number of inaccuracies."
[Canada] Police identify body found decades ago : Now, the hunt is on for clues as to who killed aspiring musician/ Globe & Mail, 20 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qkny
TENILLE BONOGUORE AND MICHELLE COLLINS
"For almost 40 years, he was a reference number in the office of the chief coroner of Ontario, a collection of bones kept in respectful storage waiting for a name, waiting for mourners, waiting for his killer to be found. In New Brunswick, a family was also waiting. In 1967, their 17-year-old son and brother had hitchhiked to Toronto from Marysville, a small community since swallowed by Fredericton. A gifted guitarist, he was chasing big-city dreams. And then he vanished."
TENILLE BONOGUORE AND MICHELLE COLLINS
"For almost 40 years, he was a reference number in the office of the chief coroner of Ontario, a collection of bones kept in respectful storage waiting for a name, waiting for mourners, waiting for his killer to be found. In New Brunswick, a family was also waiting. In 1967, their 17-year-old son and brother had hitchhiked to Toronto from Marysville, a small community since swallowed by Fredericton. A gifted guitarist, he was chasing big-city dreams. And then he vanished."
[Netherlands] Extra police powers for potential terrorist targets / Dutch News, 20 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qknx
"The police are to be given extra powers in several parts of the Netherlands because of their vulnerability to terrorist attacks. The special powers will give the police the right to stop and search people, cars and objects. This will enable the police to intervene immediately if there are indications a terrorist attack is being planned."
"The police are to be given extra powers in several parts of the Netherlands because of their vulnerability to terrorist attacks. The special powers will give the police the right to stop and search people, cars and objects. This will enable the police to intervene immediately if there are indications a terrorist attack is being planned."
George Orwell Was Right: Spy Cameras See Britons' Every Move / Bloomberg, 22 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qknw
Nick Allen
"It's Saturday night in Middlesbrough, England, and drunken university students are celebrating the start of the school year, known as Freshers' Week. One picks up a traffic cone and runs down the street. Suddenly, a disembodied voice booms out from above: ``You in the black jacket! Yes, you! Put it back!'' The confused student obeys as his friends look bewildered."
Nick Allen
"It's Saturday night in Middlesbrough, England, and drunken university students are celebrating the start of the school year, known as Freshers' Week. One picks up a traffic cone and runs down the street. Suddenly, a disembodied voice booms out from above: ``You in the black jacket! Yes, you! Put it back!'' The confused student obeys as his friends look bewildered."
[Scotland] Persistent young offenders’ policy doubt / Hoyrood, 18 Dec 2006
http://www.holyrood.com/nav/news/stories/story.asp?story=just224
"There is rising doubt about the Executive’s approach to youth justice among social workers and opposition parties. Key to the doubts is the approach taken to persistent young offenders (PYOs), children who are referred to the Children’s Reporter for five or more offences in a six-month period. The Executive has pledged to reduce the number of PYOs by 10 per cent by 2008, but instead of looking likely to reach that target, the Executive is becoming increasingly embarrassed by rising numbers of those classified as PYOs."
"There is rising doubt about the Executive’s approach to youth justice among social workers and opposition parties. Key to the doubts is the approach taken to persistent young offenders (PYOs), children who are referred to the Children’s Reporter for five or more offences in a six-month period. The Executive has pledged to reduce the number of PYOs by 10 per cent by 2008, but instead of looking likely to reach that target, the Executive is becoming increasingly embarrassed by rising numbers of those classified as PYOs."
[USA] Analysis: Biometric exit check dead? / UPI, 19 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qkns
SHAUN WATERMAN
"Department of Homeland Security officials say they have not abandoned the idea of biometrically verifying the identities of foreigners leaving the United States by land, but acknowledge that it is at the bottom of a long "to do" list of border security measures. A report last week from the Government Accountability Office stated that officials had concluded that "for various reasons, a biometric ... exit capability cannot now be implemented without incurring a major impact" on economically vital traffic flows at border crossings."
SHAUN WATERMAN
"Department of Homeland Security officials say they have not abandoned the idea of biometrically verifying the identities of foreigners leaving the United States by land, but acknowledge that it is at the bottom of a long "to do" list of border security measures. A report last week from the Government Accountability Office stated that officials had concluded that "for various reasons, a biometric ... exit capability cannot now be implemented without incurring a major impact" on economically vital traffic flows at border crossings."
The 9/11 Fact File / Spiegel, 20 Dec 2006
http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,451741,00.html
"Conspiracy theories such as those popularized in the Internet documentary Loose Change are all the rage. Yet they are easy to refute, using new evidence from video and audiotape recordings, statements of captured al Qaeda members and the reports of commissions investigating the events."
"Conspiracy theories such as those popularized in the Internet documentary Loose Change are all the rage. Yet they are easy to refute, using new evidence from video and audiotape recordings, statements of captured al Qaeda members and the reports of commissions investigating the events."
The Radical Loser / Spiegel, 20 Dec 2006
http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,451379,00.html
Hans Magnus Enzensberger
"One of Germany's most influential post-war writers looks at what factors combine to create terrorists -- an isolated individual is taken in by a collective group, an turned into a new kind of loser."
Hans Magnus Enzensberger
"One of Germany's most influential post-war writers looks at what factors combine to create terrorists -- an isolated individual is taken in by a collective group, an turned into a new kind of loser."
German Sky Marshals Feeling Grounded / Spiegel, 22 Dec 2006
http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,455420,00.html
Juergen Dahlkamp
"Germany set up a unit of so-called "sky marshals" -- undercover agents who fly on planes to prevent terrorist attacks -- a month after 9/11. Two have spoken about their job and complain about their falling clout with airlines, which resist giving them seats near the cockpit."
Juergen Dahlkamp
"Germany set up a unit of so-called "sky marshals" -- undercover agents who fly on planes to prevent terrorist attacks -- a month after 9/11. Two have spoken about their job and complain about their falling clout with airlines, which resist giving them seats near the cockpit."
The State of the World’s Children 2007: Women and Children - The double dividend of gender equality / UNICEF, Decenber 2006
PDF - http://www.unicef.org/sowc07/docs/sowc07.pdf
“The State of the World’s Children 2007 examines the discrimination and disempowerment women face throughout their lives – and outlines what must be done to eliminate gender discrimination and empower women and girls. It looks at the status of women today, discusses how gender equality will move all the Millennium Development Goals forward, and shows how investment in women’s rights will ultimately produce a double dividend: advancing the rights of both women and children.”
“The State of the World’s Children 2007 examines the discrimination and disempowerment women face throughout their lives – and outlines what must be done to eliminate gender discrimination and empower women and girls. It looks at the status of women today, discusses how gender equality will move all the Millennium Development Goals forward, and shows how investment in women’s rights will ultimately produce a double dividend: advancing the rights of both women and children.”
Trend Micro 2006 Annual Threat Roundup and 2007 Forecast / Trend Micro, Dec 2006
Pdf - http://digbig.com/4qknq
"Research gathered and analyzed by TrendLabsSM demonstrates that in 2006 organized crime continued to be key to identity theft, corporate espionage and extortion. Money remains the primary driver behind the majority of threats. During 2006, image spam has come to the fore, with its emergence helping fuel the trade in the illegal manufacturing and sale of brand-name drugs. Also, hackers, spyware- and malware-creating groups have joined forces to make money from home and business users."
"Research gathered and analyzed by TrendLabsSM demonstrates that in 2006 organized crime continued to be key to identity theft, corporate espionage and extortion. Money remains the primary driver behind the majority of threats. During 2006, image spam has come to the fore, with its emergence helping fuel the trade in the illegal manufacturing and sale of brand-name drugs. Also, hackers, spyware- and malware-creating groups have joined forces to make money from home and business users."
