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Update
“Courts to use bugged calls in new crime purge: [. . .] The Home Office and the Scottish Executive were consulted over the proposals and it was agreed that the Scottish drug agency would continue to target organised drug and other crime in Scotland, while Soca would take over the investigating arms of Customs and Excise, the Immigration Service and the National Criminal Intelligence Service. . .” Press and Journal
“New force to fight organised crime: Scotland is to have its own FBI-style police agency in line with radical crime-fighting plans in England and Wales. As David Blunkett, the home secretary, yesterday announced proposals to target the leaders of organised crime, it was revealed the Scottish Drugs Enforcement Agency (SDEA) is to receive a new name and far broader responsibilities. . .” Herald
“A matter for Scotland: Executive decision to duck crime debate is shameful: Only the recidivist would cavil at the thinking behind the white paper, published yesterday, to defeat the professional criminal [. . .] The practice, as outlined in the white paper, gives cause for concern, especially when viewed from a Scottish perspective. . .” Herald Editorial
“FBI-style agency ‘will help tackle Scotland’s crime’: The creation of an FBI-style police agency in England and Wales could radically improve the way crime is tackled north of the Border, Cathy Jamieson, Scotland?s justice minister, said yesterday. . .” Scotsman
“Elite crime-busting agency plan unveiled: Britain’s answer to the FBI was being launched by the Home Office today as part of a new strategy to crack down on organised crime. The new Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), which will have a UK-wide remit, will have about 5000 investigators specialising in drug trafficking, people smuggling and fraud cases. . .” Evening News
“Blunkett spells out new war on crime Mr Bigs: Ministers were unveiling a white paper setting out details of the new Serious and Organised Crime Agency, dubbed the British FBI. . .” Evening Times
“Jamieson backs new crime body: Scottish Executive ministers have said they intend to work closely with the crime prevention body outlined by UK Home Secretary David Blunkett.” BBC
Media entries below posted on 10.2.04.
Update
“Tories query split on crime agency: The Conservatives have called on Labour to clarify the scope of the planned serious crime agency, amid confusion over its remit north of the Border [. . .] Conservative MSP Annabel Goldie has written to Cathy Jamieson, the justice minister, asking her to explain the differences between Westminster and Holyrood on the issue. . .” Scotsman 13.2.04.
“Force would take second place in Scotland: There was confusion last night about the powers and remit of a new law enforcement agency announced by Tony Blair to tackle serious crime in the UK [. . .] But the Scottish Executive, while welcoming the proposals, made clear the new agency would work alongside existing Scottish organisations and would not have precedence over them. . .“ Scotsman
“Welcome for agency to fight ?untouchables?: Scottish police officers yesterday welcomed the announcement of an FBI-style force to tackle organised gangs that control the trade in drugs and illegal immigrants across the UK. . .” