Daily News Summary
Friday, 26 June 2009
Main stories
`Met to curb terrorism searches'
Following accusations of the Met police overusing stop and search powers, particularly in the Muslim community, Met Commissioner Paul Stephenson announces more restrictive use of the stop and search law will be rolled out across London by the end of July. It follows a pilot of more restrictive use of stop and search in Brent, Newham, Southwark and Tower Hamlets. Stephenson told the MPA `our analysis from the pilots is that we have seen a big reduction in stop and searches, but we do not think we have reduced our effectiveness.' FT4
Meanwhile, `Cameron pledges to scrap powers of stop and search' ... and he promised to stop councils using the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act. DTel14
`Security stepped up over cyber-attack threats'
The government has announced plans to update the cyber security strategy. GCHQ lead the strategy, and an ethics advisory group will be set up. The Association of Chief Police Officers will also draw up a strategy on `law enforcement and cyber-crime' Other security risk factors listed in the strategy paper include climate change, energy supplies, and recession. Gdn4, Ind10-11 and other papers.
Simon Hoggart provides a commentary on David Hansen's cyber-crime statement. Gdn4
and Misha Glenny comments on government cyber strategies. Gdn32
Other Stories
`Lawyers ridicule planned law on jailing MPs guilty of fraud'
Apparently the law would give MPs guilty of fraud more leniency than the people they represent. FT2
`Report on Blair Peach's death to be made public'
Blair Peach died in a demonstration in West London over 30 years ago. There are allegations his death was `at the hands of the police'. The MPA has unanimous called for a report on the death to be made public. Gdn12
`Council missed chance to save girl, says review'
... Gdn9, DTel15 and other papers.
`Ex-UK resident alleges pre-9/11 collusion in torture'
Farid Hilali tells the Guardian he was visited by a British secret service agent whilst being detained and tortured in the United Arab Emirates. Gdn11
`Holiday death family's anger at firm's "legal games"'
A trial into the deaths of two children who died from carbon monoxide fumes on holiday in Corfu has been adjourned until February next year. Gdn12, Mirr21
`One in 10 European deaths "due to alcohol"'
... Claims a paper by doctors at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in a paper in the Lancet. Gdn13
Government prospectus for the country to be published next week
According to the Guardian accountable policing will be part of the Government's message and agenda in the next year. Gdn14
`From muse to artist - Hindley's anonymous work on display'
It has emerged an exhibit at the Gallery of Justice Museum in Nottingham, a museum dedicated to prison art and artefacts, was made by convicted murderer Myra Hindley. Ind3
Tim Roberson from The Koestler Trust says art can be rehabilitative
Ind3
`Cop "mis-led UK"'
Andy Haymen, former head of Met police counter terrorism says former Met Commissioner Ian Blair gave a misleading statement follow the killing of Jean Charles De Menezes. Sun2
`£20m speed fines may be repaid after police error'
... DMail40
`Labour to junk Blair's flagship school reform'
It is reported next week's white paper on education will issue a `new era of localism', turning back on the centralised strategies of New Labour. Gdn1-2,DTel1
Comments, letters
`An invitation to reoffend'
Libby Brooks criticises Alan Johnson's calls to revive ASBOs arguing they will increase `the most socially useless and economically indefensible elements of our criminal justice system: the short-term prison sentence'. She also argues community sentencing is the alternative to short-term prison sentences and supports the Make Justice Work campaign to be launched on Monday. Gdn32
`Exclusions are not easy but are necessary'
Two letter writers discuss their experience of excluding children from school. Times29
`Reform starts by giving MPs real clout to quiz the leaders'
Jenni Russell criticises the current structure in which Select Committee operate. Gdn33
`It's time people knew how their money was being spent'
Steve Richards comments on the `silliest pre-election spending debate' and argues that the questions should be `how to have civilised levels of public provision and how much are we willing to pay for them?, questions he says are `rarely asked let alone answered'. Ind33
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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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