PROTECTING PRIVACY AGAINST THE POLICE IN THE EUROPEAN UNION: THE DATA RETENTION DIRECTIVE
Forthcoming, Chicago Journal of International Law, Spring 2007
http://eprints.law.duke.edu/archive/00001602/01/7_Chi._J.__Int'l_L._(2007).pdf
Francesca Bignami
"This paper examines a recent twist in EU data protection law. In the 1990s, the European
Union was still primarily a market-creating organization and data protection in the
European Union was aimed at rights abuses by market actors. Since the terrorist attacks
of New York, Madrid, and London, however, cooperation on fighting crime has
accelerated. Now, the challenge for the European Union is to protect privacy in its
emerging system of criminal justice. This paper analyzes the first EU law to address data
privacy in crime-fighting—the Data Retention Directive."
http://eprints.law.duke.edu/archive/00001602/01/7_Chi._J.__Int'l_L._(2007).pdf
Francesca Bignami
"This paper examines a recent twist in EU data protection law. In the 1990s, the European
Union was still primarily a market-creating organization and data protection in the
European Union was aimed at rights abuses by market actors. Since the terrorist attacks
of New York, Madrid, and London, however, cooperation on fighting crime has
accelerated. Now, the challenge for the European Union is to protect privacy in its
emerging system of criminal justice. This paper analyzes the first EU law to address data
privacy in crime-fighting—the Data Retention Directive."
Police and missing person’s charity sign protocol / ACPO, 21 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qknj
"On the 21st December 2006 ACPO, the Association of Chief Police Officers, will sign a National Protocol Agreement (NPA) with the National Missing Persons Helpline, to exchange, handle and respond to the issue of missing persons. This agreement which will be used by police forces in England, Wales and Northern Ireland recognises the important work of each in the area of missing persons and will bring significant benefits to the field."
"On the 21st December 2006 ACPO, the Association of Chief Police Officers, will sign a National Protocol Agreement (NPA) with the National Missing Persons Helpline, to exchange, handle and respond to the issue of missing persons. This agreement which will be used by police forces in England, Wales and Northern Ireland recognises the important work of each in the area of missing persons and will bring significant benefits to the field."
Online criminals threatened with sex offenders' register / Register, 22 Dec 2006
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/12/22/sexual_offences_increase/
"Web of offences widened. Internet and email users can be added to the sex offenders' register for a whole slew of new offences after the Home Office drastically increased the number of relevant offences. An unspecified range of offences related to internet and phone use has been added. Now people committing a crime that involves improper use of public electronic communications networks can be made to be subject to the strict conditions imposed by being on the sex offenders' register."
"Web of offences widened. Internet and email users can be added to the sex offenders' register for a whole slew of new offences after the Home Office drastically increased the number of relevant offences. An unspecified range of offences related to internet and phone use has been added. Now people committing a crime that involves improper use of public electronic communications networks can be made to be subject to the strict conditions imposed by being on the sex offenders' register."
Forensic Science - Delivering justice / Jane's Police Review, 21 Dec 2006
www.policereview.com
Tony Lake
"The service spends ú400 million a year on forensic science which is a vital part of identifying and catching criminals. Author explains how he thinks the service will use forensics in the future." [Sub Required]
Tony Lake
"The service spends ú400 million a year on forensic science which is a vital part of identifying and catching criminals. Author explains how he thinks the service will use forensics in the future." [Sub Required]
Overstretched officers forced to chase targets, not criminals / Jane's Police Review, 21 Dec 2006
www.policereview.com
"THE police service does not have enough resources to address competing goals properly, senior officers have warned following a highly critical report into 24/7 policing. Rick Naylor, president of the Superintendents' Association, said that the service will have to 'rob Peter to pay Paul' unless the targets officers have to hit are changed." [Sub Required]
"THE police service does not have enough resources to address competing goals properly, senior officers have warned following a highly critical report into 24/7 policing. Rick Naylor, president of the Superintendents' Association, said that the service will have to 'rob Peter to pay Paul' unless the targets officers have to hit are changed." [Sub Required]
Call for recruits to face national DNA check / Jane's Police, Review, 21 Dec 2006
www.policereview.com
"POLICE officers, community support officers and Special constables who join the service should all have their DNA run through the national database to ensure they are not wanted for any serious crimes, the ACPO lead on forensic science has said." [Sub Required]
"POLICE officers, community support officers and Special constables who join the service should all have their DNA run through the national database to ensure they are not wanted for any serious crimes, the ACPO lead on forensic science has said." [Sub Required]
Terrorist And Crime Networks Similar / Security Oracle, 20 Dec 2006
http://www.securityoracle.com/news/detail.html?id=11698
"One of London’s most senior police officers has highlighted the growing links between criminal and terrorist networks. Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur told delegates at the Counter Terror World Conference in London that while there were differences between criminal and terrorist networks, both types of organisations shared some similarities."
"One of London’s most senior police officers has highlighted the growing links between criminal and terrorist networks. Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur told delegates at the Counter Terror World Conference in London that while there were differences between criminal and terrorist networks, both types of organisations shared some similarities."
‘Clean’ Terror Suspects Pose Problems / Security Oracle, 19 Dec 2006
http://www.securityoracle.com/news/detail.html?id=11694
Keith Potter
"The whole concept of ‘good and bad guys’ when it comes to counter terrorism could have dangerous implications, as some of the most effective terrorist have no record of criminality at all. That was one of the views expressed by commercial security experts during a debate on business and terrorism at this year’s Counter Terror World Conference in London, as delegates and businesses from around the world gathered to discuss the latest techniques and technologies available in the fight against terrorism."
Keith Potter
"The whole concept of ‘good and bad guys’ when it comes to counter terrorism could have dangerous implications, as some of the most effective terrorist have no record of criminality at all. That was one of the views expressed by commercial security experts during a debate on business and terrorism at this year’s Counter Terror World Conference in London, as delegates and businesses from around the world gathered to discuss the latest techniques and technologies available in the fight against terrorism."
Police Should Handle Terrorist Attacks / Security Oracle, 18 Dec 2006
http://www.securityoracle.com/news/detail.html?id=11687
Keith Potter
"A team of police officers with experience of handling major incidents should be “parachuted in” to deal with potential terrorist attacks wherever they occur around the UK, according to one the country’s leading police chiefs.Deputy Chief Constable Andy Trotter, who moved to the British Transport Police after a long career with the Metropolitan Police, said that events such as the terrorist attacks and threats on London last July were outside the experience of most officers, and needed to be handled by experts."
Keith Potter
"A team of police officers with experience of handling major incidents should be “parachuted in” to deal with potential terrorist attacks wherever they occur around the UK, according to one the country’s leading police chiefs.Deputy Chief Constable Andy Trotter, who moved to the British Transport Police after a long career with the Metropolitan Police, said that events such as the terrorist attacks and threats on London last July were outside the experience of most officers, and needed to be handled by experts."
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Crystal Methamphetamine Use in New South Wales : Briefing Paper No. 19/2006
PDF - http://digbig.com/4qkjf
Talina Drabsch
"Crystal methamphetamine, also known as ‘ice’ and ‘crystal meth’, is a highly purified form of methamphetamine, a synthetic central nervous system stimulant. It affects the eurotransmitters that regulate feelings of excitement, euphoria and alertness and can cause users to feel confident and energetic. However, there are many negative side effects associated with its use; these may be stronger than those associated with other forms of methamphetamine due to its greater purity. An overview of crystal methamphetamine, what it is and its effects, is provided in section two of this paper (pp 3-5). A summary of the global market for methamphetamines is provided in section seven (pp 37-41). Crystal methamphetamine seems to be a particular issue in the United States of America and New Zealand and the response of the governments in these countries is described."
Talina Drabsch
"Crystal methamphetamine, also known as ‘ice’ and ‘crystal meth’, is a highly purified form of methamphetamine, a synthetic central nervous system stimulant. It affects the eurotransmitters that regulate feelings of excitement, euphoria and alertness and can cause users to feel confident and energetic. However, there are many negative side effects associated with its use; these may be stronger than those associated with other forms of methamphetamine due to its greater purity. An overview of crystal methamphetamine, what it is and its effects, is provided in section two of this paper (pp 3-5). A summary of the global market for methamphetamines is provided in section seven (pp 37-41). Crystal methamphetamine seems to be a particular issue in the United States of America and New Zealand and the response of the governments in these countries is described."
Blundering state puts our patience to the test / Herald, 21 Dec 2006
http://www.theherald.co.uk/features/77229.html
Harry Reid
"The story of Mustaf Jamma is a devastating indictment of the British state. It is a tale of serial bungling and incompetence. I almost wrote criminal incompetence, but that would be wrong. Jamma is a criminal and a wicked one (if you are allowed to call a criminal wicked in today's Britain) and the dolts who let him quit Britain when he was public enemy number one, or whichever cliche you wish to use, were not criminal, just botchers, and as such the appropriate minions of their failing political masters."
