http://www.autoindustry.co.uk/news/industry_news/news-57l57jlfa7
"The National Audit Office reported today that Home Office and other organisations' programmes have helped reduce thefts of and from vehicles by 30 per cent since 1999. Comptroller Sir John Bourn says this is a significant achievement but added that there is nevertheless scope to reduce such crimes even further."
SOCIETY, SOCIAL MEDIA, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE< GOVERNMENT>JUSTICE - a selective newsfeed
society
Saturday, January 29, 2005
Policing the Police / [USA] Goverment Technology, October 2004
http://www.govtech.net/magazine/story.php?id=91697&issue=10:2004
Jim McKay
"Oakland, Calif., tackles police misconduct issues with database.The system will document use-of-force incidents, citizen complaints, attendance, shootings and accidents, as well as commendations, awards and letters of appreciation. Its main purpose is to help supervisors identify trends that might indicate an officer needs an intervention. "
Jim McKay
"Oakland, Calif., tackles police misconduct issues with database.The system will document use-of-force incidents, citizen complaints, attendance, shootings and accidents, as well as commendations, awards and letters of appreciation. Its main purpose is to help supervisors identify trends that might indicate an officer needs an intervention. "
Backlog keeps immigrants waiting years for green cards /USA TODAY, 26 Jan 2005
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-01-26-immigration-wait_x.htm
Sergio Bustos
"Obtaining legal U.S. residency is much harder today than it used to be. Applicants must be sponsored by an employer or relative in the United States or may qualify as a refugee by proving they have a 'well-founded fear of persecution' in their homeland.
But family-based visas are capped at 480,000 annually, employment visas at 140,000. The number of refugees admitted is decided by the president and Congress, which set the limit at 70,000 in 2004.
Adding to the backlog problem are immigrants from a handful of countries that flood immigration authorities with green card applications. Foreigners from China, Mexico, the Philippines and India tend to wait the longest after applying through a family member living in the United States because demand is so great. "
Sergio Bustos
"Obtaining legal U.S. residency is much harder today than it used to be. Applicants must be sponsored by an employer or relative in the United States or may qualify as a refugee by proving they have a 'well-founded fear of persecution' in their homeland.
But family-based visas are capped at 480,000 annually, employment visas at 140,000. The number of refugees admitted is decided by the president and Congress, which set the limit at 70,000 in 2004.
Adding to the backlog problem are immigrants from a handful of countries that flood immigration authorities with green card applications. Foreigners from China, Mexico, the Philippines and India tend to wait the longest after applying through a family member living in the United States because demand is so great. "
Britain Turning into Police State: Report / Islam Online, 28 Jan 2005
http://www.islam-online.net/English/News/2005-01/28/article04.shtml
"Home Secretary Charles Clarke is turning Britain into a police state, the country's former anti-terrorist police chief said, shortly after British officials proposed new extensive powers to control and monitor suspects without charge or trial, according to a major British daily Friday, January 28.
"I have a horrible feeling that we are sinking into a police state, and that's not good for anybody. We live in a democracy and we should police on those standards," said George Churchill-Coleman"
"Home Secretary Charles Clarke is turning Britain into a police state, the country's former anti-terrorist police chief said, shortly after British officials proposed new extensive powers to control and monitor suspects without charge or trial, according to a major British daily Friday, January 28.
"I have a horrible feeling that we are sinking into a police state, and that's not good for anybody. We live in a democracy and we should police on those standards," said George Churchill-Coleman"
Green card backlogs still choking US immigration / Workpermit, 28 Jan 2005
http://www.workpermit.com/news/2005_01_28/us/green_card_backlogs_still_choking_us_immigration.htm
"Despite US Government promises to speed things up, thousands of people are still waiting for US immigration visas, often for years, reports the newspaper USA Today.
By some estimates there are over 600,000 foreigners with family members in the US waiting for their green cards, which would let them live and work permanently in America. Last spring the US Citizenship and Immigration Services started a campaign to clear all backlogged immigration applications including green cards, which had risen to 6 million in 2003."
"Despite US Government promises to speed things up, thousands of people are still waiting for US immigration visas, often for years, reports the newspaper USA Today.
By some estimates there are over 600,000 foreigners with family members in the US waiting for their green cards, which would let them live and work permanently in America. Last spring the US Citizenship and Immigration Services started a campaign to clear all backlogged immigration applications including green cards, which had risen to 6 million in 2003."
Anti-trafficking laws needed / The Malaysia Star, 28 Jan 2005
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2005/1/28/nation/10018043&sec=nation
"A new law should be enacted to arrest those who dupe foreign women into coming to Malaysia for jobs but forced them into prostitution instead, the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) proposed.
