Daily News Summary
Monday, 4 August 2008
Main story
`Inquiry after taxpayers' cash used for documentaries'
Ofcom are investigating complaints that sponsorship rules may have been broken after it emerged the government has spent `hundreds of thousands of pounds' on documentaries. One example given was `Beat: Life of the street', a documentary about the role of police community support officers which aired on ITV. The Guardian reports the programme portrayed the officers as helpful and efficient. The series had been commissioned by the Home Office and given £800,000 of government funding. Gdn13
Other stories
`Poorest targeted with energy-saving schemes'
Ministers are considering front-loading the carbon emissions reduction target scheme (Certs), which promotes reductions in carbon emissions for households by installing energy efficient measures such as cavity walls. The move would hope to spend the money sooner and ensure a greater proportion of the funding goes to fuel-poor households. The scheme is funded by energy companies. Gdn2, FTimes1
`Anger at police raid on green camp ahead of coal protest'
The police have been criticised by environmental campaigners and politicians following a raid by 200 officers of a climate camp. Gdn7
`Police officers paid £150m in bonuses'
The Association of Chief Police Officers has called the police bonus pay system `an inappropriate way of rewarding public services'. Bonus pay was introduced between 2002 - 2004 to improve efficiency and reward officers who carried out particularly difficult jobs. Gdn12
`Police pay for nine-year-olds' anger management classes'
DTel2
`Households face £110 fine for leaving wheelie bin lid ajar'
... According to government guidance to local authorities fines should be between £75 - £110. The Mirror calls it `another rubbish decision', saying the fines are greater than those given to shoplifters. DTel6, Mirror12, DMail1,2
`US device that finds gunman in seconds to be tested by police'
The ShotSpotter system, a device used to trace snipers by the US police and military, is to be piloted by some UK police forces to combat gun crime and terrorism. Ind6
`Thousands of "foster" children lost to care system'
Only 1,330 of the estimated 10,000 - 20,000 children living with distant relatives or friends in what are known as `private fostering arrangements' are registered. The Utting report for child safety in 1997 called private fostering `a honeypot for abusers'. Times18
`Britain set to test pioneering "e-borders" monitoring system'
An interview with the director of Raytheon, the US defence company who are the lead contractor on the e-borders system. FTimes3
Comment, editorials, letters
`Assume nothing'
Says Duncan Campbell following Barry George's acquittal. Gdn27
`The rich and drugs'
In a letter, the chair of the UK Drug Policy Commission says their recent review of government and enforcement agencies efforts to combat drug use found an absence of sufficient evidence, rather than evidence efforts weren't working. Times25
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These newspaper summaries are drawn up by staff at the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies. They are not intended to be comprehensive, or wholly uniform in their approach. Instead, they reflect our individual and collective perspectives on the day's coverage, including our judgements in terms of relevance to the Centre's concerns. On occasion, they also reflect the inevitable time constraints within which we work.
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