Harry Reid
"The story of Mustaf Jamma is a devastating indictment of the British state. It is a tale of serial bungling and incompetence. I almost wrote criminal incompetence, but that would be wrong. Jamma is a criminal and a wicked one (if you are allowed to call a criminal wicked in today's Britain) and the dolts who let him quit Britain when he was public enemy number one, or whichever cliche you wish to use, were not criminal, just botchers, and as such the appropriate minions of their failing political masters."
An inmate's investigation undermines his conviction : His efforts lead to new DNA evidence / International Herald Tribune, 21 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qkjd
Fernanda Santos
"The day before Christmas three years ago, Inmate No. 92B-0448 sat in front of a computer at the Elmira Correctional Facility and typed a harsh letter to the man he thought should have been in prison in his place. "Witnesses can commit perjury, judges can be fooled and juries can make mistakes," the letter read. "When it comes to DNA testing, there's no mistakes. DNA is GOD's creation and GOD makes no mistakes."
Fernanda Santos
"The day before Christmas three years ago, Inmate No. 92B-0448 sat in front of a computer at the Elmira Correctional Facility and typed a harsh letter to the man he thought should have been in prison in his place. "Witnesses can commit perjury, judges can be fooled and juries can make mistakes," the letter read. "When it comes to DNA testing, there's no mistakes. DNA is GOD's creation and GOD makes no mistakes."
'Crystal ice' gang ringleader jailed for 10 years / 24Dash, 21 Dec 2006
http://www.24dash.com/news/7/14614/index.htm
Jon Land
"'Crystal ice' gang ringleaderjailed for 10 years. The ringleader of a gang who conspired to produce more than a million pounds' worth of the highly-addictive drug methylamphetamine, known as crystal ice, was today jailed for 10 years."
Related:
Gay drug 'crystal meth' to be given Class A reclassification?
MPs say classify drugs 'according to danger'
Jon Land
"'Crystal ice' gang ringleaderjailed for 10 years. The ringleader of a gang who conspired to produce more than a million pounds' worth of the highly-addictive drug methylamphetamine, known as crystal ice, was today jailed for 10 years."
Related:
Gay drug 'crystal meth' to be given Class A reclassification?
MPs say classify drugs 'according to danger'
More inmates, less death row / Corrections Connection, 18 Dec 2006
http://www.corrections.com/news/article.aspx?articleid=14734
Sarah Etter
"The Bureau of Justice Statistics released two studies last week that showed an increase in incarceration, but a decrease in death sentences and death row inmates. The numbers reflect incarceration rates in 2005, but they provide an idea of where corrections might be heading. The BJS study Prisoners in 2005 found that three percent of adults in the U.S. population were under supervision in some way, whether it was incarceration, probation or parole. The total number of offenders under supervision reached an all time high of seven million, with 14 states reportedly incarcerating five percent more people."
Sarah Etter
"The Bureau of Justice Statistics released two studies last week that showed an increase in incarceration, but a decrease in death sentences and death row inmates. The numbers reflect incarceration rates in 2005, but they provide an idea of where corrections might be heading. The BJS study Prisoners in 2005 found that three percent of adults in the U.S. population were under supervision in some way, whether it was incarceration, probation or parole. The total number of offenders under supervision reached an all time high of seven million, with 14 states reportedly incarcerating five percent more people."
Police to try new tactics against juvenile offenders / Catonsville times, 20 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qkjc
MARY T. ROBBINS
Baltimore County police officials say they developing new approaches toward juvenile crime, from getting churches involved to starting a summer camp designed to attract youths to law enforcement careers. "We all know what we are dealing with, as far as the numbers show," said Col. Kim Ward, who as of Dec. 1 oversees the new Community Resources Bureau, which will focus on preventing juvenile crime. "We are trying to make sure that violent juvenile crime numbers don't continue to increase," she said. "It's not something we want to stick our heads in the sand about."
MARY T. ROBBINS
Baltimore County police officials say they developing new approaches toward juvenile crime, from getting churches involved to starting a summer camp designed to attract youths to law enforcement careers. "We all know what we are dealing with, as far as the numbers show," said Col. Kim Ward, who as of Dec. 1 oversees the new Community Resources Bureau, which will focus on preventing juvenile crime. "We are trying to make sure that violent juvenile crime numbers don't continue to increase," she said. "It's not something we want to stick our heads in the sand about."
From Fatigue to Fulfillment / Corrections Connection, 20 Dec 2006
http://www.corrections.com/news/article.aspx?articleid=14766
Caterina G. Spinaris Tudor, Dr.
"The phenomenon known as Corrections Fatigue involves the gradual wear-and-tear of the spirit, soul and body of corrections staff as they adapt to the demands of their workplace. Based on the Constructivist Self Development Theory2, corrections fatigue is the cumulative negative transformation of correctional staff’s self (beliefs, thoughts, emotions and decision-making) as they adapt to the corrections workplace. No employee is totally immune. The good news, however, is that it is amenable to change, and it can even be prevented!"
Caterina G. Spinaris Tudor, Dr.
"The phenomenon known as Corrections Fatigue involves the gradual wear-and-tear of the spirit, soul and body of corrections staff as they adapt to the demands of their workplace. Based on the Constructivist Self Development Theory2, corrections fatigue is the cumulative negative transformation of correctional staff’s self (beliefs, thoughts, emotions and decision-making) as they adapt to the corrections workplace. No employee is totally immune. The good news, however, is that it is amenable to change, and it can even be prevented!"
Condom frenzy / Corrections Connection, 18 Dec 2006
http://www.corrections.com/news/article.aspx?articleid=14733
Sarah Etter
"Last week, the city of Philadelphia approved free condom distribution in prisons and jails after a recent HIV/AIDS report called for corrections agencies and the federal government to reduce transmissions of the virus and infection for blacks in the criminal justice system. The report, African Americans, Health Disparities and HIV/AIDS: Recommendations for Confronting the Epidemic in Black America, is a compilation of research from the last 20 years."
Sarah Etter
"Last week, the city of Philadelphia approved free condom distribution in prisons and jails after a recent HIV/AIDS report called for corrections agencies and the federal government to reduce transmissions of the virus and infection for blacks in the criminal justice system. The report, African Americans, Health Disparities and HIV/AIDS: Recommendations for Confronting the Epidemic in Black America, is a compilation of research from the last 20 years."
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Casualty Reduction Programme. / North Wales Police, Chief Constable's Blog, 20 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qkbg
Richard Brunstrom
"I was claiming in my last Blog that the road casualty reduction programme here in North Wales is a good and simple illustration of modern police performance management. Here’s why - the government’s 2005 road casualty figures (dead & seriously injured, or KSI):
http://digbig.com/4qkbh
These figures compare the 2005 calendar year results with the 1994-98 baseline. North Wales Police has the best results in England and Wales - in fact the best in the UK, and the UK has the best figures in the EU, so we’re right at the top of the tree, internationally. By last Christmas we had reduced our KSI figure in North Wales by an amazing 53.5%. You will note too that our reduction in KSIs compares very favourably with the Welsh average of 34%. There are now 278 fewer KSIs in North Wales each year than the in the late nineties, and the figures are still coming down.
These results would have been thought miraculous a few years ago - but they’re not. They are no accident either - pardon the pun. They are a direct result of applying the Bratton principles of which I talked in my last Blog. We worked out what the main killers are (speed, seatbelts and drink driving), and why people break the law (low risk of capture was the main cause) and convinced ourselves that we could make a difference. Then we thought out some tactics, and went for it. Relentlessly. The results are now history. This process works and we have the figures to prove it; the UK KSI results have proved so persuasive that other countries are following our example - most notably, and perhaps surprisingly to some, France."
Richard Brunstrom
"I was claiming in my last Blog that the road casualty reduction programme here in North Wales is a good and simple illustration of modern police performance management. Here’s why - the government’s 2005 road casualty figures (dead & seriously injured, or KSI):
http://digbig.com/4qkbh
These figures compare the 2005 calendar year results with the 1994-98 baseline. North Wales Police has the best results in England and Wales - in fact the best in the UK, and the UK has the best figures in the EU, so we’re right at the top of the tree, internationally. By last Christmas we had reduced our KSI figure in North Wales by an amazing 53.5%. You will note too that our reduction in KSIs compares very favourably with the Welsh average of 34%. There are now 278 fewer KSIs in North Wales each year than the in the late nineties, and the figures are still coming down.
