Daily News Summary
Thursday 8 May 2008
Main stories
`Labour defies experts in cannabis crackdown'
Cannabis is to be reclassified from a Class C to a Class B drug- contrary to the advice of experts. The maximum prison term for possession consequently rises to five years. Conservative spokesperson David Davis condemns the resort to warnings before punishment is imposed. The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs had wanted to wait for more evidence about the impacts on human health. Professor Robin Murray welcomes the change but argues that the only thing that will bring down consumption is education.
DMail10, Sun2, DExp2, DTel8, Times9, Ind21, Gdn6
`Boris bans alcohol on London transport'
Giving support to `zero-tolerance' policies on crime, new London Mayor Boris Johnson will change the `rules of carriage' to ban opened bottles and cans of alcoholic beverages from London buses, trams, and the Docklands Light Railway from June 1. Alcohol Concern welcomes the change of policy. DTel4, Sun2, DMail13, Times2 and Ind11
`Foreign criminals work at airports unchecked'
Foreign national employees working in airports close to baggage and aircraft are not being given compulsory checks on their criminal records in their countries of origin. The Conservative and Liberal Democrat spokespersons condemn the omission. DTel1, Sun32, DExp13, DMail6 and Times2
`Big Brother plan to harass yobs into submission'
Envisaging what the Mail calls `a targeted campaign of harassment', Home Secretary Jacqui Smith is due to reveal that Antisocial Behaviour Orders are increasingly failing and that a new drive will be launched against the `worst 7 per cent' responsible for most bad behaviour on the streets. They will be visited at home, photographed and filmed daily by police. DMail8, DTel8 and Gdn1
Other stories
`Iraqis allege sex abuse at the British Embassy'
Three people working at the British Embassy in Baghdad have alleged that a culture of sexual abuse and harassment exists among managers of a firm contracted to maintain the Embassy's premises. The company's own investigation found no case to answer but a conflict of interest is now being pointed out. A feature states that contractors enjoy immunity from Iraqi law, causing resentment among the population. Times1and4.
`Daffodil harvester stripped of licence and accused of using forced labour'
Timberland Homes Recruitment, a firm harvesting flowers for sale in the high street, has been barred from operating, over allegations that it exploited migrant workers. Gdn9
`"Lag" tag is naff...get it off'
Because he needs to wear shorts for his new job selling windsurfing equipment Aaron Morgan has been allowed to discontinue wearing an electronic tag for the remaining two months of his curfew order for supplying a Class A drug to a friend who died as a result. His supervision will continue for two years. Sun33
`No matter where I went, he was there behind me'
Hearing a flippant comment about the harassment of actor Uma Thurman, Celia Walden recalls her own experience of being `stalked', referring to the `power of fear' that drives the offence. DTel20
`Parents to text for help with teenagers'
Under the government's Parent Know How scheme, parents will be able to access electronic advice on how to deal with unruly teenagers. Civitas argues that the scheme ignores the structural problems of overwork or unemployment among parents. DTel10
`My dear son would still be alive if they hadn't gone soft on cannabis'
Colette White recounts the background to the suicide of her son Matthew who took cannabis regularly. Matthew's friend had made a statement to say that Matthew has taken LSD before going to woods where he was later found dead. DMail11
`Tough protectors'
As the Office for Fair Trading last year levied record annual fines on businesses for taking part in cartels, the European Commission has over the last three years been imposing fines of £4 billion, in a global policy led by the US Department of Justice to promote competition. FT11
Comment, editorials, letters
`A brave and justified decision on cannabis'
The Mail welcomes the government's reclassification of cannabis, detecting `an all-too-rare sense of firm leadership' by the Prime Minister. DMail14
`Welcome steps toward a more civilised society'
Endorsing the stance of the Police Superintendents' Association in its letter to the editor, The Daily Telegraph greets the reclassification of cannabis and the London transport alcohol ban as steps towards mitigating the effects of too much `social liberalism'. DTel22
`To the Back of the Class'
The Times regrets the decision to ignore expert advice on cannabis, referring to it as 'a gesture of political braggadocio'. Times18
`Drug laws don't work'
The Mirror recommends a Royal Commission on drugs because the current approach is not working. Mirror10
`Duff justice'
`...we can all sleep easy in our beds', The Sun ironically comments on the case of the windsurfing equipment salesperson whose curfew tag was removed earlier than expected. Sun6
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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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