David Cameron’s solution for broken Britain: tough love and tougher policing
August 15, 2011 No Comment
PM targets 120,000 ‘troubled families’ as Home Office sources confirm massive surge in police riot training Thousands more police officers are to undergo riot training, it emerged on Monday, as David Cameron pledged to tackle 120,000 of the country’s most “troubled families” as part of the coalition’s “social and security fightback” against the “slow-motion moral collapse” of Britain. The prime minister ruled out race, poverty and spending cuts as factors behind last week’s riots, but showed signs of wanting to look deeper into their causes by acceding to Labour’s demands for a public inquiry. As part of the “security fightback” section of the government’s response, the home secretary, Theresa May, wrote to Sir Denis O’Connor, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary, asking for clearer guidance for forces on their preparations to tackle riots. Senior officers complained that they did not have sufficient number of officers trained in riot control to respond immediately to last week’s events, but Home Office sources confirmed on Monday night that they now expected a massive expansion in riot training for the police as a result of May’s request. “I have asked him to provide clearer guidance to forces about the size of deployments, the need for mutual aid, pre-emptive action, public order tactics, the number of officers trained in public order policing, and appropriate arrests policy,” the home secretary is to announce on Tuesday in a speech detailing the “security fightback”. As part of the “social fightback”, Cameron had a tough-love message for 120,000 of the UK’s most “troubled families”. He set himself the rigid target of the next election to put all of them through some kind of family-intervention programme. In a speech setting out his analysis of what led to the riots, Cameron highlighted those families across the UK who were dealing with multiple complex social health and economic problems. Lifting them out of extreme worklessness would be regarded as a measure of his success in his wider agenda of fixing Britain’s broken society, he said. Cameron said he would now put “rocket boosters” on attempts to rehabilitate those 120,000. Speaking at a youth centre in his Witney constituency in Oxfordshire, the prime minister said: “The broken society is back at the top of my political agenda … I have an ambition, before the end of this parliament, we will turn around the lives of 120,000 most troubled families … we need more urgent action on the families that some people call ‘problem’, others call ‘troubled’. The ones everyone in their neighbourhood knows and often avoids.” He said would ask the chief executive of an organisation called Action for Employment, Emma Harrison, who he appointed his “families champion” in December, to use her current experience in dealing with 500 troubled families in three pilot areas to overcome the bureaucratic problems that have prevented the rapid expansion of Labour’s similar families intervention programme, which has been running since 2006. A former coalition government adviser, Dame Claire Tickell, head of Action for Children, which runs some family intervention projects, later told BBC Radio 4 that she was concerned about funding for the intervention. Ringfencing was scrapped last May. In 2008 Gordon Brown promised to target “more than 110,000 problem families with disruptive young people”. The latest official figures show that, in 2009-10, only 3,518 families were actually in the intervention programme and it has helped only 7,300 families since being set up in 2006. While the intent of Cameron’s pledge received cautious cross-party support, Labour echoed Tickell’s concerns and doubted whether it could be funded. Matt Cavanagh, of the Institute for Public Policy Research, and one of the Labour advisers who helped draft the policy when Labour was in power, suggested it would require £100m a year over the next four years. He said: “Local authorities used to part-fund [these programmes] but the government has dismantled all the ringfences and given LAs more autonomy in their reduced budgets. The result for problem family programmes has been neglect and confusion, as ministers now seem to admit.” While the government said it would be making available £200m from the European Social Fund to help fund the target, the rest will come from the early intervention grant, which is to be cut by 11% by 2012 and has funding for Sure Start, teenage pregnancy and youth centres to meet. Labour said Sure Start had been cut by 20% while more than 30 had closed. A government source acknowledged that using these resources to fund Cameron’s new target could vary around the country. They said: “It is for local authorities and their partners, including the voluntary sector, to decide how much they wish to prioritise on families with multiple problems in their area.” UK riots Police David Cameron Alan Travis Allegra Stratton guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Researchers were “surprised and taken aback” by the results of a new study, which suggest about 19% of children with an autistic older sibling will also develop the disorder—a much higher rate than the 3% to 14% previous studies have shown. Of the 664 infants studied by researchers, all…
Continue reading …Is the panic over on Wall Street? The Dow shot up around 131 points, and the S&P and Nasdaq were up 13.5 and 26.2 as of 9:39am EST. Part of the gain came from Google’s blockbuster acquisition of Motorola , which sent the latter’s stock up 60%, according…
Continue reading …The FBI has expanded its investigation into News Corp beyond just claims that News of the World journalists hacked into the phones of 9/11 victims . It’s now looking into past claims of misconduct by the media giant, reports the Independent . Specifically, investigators are revisiting a lawsuit filed against News Corp…
Continue reading …
Synchronised explosions in mostly Shia Muslim areas kill at least 74 and injure 250, undermining planned US troop withdrawal A series of co-ordinated explosions have killed at least 74 people and wounded 250 more across Iraq, shattering calm during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and showing that extremists remain a threat more than eight years after the fall of Baghdad. The bombs were detonated in largely Shia Muslim areas of the country. Casualties were mostly Shia-led security forces. A Sunni extremist group, the al-Qaida-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq, was blamed. A jihadist site praised the attacks and said they targeted “Shi’ites, Christians and the apostate awakening councils”, in reference to the US-backed Sunni groups who turned on al-Qaida in 2007. In total, 13 bombs exploded. Many were apparently detonated by suicide bombers. If so, this would further undermine Iraqi and US military claims that al-Qaida and its Iraqi jihadist groups are a spent force after almost a decade of war. The deadliest blast was in the south-eastern city of Kut, where 37 people were killed by a roadside bomb and then a car bomb, which detonated as bystanders gathered following the first explosion. In the Shia shrine cities of Kerbala and Najaf up to 11 security officers and members of the public were killed by car bombs. Bombs rocked Baquba, Tikrit and Kirkuk and there were at least six explosions in Baghdad, although only three people were killed in the capital. The ease with which car bombs were moved around Iraq is a further blow to the standing of Iraq’s security forces, who insist they have contained sectarian violence and have Sunni and Shia extremist groups under control. An attack on a similar scale took place during Ramadan last year and Iraq’s dwindling Christian community was subsequently targeted in churches and in their homes. This spring more than 50 people were killed in an attack on the Tikrit governor’s office. Targeted assassinations have been common in Baghdad, Baquba and Kirkuk. Despite monthly death tolls now sharply below those during the sectarian war of 2006-07, spasms of large-scale violence still occur quite frequently in Iraq, a fact that convinced some local politicians to ask departing US forces to remain after the mandated end of their mission in December this year. The US military is prepared to consider an unspecified number of troops staying on in Iraq as trainers but with roles that would likely have a broader mandate. US advisers are wary of the fragile security gains in Iraq unwinding when they leave. This would be a bitter setback after the more than 4,000 lives lost and estimated $500bn spent fighting a war that aimed to reshape Iraq as a pluralist democracy. Whether US troops stay or go is unlikely to be decided until at least November, with many MPs appearing to fear the future without the safety blanket of well-armed and better-trained soldiers on call for any crisis. However, Shia extremist groups, including the Sadrist party, which has 39 seats in Iraq’s 325-seat parliament, have vowed to violently oppose any troop extension. Militias killed at least 12 US soldiers in June in a series of rocket and roadside bomb attacks widely interpreted as an attempt to create the impression that troops were being forced to flee. Iraq Middle East Global terrorism Martin Chulov guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
Synchronised explosions in mostly Shia Muslim areas kill at least 74 and injure 250, undermining planned US troop withdrawal A series of co-ordinated explosions have killed at least 74 people and wounded 250 more across Iraq, shattering calm during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and showing that extremists remain a threat more than eight years after the fall of Baghdad. The bombs were detonated in largely Shia Muslim areas of the country. Casualties were mostly Shia-led security forces. A Sunni extremist group, the al-Qaida-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq, was blamed. A jihadist site praised the attacks and said they targeted “Shi’ites, Christians and the apostate awakening councils”, in reference to the US-backed Sunni groups who turned on al-Qaida in 2007. In total, 13 bombs exploded. Many were apparently detonated by suicide bombers. If so, this would further undermine Iraqi and US military claims that al-Qaida and its Iraqi jihadist groups are a spent force after almost a decade of war. The deadliest blast was in the south-eastern city of Kut, where 37 people were killed by a roadside bomb and then a car bomb, which detonated as bystanders gathered following the first explosion. In the Shia shrine cities of Kerbala and Najaf up to 11 security officers and members of the public were killed by car bombs. Bombs rocked Baquba, Tikrit and Kirkuk and there were at least six explosions in Baghdad, although only three people were killed in the capital. The ease with which car bombs were moved around Iraq is a further blow to the standing of Iraq’s security forces, who insist they have contained sectarian violence and have Sunni and Shia extremist groups under control. An attack on a similar scale took place during Ramadan last year and Iraq’s dwindling Christian community was subsequently targeted in churches and in their homes. This spring more than 50 people were killed in an attack on the Tikrit governor’s office. Targeted assassinations have been common in Baghdad, Baquba and Kirkuk. Despite monthly death tolls now sharply below those during the sectarian war of 2006-07, spasms of large-scale violence still occur quite frequently in Iraq, a fact that convinced some local politicians to ask departing US forces to remain after the mandated end of their mission in December this year. The US military is prepared to consider an unspecified number of troops staying on in Iraq as trainers but with roles that would likely have a broader mandate. US advisers are wary of the fragile security gains in Iraq unwinding when they leave. This would be a bitter setback after the more than 4,000 lives lost and estimated $500bn spent fighting a war that aimed to reshape Iraq as a pluralist democracy. Whether US troops stay or go is unlikely to be decided until at least November, with many MPs appearing to fear the future without the safety blanket of well-armed and better-trained soldiers on call for any crisis. However, Shia extremist groups, including the Sadrist party, which has 39 seats in Iraq’s 325-seat parliament, have vowed to violently oppose any troop extension. Militias killed at least 12 US soldiers in June in a series of rocket and roadside bomb attacks widely interpreted as an attempt to create the impression that troops were being forced to flee. Iraq Middle East Global terrorism Martin Chulov guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
Intelligence agency asked to crack encrypted messages – especially on BlackBerry Messenger – to help police The security service MI5 and the electronic interception centre GCHQ have been asked by the government to join the hunt for people who organised last week’s riots, the Guardian has learned. The agencies, the bulk of whose work normally involves catching terrorists inspired by al-Qaida, are helping the effort to catch people who used social messaging, especially BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), to mobilise looters. A key difficulty for law enforcers last week was cracking the high level of encryption on the BBM system. BBM is a pin-protected instant message system that is only accessible to BlackBerry users. MI5 and GCHQ will also help the effort to try to get ahead of any further organisation of disturbances. The move represents a change as officially MI5 is tasked with ensuring the national security of the United Kingdom from terrorist threats, weapons of mass destruction, and espionage, with the police taking the lead on maintaining public order. However, they have a statutory right to target criminals or those suspected of being involved in crime, officials have said. Police struggled to access the BBM network last week, though some who were sent messages planning violence were so outraged they passed them on to law enforcement agencies. GCHQ’s computers and listening devices can pick up audio messages and BBM communications. MI5 and the police can identify the owners with the help of mobile companies and internet service providers. The agencies can intercept electronic and phone messages, identify where they have been sent from and their destination. That allows other investigations to take place and other efforts to develop intelligence. One source said: “The hope is this will boost the intelligence available. It always useful to get some boffins in.” In his speech on Monday David Cameron made no mention of his threatened clampdown on social media. Last week in the House of Commons emergency debate, he said: “There was an awful lot of hoaxes and false trails made on Twitter and BlackBerry Messenger and the rest of it. We need a major piece of work to make sure that the police have all the technological capabilities they need to hunt down and beat the criminals.” One of MI5′s functions under the 1989 Security Service Act is to support “the activities of police forces … and other law enforcement agencies in the prevention and detection of serious crime”. MI5 intercepts communications though officially can only do so with warrants signed by ministers. It seeks technical help from GCHQ. GCHQ’s functions, according to the 1994 Intelligence Services Act, include “to monitor or interfere with electromagnetic, acoustic and other emissions and any equipment producing such emissions and to obtain and provide information derived from or related to such emissions or equipment … ” It can do so “in support of the prevention or detection of serious crime”. On its website, MI5 stresses such a distinction: “For the most part the activities of domestic extremists pose a threat to public order, but not to national security. They are generally investigated by the police, not the Security Service.” For law enforcement, the difficulty with BBM is that it boasts semi-private – and instant – access to a network of like-minded users. BlackBerry handsets are the smartphone of choice for the 37% of British teenagers, according to Ofcom. BBM allows users to send the same message to a network of contacts connected by “BBM pins”. For many teenagers, BBM has replaced text messaging because it is free and instant. Unlike Twitter or Facebook, many BBM messages are untraceable by the authorities. And unlike Facebook, friends are connected either by individual pin numbers or a registered email address. In short, BlackBerry Messenger is more secure than almost all other social networks. So-called “broadcasts” can be sent to hundreds of disparate users within minutes, away from the attention of law enforcement agencies. In the 12 years since it released the first BlackBerry, Research in Motion (RIM) has built a formidable reputation for the impenetrable security of its smartphones. RIM has always struggled to explain to the authorities that, unlike most other companies, it technically cannot access or read the majority of the messages sent by users over its network. One of the biggest problems for law enforcement in the digital age is the inability to get real-time access to messages sent by potential criminals. In England, RIM has said it will actively cooperate with law enforcement as they investigate those behind the unrest. Although it cannot hand to police the contents of rioters’ messages, it can disclose information that could assist any investigation. A clause in the Data Protection Act allows RIM to disclose the names, contacts and times of prominent BlackBerry Messenger users in a certain area and at a certain time. UK riots BlackBerry MI5 Mobile