These results would have been thought miraculous a few years ago - but they’re not. They are no accident either - pardon the pun. They are a direct result of applying the Bratton principles of which I talked in my last Blog. We worked out what the main killers are (speed, seatbelts and drink driving), and why people break the law (low risk of capture was the main cause) and convinced ourselves that we could make a difference. Then we thought out some tactics, and went for it. Relentlessly. The results are now history. This process works and we have the figures to prove it; the UK KSI results have proved so persuasive that other countries are following our example - most notably, and perhaps surprisingly to some, France."
Pakistanis face persecution fears / Herald, 20 Dec 2006
http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/77146.html
DAMIEN HENDERSON
"Amnesty International has highlighted the case of Ahmadis being arrested and attacked for practising their religion."
DAMIEN HENDERSON
"Amnesty International has highlighted the case of Ahmadis being arrested and attacked for practising their religion."
Detecting designer steroids / Chemistry World, 20 Nov 2006
http://digbig.com/4qkbe
Elinor Richards
"Detecting designer steroids used to cheat in horse racing and other sports has been made easier thanks to Australian scientists."
Selective manipulation of steroid hydroxyl groups with boronate esters: efficient access to antigenic C-3 linked steroid–protein conjugates and steroid sulfate standards for drug detection
Org. Biomol. Chem., 2006 DOI: 10.1039/b610499a
N L Hungerford, A R McKinney, A M Stenhouse and M D McLeod, [Sub Required]
Elinor Richards
"Detecting designer steroids used to cheat in horse racing and other sports has been made easier thanks to Australian scientists."
Selective manipulation of steroid hydroxyl groups with boronate esters: efficient access to antigenic C-3 linked steroid–protein conjugates and steroid sulfate standards for drug detection
Org. Biomol. Chem., 2006 DOI: 10.1039/b610499a
N L Hungerford, A R McKinney, A M Stenhouse and M D McLeod, [Sub Required]
International Workshop On Global Extremism, Terror and Response Strategies / Strategic Foresight Group, 2006
PDF - http://www.strategicforesight.com/terrorism_workshop_report.pdf
Alexandria, Egypt 6-7 August 2006 - Co hosted by Bibliotheca Alexandrina, SMWIPM Peace Studies Institute and Strategic Foresight Group with support from the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Alexandria, Egypt 6-7 August 2006 - Co hosted by Bibliotheca Alexandrina, SMWIPM Peace Studies Institute and Strategic Foresight Group with support from the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
HMRC Annual Report 2005-06 and Autumn Performance Report 2006
PDF - http://digbig.com/4qkbc
* Flexible and effective border controls:
- HMRC takes effective action against drug traffickers in tackling the
smuggling of prohibited drugs into the UK. HMRC continue to be the pre-eminent
Frontier agency with responsibility for tackling drugs smuggling. From April
2006 this is now in partnership with the newly formed Serious Organised
Crime Agency (SOCA).
- effective action against other types of organised smugglers, for example
tobacco, seizing 2 billion cigarettes and 160 tonnes of hand rolling tobacco,
breaking up 46 criminal gangs and seizing £6m of assets;
- over three hundred seizures of items from endangered species protected by
CITES legislation, yielding a total of more than 75,000 items contributed
to the preservation of the world's natural environment.
* Flexible and effective border controls:
- HMRC takes effective action against drug traffickers in tackling the
smuggling of prohibited drugs into the UK. HMRC continue to be the pre-eminent
Frontier agency with responsibility for tackling drugs smuggling. From April
2006 this is now in partnership with the newly formed Serious Organised
Crime Agency (SOCA).
- effective action against other types of organised smugglers, for example
tobacco, seizing 2 billion cigarettes and 160 tonnes of hand rolling tobacco,
breaking up 46 criminal gangs and seizing £6m of assets;
- over three hundred seizures of items from endangered species protected by
CITES legislation, yielding a total of more than 75,000 items contributed
to the preservation of the world's natural environment.
Mistaken Identity / Sunderland Today, 20 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qjxa
KEVIN CLARK
"THE introduction of national identity cards has moved a step closer with the publication of Home Office plans to introduce the scheme. Supporters say cards will cut crime and be an invaluable weapon in the fight against terrorism. Opponents argue the scheme is a white elephant which will increase the risk of identity theft and reduce our civil liberties while costing the taxpayer billions. Examines the issues."
KEVIN CLARK
"THE introduction of national identity cards has moved a step closer with the publication of Home Office plans to introduce the scheme. Supporters say cards will cut crime and be an invaluable weapon in the fight against terrorism. Opponents argue the scheme is a white elephant which will increase the risk of identity theft and reduce our civil liberties while costing the taxpayer billions. Examines the issues."
EUROBAROMETER 66 : PUBLIC OPINION IN THE EUROPEAN UNION, FIRST RESULTS /
PDF - [large file]
http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/eb/eb66/eb66_highlights_en.pdf
"The current Standard Eurobarometer was carried out between September 6th and October 10th 2006. This wave of the Standard Eurobarometer, Eurobarometer 66,reflects the public opinion of Europeans just prior to the accession of Bulgaria and Romania. This Autumn Standard Eurobarometer covers 30 countries or territories: the 25 Member States, the two acceding countries (Bulgaria and Romania), the two candidate countries (Croatia and Turkey) and the Turkish Cypriot Community.
National reports are published by the national representations of the European Commission and written in the national language(s). They focus more on the comparison between national results and the EU average. Executive summaries of these national reports also exist and are published in English on europa website." The Eurobarometer web site can be consulted at the following address: http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/index_en.htm
http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/eb/eb66/eb66_highlights_en.pdf
"The current Standard Eurobarometer was carried out between September 6th and October 10th 2006. This wave of the Standard Eurobarometer, Eurobarometer 66,reflects the public opinion of Europeans just prior to the accession of Bulgaria and Romania. This Autumn Standard Eurobarometer covers 30 countries or territories: the 25 Member States, the two acceding countries (Bulgaria and Romania), the two candidate countries (Croatia and Turkey) and the Turkish Cypriot Community.
National reports are published by the national representations of the European Commission and written in the national language(s). They focus more on the comparison between national results and the EU average. Executive summaries of these national reports also exist and are published in English on europa website." The Eurobarometer web site can be consulted at the following address: http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/index_en.htm
UK STATUTE LAW / DCA
www.statutelaw.gov.uk
"The database offers users a range of advanced search and navigation functions across over 30,000 items of UK primary and secondary legislation. The database contains primary legislation that was in force at 1 February 1991 and primary and secondary legislation that has been produced since that date.
The SPO is responsible for maintaining the UK Statute Book by incorporating new legislation on to the database and keeping primary legislation up-to-date by applying the effects contained within subsequent legislation. The primary legislation has been revised to 2002 and is expected to be completely up to date with revisions by the end of 2008.
The SLD also contains Tables of Effects for 2002 onwards that will help users to establish currency on any particular item of primary legislation that they select.
New legislation is published on the website as soon as possible after it has been issued."
"The database offers users a range of advanced search and navigation functions across over 30,000 items of UK primary and secondary legislation. The database contains primary legislation that was in force at 1 February 1991 and primary and secondary legislation that has been produced since that date.
The SPO is responsible for maintaining the UK Statute Book by incorporating new legislation on to the database and keeping primary legislation up-to-date by applying the effects contained within subsequent legislation. The primary legislation has been revised to 2002 and is expected to be completely up to date with revisions by the end of 2008.
The SLD also contains Tables of Effects for 2002 onwards that will help users to establish currency on any particular item of primary legislation that they select.
New legislation is published on the website as soon as possible after it has been issued."
Bribe Britannia / The Economist, 19 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qjww
"Two steps back in the fight against corporate backhanders. In 1998 Britain ratified the OECD's convention against bribing foreign officials, but its commitment to the treaty has been half-hearted. Instead of passing comprehensive legislation to meet its new obligations, the government argued that Britain's existing laws against domestic corruption were sufficient. It was finally persuaded to ban explicitly the bribing of foreign officials by British citizens and companies, no matter where the offence took place, in the anti-terrorism act of 2001 .