Suhakam said often foreign women were arrested but the 'masterminds' or 'Johns' were let off easily because of the absence of an anti-trafficking law. "
"A new law should be enacted to arrest those who dupe foreign women into coming to Malaysia for jobs but forced them into prostitution instead, the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) proposed.
Suhakam said often foreign women were arrested but the 'masterminds' or 'Johns' were let off easily because of the absence of an anti-trafficking law. "
DRUG ABUSE TREATMENT FOR CONNECTICUT INMATES REDUCES REARREST RATES / [USA] SAPRP, 14 Jan 2005
http://www.saprp.org/m_press_shepard011405.cfm
"Study Shows Positive Cost Benefit of Investing in Drug and Alcohol Treatment in Prisons "
"Study Shows Positive Cost Benefit of Investing in Drug and Alcohol Treatment in Prisons "
STUDY SHOWS CORRECTIONAL STAFF NEED TO CHANGE ATTITUDES TOWARD METHADONE / [USA] SAPRP, 26 Jan 2005
http://www.saprp.org/m_press_lapham012605.cfm
"Correctional facilities wanting to provide methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) might first want to change staff attitudes about heroin addicts and about methadone as an effective treatment for heroin addiction, according to a study published in the February issue of Addiction Research and Theory .
�Older and more educated security staff, along with medical staff, may be able to lead the way toward an overall change in attitude and acceptance of methadone treatment in correctional clinics,� according to the authors of the study, Garnett McMillan , Ph.D., and Sandra Lapham , M.D., of the Behavioral Health Research Center of the Southwest. "
"Correctional facilities wanting to provide methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) might first want to change staff attitudes about heroin addicts and about methadone as an effective treatment for heroin addiction, according to a study published in the February issue of Addiction Research and Theory .
�Older and more educated security staff, along with medical staff, may be able to lead the way toward an overall change in attitude and acceptance of methadone treatment in correctional clinics,� according to the authors of the study, Garnett McMillan , Ph.D., and Sandra Lapham , M.D., of the Behavioral Health Research Center of the Southwest. "
There are bigger threats than ID cards / Sydney Morning Herald, 28 Jan 2005
http://www.smh.com.au/news/Richard-Ackland/There-are-bigger-threats-than-ID-cards/2005/01/27/1106415729480.html
Richard Ackland
"The issue of a national identity card has re-emerged. Last week The Australian ran a story about the Government's proposed system of 'document verification'. As far as one could distil from the article, federal cabinet is soon to be presented with a proposal to check the authenticity of people's documents including drivers' licences, passports and birth certificates. This will be done through a formal system of cross-checking and the use of biometric details, which will require members of society to surrender impressions of their facial characteristics and fingerprints.
The online database could be used by government agencies and commercial outfits that need to authenticate anyone's identity to safeguard transactions. This might range from banks, stockbrokers, hotels, airlines, to businesses that hire anything from backhoes to cocktail glasses."
Richard Ackland
"The issue of a national identity card has re-emerged. Last week The Australian ran a story about the Government's proposed system of 'document verification'. As far as one could distil from the article, federal cabinet is soon to be presented with a proposal to check the authenticity of people's documents including drivers' licences, passports and birth certificates. This will be done through a formal system of cross-checking and the use of biometric details, which will require members of society to surrender impressions of their facial characteristics and fingerprints.
The online database could be used by government agencies and commercial outfits that need to authenticate anyone's identity to safeguard transactions. This might range from banks, stockbrokers, hotels, airlines, to businesses that hire anything from backhoes to cocktail glasses."