phones Social media Digital media Police Vikram Dodd Richard Norton-Taylor Josh Halliday guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Intelligence agency asked to crack encrypted messages – especially on BlackBerry Messenger – to help police The security service MI5 and the electronic interception centre GCHQ have been asked by the government to join the hunt for people who organised last week’s riots, the Guardian has learned. The agencies, the bulk of whose work normally involves catching terrorists inspired by al-Qaida, are helping the effort to catch people who used social messaging, especially BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), to mobilise looters. A key difficulty for law enforcers last week was cracking the high level of encryption on the BBM system. BBM is a pin-protected instant message system that is only accessible to BlackBerry users. MI5 and GCHQ will also help the effort to try to get ahead of any further organisation of disturbances. The move represents a change as officially MI5 is tasked with ensuring the national security of the United Kingdom from terrorist threats, weapons of mass destruction, and espionage, with the police taking the lead on maintaining public order. However, they have a statutory right to target criminals or those suspected of being involved in crime, officials have said. Police struggled to access the BBM network last week, though some who were sent messages planning violence were so outraged they passed them on to law enforcement agencies. GCHQ’s computers and listening devices can pick up audio messages and BBM communications. MI5 and the police can identify the owners with the help of mobile companies and internet service providers. The agencies can intercept electronic and phone messages, identify where they have been sent from and their destination. That allows other investigations to take place and other efforts to develop intelligence. One source said: “The hope is this will boost the intelligence available. It always useful to get some boffins in.” In his speech on Monday David Cameron made no mention of his threatened clampdown on social media. Last week in the House of Commons emergency debate, he said: “There was an awful lot of hoaxes and false trails made on Twitter and BlackBerry Messenger and the rest of it. We need a major piece of work to make sure that the police have all the technological capabilities they need to hunt down and beat the criminals.” One of MI5′s functions under the 1989 Security Service Act is to support “the activities of police forces … and other law enforcement agencies in the prevention and detection of serious crime”. MI5 intercepts communications though officially can only do so with warrants signed by ministers. It seeks technical help from GCHQ. GCHQ’s functions, according to the 1994 Intelligence Services Act, include “to monitor or interfere with electromagnetic, acoustic and other emissions and any equipment producing such emissions and to obtain and provide information derived from or related to such emissions or equipment … ” It can do so “in support of the prevention or detection of serious crime”. On its website, MI5 stresses such a distinction: “For the most part the activities of domestic extremists pose a threat to public order, but not to national security. They are generally investigated by the police, not the Security Service.” For law enforcement, the difficulty with BBM is that it boasts semi-private – and instant – access to a network of like-minded users. BlackBerry handsets are the smartphone of choice for the 37% of British teenagers, according to Ofcom. BBM allows users to send the same message to a network of contacts connected by “BBM pins”. For many teenagers, BBM has replaced text messaging because it is free and instant. Unlike Twitter or Facebook, many BBM messages are untraceable by the authorities. And unlike Facebook, friends are connected either by individual pin numbers or a registered email address. In short, BlackBerry Messenger is more secure than almost all other social networks. So-called “broadcasts” can be sent to hundreds of disparate users within minutes, away from the attention of law enforcement agencies. In the 12 years since it released the first BlackBerry, Research in Motion (RIM) has built a formidable reputation for the impenetrable security of its smartphones. RIM has always struggled to explain to the authorities that, unlike most other companies, it technically cannot access or read the majority of the messages sent by users over its network. One of the biggest problems for law enforcement in the digital age is the inability to get real-time access to messages sent by potential criminals. In England, RIM has said it will actively cooperate with law enforcement as they investigate those behind the unrest. Although it cannot hand to police the contents of rioters’ messages, it can disclose information that could assist any investigation. A clause in the Data Protection Act allows RIM to disclose the names, contacts and times of prominent BlackBerry Messenger users in a certain area and at a certain time. UK riots BlackBerry MI5 Mobile phones Social media Digital media Police Vikram Dodd Richard Norton-Taylor Josh Halliday guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …A small pen-and-ink drawing by Rembrandt was stolen from a California Ritz-Carlton Saturday night in what detectives are calling a “well-thought-out and well-planned theft.” The Judgment , an 11-by-6-inch drawing worth more than $250,000, was on display at the Marina del Rey hotel during an exhibit for potential buyers, the…
Continue reading …A bomb squad was called to John Boehner’s office in Ohio yesterday to deal with some suspicious briefcases left lying in the doorway. The cases all bore what appeared to be angry messages containing the words “jobs and oil,” WCPO 9 reports. A bomb squad robot “disrupted” (read: blew up)…
Continue reading …