But loopholes abound."
"Two steps back in the fight against corporate backhanders. In 1998 Britain ratified the OECD's convention against bribing foreign officials, but its commitment to the treaty has been half-hearted. Instead of passing comprehensive legislation to meet its new obligations, the government argued that Britain's existing laws against domestic corruption were sufficient. It was finally persuaded to ban explicitly the bribing of foreign officials by British citizens and companies, no matter where the offence took place, in the anti-terrorism act of 2001 .
But loopholes abound."
Compendium of “best practices” on time management of judicial proceedings / European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ), Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qjwt
"This document may be subject to editorial revision. This Compendium has been conceived by the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) as a practical tool for policy makers and judicial practitioners so as to introduce new normative frameworks or judicial or administrative practices for improving time management of judicial proceedings both at the court level and at a national level."
"This document may be subject to editorial revision. This Compendium has been conceived by the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) as a practical tool for policy makers and judicial practitioners so as to introduce new normative frameworks or judicial or administrative practices for improving time management of judicial proceedings both at the court level and at a national level."
Towards safer streets / The Economist, 19th Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qjws
"The government will be forced to re-think its policies on prostitution. AT LAST a break in the Ipswich murders case that has transfixed Britain. The death of these young women, who all worked as prostitutes, has lent urgency to a long-running debate on two questions: how to protect prostitutes, and how to control the booming sex trade. Those whose main aim is making prostitutes safer favour legalising their business in order to cut its links with organised crime. Those who are mostly interested in containing prostitution want to crack down on its practitioners."
"The government will be forced to re-think its policies on prostitution. AT LAST a break in the Ipswich murders case that has transfixed Britain. The death of these young women, who all worked as prostitutes, has lent urgency to a long-running debate on two questions: how to protect prostitutes, and how to control the booming sex trade. Those whose main aim is making prostitutes safer favour legalising their business in order to cut its links with organised crime. Those who are mostly interested in containing prostitution want to crack down on its practitioners."
[Japan] Battle against yakuza yielding results / Yomiuri Shimbun, 20 Dec 2006
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20061220TDY03002.htm
Naoki Nakazawaand and Manabu Kimura
"A senior official of the National Police Agency said ""This was an epoch-making year in terms of measures against financial sources for organized crime groups." This year saw the widespread implementation of initiatives to exclude organized crime groups from various fields, such as stock markets, sporting circles and public works contract. But the measures are just guides to prevent the flow of financial resources to criminal gangs. Ensuring the effectiveness of such systems and investigating illegal income or creating measures to follow up what has already been implemented are currently top agenda items."
Naoki Nakazawaand and Manabu Kimura
"A senior official of the National Police Agency said ""This was an epoch-making year in terms of measures against financial sources for organized crime groups." This year saw the widespread implementation of initiatives to exclude organized crime groups from various fields, such as stock markets, sporting circles and public works contract. But the measures are just guides to prevent the flow of financial resources to criminal gangs. Ensuring the effectiveness of such systems and investigating illegal income or creating measures to follow up what has already been implemented are currently top agenda items."
[Japan] Govt wants firms to report gang demands / The Yomiuri Shimbun, 20 Dec 2006
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20061220TDY03003.htm
"The government plans to introduce a system that will require companies involved in public works projects ordered by the central government to report any unreasonable demands they receive from crime gangs. The envisaged system would impose penalties on companies that neglect to do so. The system is aimed at preventing crime gang-linked businesses from making profits by intimidating companies that are awarded contracts into giving them subcontracts."
"The government plans to introduce a system that will require companies involved in public works projects ordered by the central government to report any unreasonable demands they receive from crime gangs. The envisaged system would impose penalties on companies that neglect to do so. The system is aimed at preventing crime gang-linked businesses from making profits by intimidating companies that are awarded contracts into giving them subcontracts."
Red-light reform? Sorry, it's not that easy / The Times, The Times, 19 Dec 2006
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,22369-2511021,00.html
David Aaronovitch
"I read an article by a former aide to David Blunkett, Katharine Raymond, who had been involved in the drawing-up in 2004 of a consultation document on prostitution, called Paying the Price. Clearly angry about the lack of reform initiated by the Government, Raymond pointed out approvingly that “in Australia and New Zealand, brothels are regulated in the same way as other businesses” and she called for pilot schemes for “managed areas”, as in the Netherlands, where sex workers could take their clients. I discovered experience in both Australia and Europe suggests that licensing schemes have failed to deliver the safe working environment that they set out to achieve”. In the Netherlands some managed areas were said to be working, while “others are being forced to close” because “the new policy forced all those who were unable to comply with the licensing regime on to the street”."
David Aaronovitch
"I read an article by a former aide to David Blunkett, Katharine Raymond, who had been involved in the drawing-up in 2004 of a consultation document on prostitution, called Paying the Price. Clearly angry about the lack of reform initiated by the Government, Raymond pointed out approvingly that “in Australia and New Zealand, brothels are regulated in the same way as other businesses” and she called for pilot schemes for “managed areas”, as in the Netherlands, where sex workers could take their clients. I discovered experience in both Australia and Europe suggests that licensing schemes have failed to deliver the safe working environment that they set out to achieve”. In the Netherlands some managed areas were said to be working, while “others are being forced to close” because “the new policy forced all those who were unable to comply with the licensing regime on to the street”."
French counterterror forces on high alert / International Herald Tribune, 19 Dec 2006
Terror officials cite 3 thwarted plots
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/12/19/news/france.php
Katrin Bennhold
"French counterterrorism forces are on high alert going into presidential elections next spring, two of the country's top terrorism officials say, citing three Islamist plots thwarted over the last 18 months — including one to bomb the Paris Métro and another targeting Orly Airport. The chief anti-terrorism investigator in France said in an interview that his country had become more of a terrorist target because an Algerian network that considered Paris its principal enemy had officially linked up with Al Qaeda. This had given the network, the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat, commonly known by its French acronym GSPC, access to a growing number of jihadists hardened by battle in Iraq."
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/12/19/news/france.php
Katrin Bennhold
"French counterterrorism forces are on high alert going into presidential elections next spring, two of the country's top terrorism officials say, citing three Islamist plots thwarted over the last 18 months — including one to bomb the Paris Métro and another targeting Orly Airport. The chief anti-terrorism investigator in France said in an interview that his country had become more of a terrorist target because an Algerian network that considered Paris its principal enemy had officially linked up with Al Qaeda. This had given the network, the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat, commonly known by its French acronym GSPC, access to a growing number of jihadists hardened by battle in Iraq."
Drug Misuse Statistics Scotland 2006 / DMIS, , December 2006
PDF - http://www.drugmisuse.isdscotland.org/publications/06dmss/06dmss.pdf
"An annual compendium presenting the latest available information from a range of national data sources relevant to drug misuse."
"An annual compendium presenting the latest available information from a range of national data sources relevant to drug misuse."
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
The criminal jury in England and Scotland: the confidentiality principle and the investigation of impropriety
http://www.atypon-link.com/VAT/doi/abs/10.1350/ijep.2006.10.3.180
International Journal of Evidence and Proof 10(3): 180-211
Pamela R. Ferguson
" The confidentiality of jury deliberations in British criminal trials is maintained by common law rules, as well as by statute. As a result, relatively little is known about how juries actually behave. The article describes and assesses the confidentiality principle, as it operates in both English and Scots law. The courts presume that juries conduct themselves properly, in the manner of an ‘ideal’ or ‘model’ jury. This presumption of propriety and the features of the ‘model jury’ are described, as are the various ways in which actual juries can, and do, fall short of the ideal. The article concludes that the confidentiality principle prevents the courts from conducting appropriate investigation into allegations of jury misbehaviour, and that it is time to end the secrecy surrounding jury deliberations. Various options for reform are considered." [Sub Required]
International Journal of Evidence and Proof 10(3): 180-211
Pamela R. Ferguson
" The confidentiality of jury deliberations in British criminal trials is maintained by common law rules, as well as by statute. As a result, relatively little is known about how juries actually behave. The article describes and assesses the confidentiality principle, as it operates in both English and Scots law. The courts presume that juries conduct themselves properly, in the manner of an ‘ideal’ or ‘model’ jury. This presumption of propriety and the features of the ‘model jury’ are described, as are the various ways in which actual juries can, and do, fall short of the ideal. The article concludes that the confidentiality principle prevents the courts from conducting appropriate investigation into allegations of jury misbehaviour, and that it is time to end the secrecy surrounding jury deliberations. Various options for reform are considered." [Sub Required]
Expert evidence of delay in complaint in childhood sexual abuse prosecutions
http://www.atypon-link.com/VAT/doi/abs/10.1350/ijep.2006.10.3.157
International Journal of Evidence and Proof 10(3): 157-179
Penney Lewis
"This article reviews the use of expert evidence to explain delay in complaint in prosecutions for childhood sexual abuse in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United States, Ireland, Scotland and England and Wales. Such expert evidence is ‘counterintuitive evidence’ designed to dispel myths, misconceptions or misunderstandings in the minds of jurors which may adversely affect their evaluation of the complainant's evidence." [Sub Required]
International Journal of Evidence and Proof 10(3): 157-179
Penney Lewis
"This article reviews the use of expert evidence to explain delay in complaint in prosecutions for childhood sexual abuse in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United States, Ireland, Scotland and England and Wales. Such expert evidence is ‘counterintuitive evidence’ designed to dispel myths, misconceptions or misunderstandings in the minds of jurors which may adversely affect their evaluation of the complainant's evidence." [Sub Required]
Fair, effective, transparent and trusted - Rebuilding confidence in ourimmigration systemAn independent and transparent assessment of immigration /
Home Office, December 2006
PDF - http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/6353/6356/17715/faireffecttivetransparentin2.pdf
Initial Equality Impact Assessment; November 2006 (word doc)http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/6353/6356/17715/initialequalityimpactassess1.doc
Partial Regulatory Impact Assessment (word doc)http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/6353/6356/17715/partialregulatoryimpactasse1.doc
Responses and comments on the issues raised in the above paper arerequired by 16 February 2007.
PDF - http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/6353/6356/17715/faireffecttivetransparentin2.pdf
Initial Equality Impact Assessment; November 2006 (word doc)http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/6353/6356/17715/initialequalityimpactassess1.doc
Partial Regulatory Impact Assessment (word doc)http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/6353/6356/17715/partialregulatoryimpactasse1.doc
Responses and comments on the issues raised in the above paper arerequired by 16 February 2007.
A NEW STRATEGY TO DISCOURAGE DRIVING DRUNK / Amherst Times, 20 Nov 2006
http://digbig.com/4qjpg
MATTHEW L. WALD
"The threat of arrest and punishment, for decades the primary tactic against drunken drivers, is no longer working in the struggle to reduce the death toll, officials say, and they are proposing turning to technology — alcohol detection devices in every vehicle — to address the problem.
In the first phase of the plan, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, backed by a national association of state highway officials and car manufacturers, announced a campaign to change drunken driving laws in 49 states to require that even first offenders install a device that tests drivers and shuts down the car if it detects alcohol."
MATTHEW L. WALD
"The threat of arrest and punishment, for decades the primary tactic against drunken drivers, is no longer working in the struggle to reduce the death toll, officials say, and they are proposing turning to technology — alcohol detection devices in every vehicle — to address the problem.
In the first phase of the plan, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, backed by a national association of state highway officials and car manufacturers, announced a campaign to change drunken driving laws in 49 states to require that even first offenders install a device that tests drivers and shuts down the car if it detects alcohol."
Phila. getting software to predict who might kill / Philadelphia Inquirer, 27 Nov 2006
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/16104571.htm
Michael Matza
"University of Pennsylvania criminologist Richard Berk, a trained statistician, never met a data set he didn't like. Now, using fresh data from the Philadelphia probation department, Berk and three colleagues have built an innovative model for predicting which troublemakers already in the system are most likely to kill or attempt a killing."
Michael Matza
"University of Pennsylvania criminologist Richard Berk, a trained statistician, never met a data set he didn't like. Now, using fresh data from the Philadelphia probation department, Berk and three colleagues have built an innovative model for predicting which troublemakers already in the system are most likely to kill or attempt a killing."
Heed torture risk, Canada told / Globe & Mail, 16 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qjpe
COLIN FREEZE
"Refugee case judge assails government for ignoring rights warnings about Egypt. Canadian officials turned a blind eye to torture as they tried to deport a terrorism suspect to Egypt, a Federal Court judge ruled. Madam Justice Danièle Tremblay-Lamer said officials in countries such as Egypt can't be trusted when they promise Western countries they won't mistreat deportees. Canadian officials would be better served, the judge suggested, by giving more weight to the findings of groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch when they document evidence of torture."
COLIN FREEZE
"Refugee case judge assails government for ignoring rights warnings about Egypt. Canadian officials turned a blind eye to torture as they tried to deport a terrorism suspect to Egypt, a Federal Court judge ruled. Madam Justice Danièle Tremblay-Lamer said officials in countries such as Egypt can't be trusted when they promise Western countries they won't mistreat deportees. Canadian officials would be better served, the judge suggested, by giving more weight to the findings of groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch when they document evidence of torture."
The National Violent Death Reporting System / Injury Prevention, Supp.2, December 2006
http://ip.bmj.com/content/vol12/suppl_2/
A selection:
The secrets of the National Violent Death Reporting System
Inj Prev 2006 12: ii1-ii2. doi:10.1136/ip.2006.012542
[Extract] [Full Text] [PDF] [Request Permissions]
J A Mercy, L Barker, and L Frazier
The National Violent Death Reporting System: an exciting new tool for public health surveillance
Inj Prev 2006 12: ii3-ii5. doi:10.1136/ip.2006.012518
M Steenkamp, L Frazier, N Lipskiy, M DeBerry, S Thomas, L Barker, and D Karch
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] [Request Permissions]
From surveillance to action: early gains from the National Violent Death Reporting System
Inj Prev 2006 12: ii6-ii9. doi:10.1136/ip.2006.012450
R Campbell, M A Weis, L Millet, V Powell, D Hull-Jilly, and H Hackman
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] [Request Permissions]
Law enforcement and the National Violent Death Reporting System: a partnership in the making
Inj Prev 2006 12: ii55-ii57. doi:10.1136/ip.2006.013284
J C Friday
[Extract] [Full Text] [PDF] [Request Permissions]
The US National Violent Death Reporting System: domestic and international lessons for violence injury surveillance
Inj Prev 2006 12: ii58-ii62. doi:10.1136/ip.2006.013961
H B Weiss, M I Gutierrez, J Harrison, and R Matzopoulos
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] [Request Permissions]
The National Violent Death Reporting System: a new gold standard for the surveillance of violence related deaths?
Inj Prev 2006 12: ii63-ii64. doi:10.1136/ip.2006.013516
A Butchart
[Extract] [Full Text] [PDF] [Request Permissions]
Using NVDRS data for suicide prevention: promising practices in seven states
Inj Prev 2006 12: ii28-ii32. doi:10.1136/ip.2006.012443
V Powell, C W Barber, H Hedegaard, K Hempstead, D Hull-Jilly, X Shen, G E Thorpe, and M A Weis
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] [Request Permissions]
A selection:
The secrets of the National Violent Death Reporting System
Inj Prev 2006 12: ii1-ii2. doi:10.1136/ip.2006.012542
[Extract] [Full Text] [PDF] [Request Permissions]
J A Mercy, L Barker, and L Frazier
The National Violent Death Reporting System: an exciting new tool for public health surveillance
Inj Prev 2006 12: ii3-ii5. doi:10.1136/ip.2006.012518
M Steenkamp, L Frazier, N Lipskiy, M DeBerry, S Thomas, L Barker, and D Karch
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] [Request Permissions]
From surveillance to action: early gains from the National Violent Death Reporting System
Inj Prev 2006 12: ii6-ii9. doi:10.1136/ip.2006.012450
R Campbell, M A Weis, L Millet, V Powell, D Hull-Jilly, and H Hackman
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] [Request Permissions]
Law enforcement and the National Violent Death Reporting System: a partnership in the making
Inj Prev 2006 12: ii55-ii57. doi:10.1136/ip.2006.013284
J C Friday
[Extract] [Full Text] [PDF] [Request Permissions]
The US National Violent Death Reporting System: domestic and international lessons for violence injury surveillance
Inj Prev 2006 12: ii58-ii62. doi:10.1136/ip.2006.013961
H B Weiss, M I Gutierrez, J Harrison, and R Matzopoulos
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] [Request Permissions]
The National Violent Death Reporting System: a new gold standard for the surveillance of violence related deaths?