Charles Clarke's CV / spiked-liberties, 27 Jan 2005
http://www.spiked-online.com/articles/0000000CA8A4.htm
Jamie Douglass
"With David Blunkett's departure as home secretary, some thought we would to enter a new era of tolerance. The former Labour deputy leader Roy Hattersley has already defended Blunkett's replacement Charles Clarke as a man who has 'twice displayed a weakness for civil liberties 'obviously grateful for the opportunity to choose the libertarian option' So is Mr Clarke a woolly liberal in authoritarian lupine garb, or are we stuck with the dictatorial legacy of Mr B? "
Jamie Douglass
"With David Blunkett's departure as home secretary, some thought we would to enter a new era of tolerance. The former Labour deputy leader Roy Hattersley has already defended Blunkett's replacement Charles Clarke as a man who has 'twice displayed a weakness for civil liberties 'obviously grateful for the opportunity to choose the libertarian option' So is Mr Clarke a woolly liberal in authoritarian lupine garb, or are we stuck with the dictatorial legacy of Mr B? "
Friday, January 28, 2005
Report on Government Services 2005 [Australia] Productivity Commission
http://www.pc.gov.au/gsp/reports/rogs/2005/2005partc.zip
Justice Preface http://www.pc.gov.au/gsp/reports/rogs/2005/prefacec.pdf
Police services http://www.pc.gov.au/gsp/reports/rogs/2005/chapter05.pdf
Court administration http://www.pc.gov.au/gsp/reports/rogs/2005/chapter06.pdf
Corrective services http://www.pc.gov.au/gsp/reports/rogs/2005/chapter07.pdf
Justice Preface http://www.pc.gov.au/gsp/reports/rogs/2005/prefacec.pdf
Police services http://www.pc.gov.au/gsp/reports/rogs/2005/chapter05.pdf
Court administration http://www.pc.gov.au/gsp/reports/rogs/2005/chapter06.pdf
Corrective services http://www.pc.gov.au/gsp/reports/rogs/2005/chapter07.pdf
Immigration policy : Howard's way / Economist, 27 Jan 2005
http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displayStory.cfm?story_id=3599578
"The Conservatives propose a radical overhaul of the immigration system. Believing that overall numbers matter most, the Tories plan to follow Australia's and Canada's lead by setting annual immigration limits. The huddled masses would be divided into 'streams' of economic migrants, family members and refugees, with the hint that numbers in all three categories will be cut from present levels. Those who wish to work will be assessed by a points system designed to cherry-pick the sort of labourers Britain needs."
"The Conservatives propose a radical overhaul of the immigration system. Believing that overall numbers matter most, the Tories plan to follow Australia's and Canada's lead by setting annual immigration limits. The huddled masses would be divided into 'streams' of economic migrants, family members and refugees, with the hint that numbers in all three categories will be cut from present levels. Those who wish to work will be assessed by a points system designed to cherry-pick the sort of labourers Britain needs."
Prison or Treatment : What should the price of getting high be? /Smyth News,
http://www.smythnews.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=SCN/MGArticle/SCN_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031780461826&path=!home
Lee Ann Prescott
"The costs to society from drug consumption, however, exceed the amounts spent on drug abuse. Drug use fosters crime; facilitates the spread of catastrophic health problems, such as hepatitis, endocarditis, and AIDS; and disrupts personal, familial, and legitimate economic relationships. The public bears much of the burden of these indirect costs because it finances the criminal justice response to drug-related crime, a public drug-treatment system, and anti-drug prevention programs," the report says."
Lee Ann Prescott
"The costs to society from drug consumption, however, exceed the amounts spent on drug abuse. Drug use fosters crime; facilitates the spread of catastrophic health problems, such as hepatitis, endocarditis, and AIDS; and disrupts personal, familial, and legitimate economic relationships. The public bears much of the burden of these indirect costs because it finances the criminal justice response to drug-related crime, a public drug-treatment system, and anti-drug prevention programs," the report says."
Making Civil Servants More...Civil / [Germany] Deutsche Welle, 26 Jan 2005
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,1470089,00.html?maca=en-bulletin-433-html
"Money talks - and if it can't actually buy you a residence permit, it can at least buy a gentle rejection rather than a barked refusal and a door slammed in the face. In 2002, Germany's venerable Humboldt Foundation introduced an award for the country's "friendliest immigration office." It's about to be issued for the third and last time. The burning question is: Did it help?
"
"Money talks - and if it can't actually buy you a residence permit, it can at least buy a gentle rejection rather than a barked refusal and a door slammed in the face. In 2002, Germany's venerable Humboldt Foundation introduced an award for the country's "friendliest immigration office." It's about to be issued for the third and last time. The burning question is: Did it help?
"
The not-for-profit principle / Charity Times, Jan 2005
http://www.charitytimes.com/pages/features/The%20not-for-profit%20principle.htm
Shayla Walmsley
"If the profit motive drives business, can you harness entrepreneurial energy, not for profit, but for the greater good? What makes social entrepreneurs different from, say, Richard Branson or Anita Roddick? Some demographic differences have been noted in the 2003 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor report, which found that women and people from ethnic minorities are more likely to become social rather than commerical entrepreneurs. Social entrepreneurs also tend to be well-educated and financially better-off. However, when it comes to the practical aspects, there aren�t so many differences. "
Shayla Walmsley
"If the profit motive drives business, can you harness entrepreneurial energy, not for profit, but for the greater good? What makes social entrepreneurs different from, say, Richard Branson or Anita Roddick? Some demographic differences have been noted in the 2003 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor report, which found that women and people from ethnic minorities are more likely to become social rather than commerical entrepreneurs. Social entrepreneurs also tend to be well-educated and financially better-off. However, when it comes to the practical aspects, there aren�t so many differences. "
Terrorist explosive blows up without flames / New Scientist, 26 Jan 2005
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn6925
Jenny Hogan
"An explosive sometimes used by terrorists does not burn when it detonates. Instead, its molecules simply fall apart. The chemist who has discovered this is so concerned by its implications that he has decided to abandon this line of research.