Inj Prev 2006 12: ii63-ii64. doi:10.1136/ip.2006.013516
A Butchart
[Extract] [Full Text] [PDF] [Request Permissions]
Using NVDRS data for suicide prevention: promising practices in seven states
Inj Prev 2006 12: ii28-ii32. doi:10.1136/ip.2006.012443
V Powell, C W Barber, H Hedegaard, K Hempstead, D Hull-Jilly, X Shen, G E Thorpe, and M A Weis
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] [Request Permissions]
Massive Gun "Buyback" Doubled Fall In Australian Gun Deaths / Medical News Today, 18 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qjpb
"The chances of gun death in Australia dropped twice as steeply after 700,000 guns were destroyed in a national firearm "buyback" and amnesty, reveals a decade long study in Injury Prevention. The study tracks the 10 years following the introduction of gun law reform in Australia between 1996 and 1998."
Australia’s 1996 gun law reforms: faster falls in firearm deaths, firearm suicides, and a decade without mass shootings
Injury Prevention 2006;12:365-372; doi:10.1136/ip.2006.013714
http://ip.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/12/6/365
S Chapman, P Alpers, K Agho and M Jones
"The chances of gun death in Australia dropped twice as steeply after 700,000 guns were destroyed in a national firearm "buyback" and amnesty, reveals a decade long study in Injury Prevention. The study tracks the 10 years following the introduction of gun law reform in Australia between 1996 and 1998."
Australia’s 1996 gun law reforms: faster falls in firearm deaths, firearm suicides, and a decade without mass shootings
Injury Prevention 2006;12:365-372; doi:10.1136/ip.2006.013714
http://ip.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/12/6/365
S Chapman, P Alpers, K Agho and M Jones
Violent crime in US continues to rise: FBI report /Jurist PaperChase NewsBurst, 18 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qjnw
Jeannie Shawl
"Violent crime in the US increased during the first half of 2006 when compared with the same period in 2005, according to the FBI's Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report [press release, PDF; FBI materials]. Violent crime, including murder, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault, increased 3.7 percent since 2005 but property crimes such as burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft, decreased 2.6 percent. The number of arsons increased 6.8 percent. If these numbers are maintained, the rate of violent crime will increase in 2006 for the second year in a row. The FBI's 2005 annual report on violent crime [text; JURIST report] showed that violent crimes increased in 2005 for the first time since 2001; the 2.3 percent increase was the largest jump since 1991. The US Justice Department has already launched an investigation [JURIST report] to examine why the violent crime rate has increased. AP has more. [Brief]
Jeannie Shawl
"Violent crime in the US increased during the first half of 2006 when compared with the same period in 2005, according to the FBI's Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report [press release, PDF; FBI materials]. Violent crime, including murder, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault, increased 3.7 percent since 2005 but property crimes such as burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft, decreased 2.6 percent. The number of arsons increased 6.8 percent. If these numbers are maintained, the rate of violent crime will increase in 2006 for the second year in a row. The FBI's 2005 annual report on violent crime [text; JURIST report] showed that violent crimes increased in 2005 for the first time since 2001; the 2.3 percent increase was the largest jump since 1991. The US Justice Department has already launched an investigation [JURIST report] to examine why the violent crime rate has increased. AP has more. [Brief]
FBI Stats Show Spike in Crime : Guns, Drugs, Gangs and Fewer Federal Resources to Blame / ABC News, 18 Dec 2006
http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=2735489&page=1
JASON RYAN
"FBI data for the first six months of 2006 show that violent crime in the United States has increased 3.7 percent. The most significant jump was in robberies, which rose to 9.7 percent. There was a 1.4 percent increase in the murder rate and a 1.2 percent increase in the rate of aggravated assault. FBI figures for 2005 showed that violent crime had increased 2.5 percent overall, one of the largest percentage increases in 15 years. Criminologists and law enforcement officials said the crime wave has been triggered by a rise in gang activity, violent offenders who returned from prison and kids who have easy access to guns." [3 pages]
JASON RYAN
"FBI data for the first six months of 2006 show that violent crime in the United States has increased 3.7 percent. The most significant jump was in robberies, which rose to 9.7 percent. There was a 1.4 percent increase in the murder rate and a 1.2 percent increase in the rate of aggravated assault. FBI figures for 2005 showed that violent crime had increased 2.5 percent overall, one of the largest percentage increases in 15 years. Criminologists and law enforcement officials said the crime wave has been triggered by a rise in gang activity, violent offenders who returned from prison and kids who have easy access to guns." [3 pages]
Monday, December 18, 2006
Muslim alienation risk in Europe / BBC, 18 Dec 2006
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6189675.stm
"Muslims' sense of belonging could be eroded by European nations not tackling discrimination, a watchdog has warned. A report by a European Union-backed anti-racism body says the number of Islamophobic incidents in the 25 member states is probably under-reported. In the report, the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC) says it has documented a wide range of anti-Muslim or Islamophobic abuse across the EU's 25 member states. "
Muslims in the EU: Discrimination and Islamophobia
PDF - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/18_12_06fulleureport.pdf
Perceptions of Discrimination and Islamophobia
PDF - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/18_12_06perceptioneu.pdf
"Muslims' sense of belonging could be eroded by European nations not tackling discrimination, a watchdog has warned. A report by a European Union-backed anti-racism body says the number of Islamophobic incidents in the 25 member states is probably under-reported. In the report, the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC) says it has documented a wide range of anti-Muslim or Islamophobic abuse across the EU's 25 member states. "
Muslims in the EU: Discrimination and Islamophobia
PDF - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/18_12_06fulleureport.pdf
Perceptions of Discrimination and Islamophobia
PDF - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/18_12_06perceptioneu.pdf
[New Zealand] Microdots to be used in fight against car crime / Scoop, 18 Dec 2006
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/SC0612/S00048.htm
"Tiny micro dots, like those used by spies in World War Two and the Cold War, are about to be deployed nationwide to help fight organised car crime which sees about 20 vehicles permanently disappear every day in New Zealand."
"Tiny micro dots, like those used by spies in World War Two and the Cold War, are about to be deployed nationwide to help fight organised car crime which sees about 20 vehicles permanently disappear every day in New Zealand."
[Bulgaria] INSIGHT: Bulgarians and the Roma: who’s more wrong? / Sofia Echo, 18 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qjfs
Yana Moyseeva
"Bulgaria’s transition to democracy after 1989 was harder than anyone expected. New democratic and socialist rulers at the time misjudged what was needed to quickly make Bulgaria a free-market economy, a task that countries like Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic managed. The ultimate consequence of those misjudgments in the early days of the republic was an economic catastrophe that resulted in fever-pitch unemployment and a drastic decrease in living standards. But hardest hit were the Roma. Their social and economic situation severely deteriorated as a consequence of the post-communist transition. Roma unemployment skyrocketed up to 90 per cent during the 1990s. Their level of education also fell at great speed. A recent survey reveals that only 10 per cent of Roma aged 10 and above have completed primary education, as opposed to 72 of Bulgarians. As a result, many Roma saw no other option but to earn their bread through social benefits and, alas, crime."
Yana Moyseeva
"Bulgaria’s transition to democracy after 1989 was harder than anyone expected. New democratic and socialist rulers at the time misjudged what was needed to quickly make Bulgaria a free-market economy, a task that countries like Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic managed. The ultimate consequence of those misjudgments in the early days of the republic was an economic catastrophe that resulted in fever-pitch unemployment and a drastic decrease in living standards. But hardest hit were the Roma. Their social and economic situation severely deteriorated as a consequence of the post-communist transition. Roma unemployment skyrocketed up to 90 per cent during the 1990s. Their level of education also fell at great speed. A recent survey reveals that only 10 per cent of Roma aged 10 and above have completed primary education, as opposed to 72 of Bulgarians. As a result, many Roma saw no other option but to earn their bread through social benefits and, alas, crime."