Triacetone triperoxide (TATP) has been used by suicide bombers in Israel and was chosen as a detonator in 2001 by the thwarted 'shoe bomber' Richard Reid. Now calculations by Ehud Keinan from the Technion - Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel, show that most of its explosive force comes from a rapid release of gas rather than a burst of energy."
Jenny Hogan
"An explosive sometimes used by terrorists does not burn when it detonates. Instead, its molecules simply fall apart. The chemist who has discovered this is so concerned by its implications that he has decided to abandon this line of research.
Triacetone triperoxide (TATP) has been used by suicide bombers in Israel and was chosen as a detonator in 2001 by the thwarted 'shoe bomber' Richard Reid. Now calculations by Ehud Keinan from the Technion - Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel, show that most of its explosive force comes from a rapid release of gas rather than a burst of energy."
Police launch site to tackle net pervs | The Register, 27 Jan 2005
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/01/27/net_safety_kids/
Lucy Sherriff
"An international police taskforce has launched a website where children can report possible online paedophile activity. The site's logo will appear on AOL BT, Vodafone and Microsoft websites, providing a hotlink to the home page of Virtual Global Taskforce.
Virtual Global Taskforce aims to make the internet a safer place for children and a more hostile place for paedophiles. It is the result of international collaboration between the National Crime Squad and its counterparts in Canada, the US and Australia."
Lucy Sherriff
"An international police taskforce has launched a website where children can report possible online paedophile activity. The site's logo will appear on AOL BT, Vodafone and Microsoft websites, providing a hotlink to the home page of Virtual Global Taskforce.
Virtual Global Taskforce aims to make the internet a safer place for children and a more hostile place for paedophiles. It is the result of international collaboration between the National Crime Squad and its counterparts in Canada, the US and Australia."
Eavesdropping on terror talk in Germany | The Christian Science Monitor, 28 Jan 2005
Eavesdropping on terror talk in Germany | csmonitor.com:
Faye Bowers
"Authorities learned how the suspects, who were arrested a week ago, tried to operate without attracting attention. The surveillance operation offers an inside look at some of the problems and progress of those on the frontlines of the war on terror."
Faye Bowers
"Authorities learned how the suspects, who were arrested a week ago, tried to operate without attracting attention. The surveillance operation offers an inside look at some of the problems and progress of those on the frontlines of the war on terror."
Police launch site to tackle net pervs | The Register, 27 Jan 2005
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/01/27/net_safety_kids/
Lucy Sherriff
"An international police taskforce has launched a website where children can report possible online paedophile activity. The site's logo will appear on AOL BT, Vodafone and Microsoft websites, providing a hotlink to the home page of Virtual Global Taskforce.
Virtual Global Taskforce aims to make the internet a safer place for children and a more hostile place for paedophiles. It is the result of international collaboration between the National Crime Squad and its counterparts in Canada, the US and Australia."
Lucy Sherriff
"An international police taskforce has launched a website where children can report possible online paedophile activity. The site's logo will appear on AOL BT, Vodafone and Microsoft websites, providing a hotlink to the home page of Virtual Global Taskforce.
Virtual Global Taskforce aims to make the internet a safer place for children and a more hostile place for paedophiles. It is the result of international collaboration between the National Crime Squad and its counterparts in Canada, the US and Australia."
6 federal prisons getting tattoo parlours / [Canada] CBC News, 27 Jan 2005
http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2005/01/27/prison-tattoos050127.html
"Federal prison officials are setting up tattoo services at six correctional institutions, in spite of the concerns of guards that inmates will use the needles as weapons.
Inmates will be trained to operate the tattoo services, which are designed to stem the spread of infectious diseases such as hepatitis C. "
"Federal prison officials are setting up tattoo services at six correctional institutions, in spite of the concerns of guards that inmates will use the needles as weapons.
Inmates will be trained to operate the tattoo services, which are designed to stem the spread of infectious diseases such as hepatitis C. "
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