Minorities within minorities: Beneath the surface of South Asian participation / Joseph Rowntree Foundation, December 2006
PDF - http://digbig.com/4qjfp
Heather Blakey, Jenny Pearce and Graeme Chesters
"This research project carried out in Bradford supports the view that statutory agencies do not adequately hear minority voices within groups such as the South Asian community. Academics from Bradford University supported four community members to research participation issues in their communities, focusing on culture and place of origin, sexuality, mental health and disability. Findings at http://www.jrf.org.uk/knowledge/findings/socialpolicy/1977.asp
Heather Blakey, Jenny Pearce and Graeme Chesters
"This research project carried out in Bradford supports the view that statutory agencies do not adequately hear minority voices within groups such as the South Asian community. Academics from Bradford University supported four community members to research participation issues in their communities, focusing on culture and place of origin, sexuality, mental health and disability. Findings at http://www.jrf.org.uk/knowledge/findings/socialpolicy/1977.asp
[Jamaica] Flawed deportee study published / Jamaican Gleaner, 17 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qjfe
Bernard Headley
"National Security Minister Dr. Peter Phillips recently tabled in Parliament a report, 'A Study on Criminal Deportation'. The study's claimed central finding is deportees returned to Jamaica from the United States, Great Britain and Canada are significantly responsible for Jamaica's horrendous violent crime problem. Whatever other bits of useful information may have emerged from the study (and there are some), establishing criminal causality was clearly its raison d'etre."
Bernard Headley
"National Security Minister Dr. Peter Phillips recently tabled in Parliament a report, 'A Study on Criminal Deportation'. The study's claimed central finding is deportees returned to Jamaica from the United States, Great Britain and Canada are significantly responsible for Jamaica's horrendous violent crime problem. Whatever other bits of useful information may have emerged from the study (and there are some), establishing criminal causality was clearly its raison d'etre."
Critique of the NYCLU's report on police surveillance cameras / InfoShop News, 16 Dec 2006
http://digbig.com/4qjes
"Too little too late. On 13 December 2006, the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) released a fairly short (19-page-long) and long-delayed report on the use of video surveillance cameras in New York City. Entitled Who’s Watching? Video Camera Surveillance in New York City and the Need for Public Oversight, [PDF ] it updates the NYCLU’s first report on the subject, which was called New York City: A Surveillance Camera Town and released on 11 December 1998. What’s the news? Over the course of the last eight years, the number of surveillance cameras installed in public places has dramatically increased. While there were a total of 2,397 cameras in all of Manhattan in 1998, there are now that many cameras in a single area (Greenwich Village/SoHo). The vast majority of these cameras are privately owned; all of them have been installed “in the absence of legal or regulatory constraint” (NYCLU press release, 13 December 2006)."
"Too little too late. On 13 December 2006, the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) released a fairly short (19-page-long) and long-delayed report on the use of video surveillance cameras in New York City. Entitled Who’s Watching? Video Camera Surveillance in New York City and the Need for Public Oversight, [PDF ] it updates the NYCLU’s first report on the subject, which was called New York City: A Surveillance Camera Town and released on 11 December 1998. What’s the news? Over the course of the last eight years, the number of surveillance cameras installed in public places has dramatically increased. While there were a total of 2,397 cameras in all of Manhattan in 1998, there are now that many cameras in a single area (Greenwich Village/SoHo). The vast majority of these cameras are privately owned; all of them have been installed “in the absence of legal or regulatory constraint” (NYCLU press release, 13 December 2006)."
Friday, December 15, 2006
Building better governance / NAO, 31 Oct 2006
http://digbig.com/4qhrj
"This annual report looks back on the year's work by the Good Conduct and Counter Fraud Knowledge Network in ensuring that the Audit Commission has been seen as a lead regulator in the improvement and delivery of high standards of conduct in public life. The Network continues to play an important role in the fight against economic crime and to drive improvements in standards of conduct in public life in audited and inspected bodies. "
PDF - http://digbig.com/4qhrk
"This annual report looks back on the year's work by the Good Conduct and Counter Fraud Knowledge Network in ensuring that the Audit Commission has been seen as a lead regulator in the improvement and delivery of high standards of conduct in public life. The Network continues to play an important role in the fight against economic crime and to drive improvements in standards of conduct in public life in audited and inspected bodies. "
PDF - http://digbig.com/4qhrk
Turning murder into reality TV / Spiked, 15 Dec 2006
http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/earticle/2403/
Mick Hume
"From police and reporters to criminologists and psychologists - everybody seems to want a walk-on part in the 'Suffolk Ripper' show. I am not sure whether the grisly actions of a homicidal maniac ever have much meaning. But some reactions to the murder of five women, all of them prostitutes in the town of Ipswich, do seem to say something grim about our society’s current state of mind. The coverage of the case has turned the ‘Suffolk Ripper’ murders into another sort of reality television show. The police officers leading the investigation, the news reporters covering it, the criminologists and psychologists speculating about it - everybody seems to want a walk-on part in the theatre of death."
Mick Hume
"From police and reporters to criminologists and psychologists - everybody seems to want a walk-on part in the 'Suffolk Ripper' show. I am not sure whether the grisly actions of a homicidal maniac ever have much meaning. But some reactions to the murder of five women, all of them prostitutes in the town of Ipswich, do seem to say something grim about our society’s current state of mind. The coverage of the case has turned the ‘Suffolk Ripper’ murders into another sort of reality television show. The police officers leading the investigation, the news reporters covering it, the criminologists and psychologists speculating about it - everybody seems to want a walk-on part in the theatre of death."
Time for a backlash against the hate-obsessed state? /Spiked, 11 Dec 2006
http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/earticle/2271/
Brendan O’Neill
"After 7/7 we were warned of a possible pogrom against Muslims. If anything, prosecutions for anti-Muslim acts actually fell. Backlash? What backlash? We now know that the post-7/7 fantasies of an anti-Muslim pogrom were just that: fantasises, fuelled by an excitable and unfounded view of the white working classes as ignorant and given to violent outbursts. Figures published by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) last week show that for the year 2005-2006 (which covers 1 April 2005 to 31 March 2006, thus including the aftermath of the bombings) there were prosecutions for 43 cases of religiously aggravated crime. That’s right, 43. Far from being a backlash, this figure is socially insignificant, representing a minuscule minority of overall crime for 2005-2006. The ‘backlash’ predicted by so many turned out to be a handful of mostly minor incidents carried out by drunks and losers."
Brendan O’Neill
"After 7/7 we were warned of a possible pogrom against Muslims. If anything, prosecutions for anti-Muslim acts actually fell. Backlash? What backlash? We now know that the post-7/7 fantasies of an anti-Muslim pogrom were just that: fantasises, fuelled by an excitable and unfounded view of the white working classes as ignorant and given to violent outbursts. Figures published by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) last week show that for the year 2005-2006 (which covers 1 April 2005 to 31 March 2006, thus including the aftermath of the bombings) there were prosecutions for 43 cases of religiously aggravated crime. That’s right, 43. Far from being a backlash, this figure is socially insignificant, representing a minuscule minority of overall crime for 2005-2006. The ‘backlash’ predicted by so many turned out to be a handful of mostly minor incidents carried out by drunks and losers."
On Secret Interpol Files / Brussels Journal, 15 Dec 2006
Ernest Baert
"Fjordman has pointed out that reported rape rates in Oslo are 6 times the level they are in New York. Comparing crime rates across borders is notoriously difficult, primarily because of the different definitions of different categories of crimes (e.g. is a suicide a murder or not ?), but also because of different approaches to policing: rape reporting to the police varies from country to country and it seems the way the police treat victims has a large impact on the likelihood of reporting. I was curious about the true situation, but unsure what to believe of the official MSM gospel about crime, i.e. that Europe is a haven of peace compared to the USA, so I spent some time trying to understand what was really going on. This is what I have found."
Ernest Baert
"Fjordman has pointed out that reported rape rates in Oslo are 6 times the level they are in New York. Comparing crime rates across borders is notoriously difficult, primarily because of the different definitions of different categories of crimes (e.g. is a suicide a murder or not ?), but also because of different approaches to policing: rape reporting to the police varies from country to country and it seems the way the police treat victims has a large impact on the likelihood of reporting. I was curious about the true situation, but unsure what to believe of the official MSM gospel about crime, i.e. that Europe is a haven of peace compared to the USA, so I spent some time trying to understand what was really going on. This is what I have found."
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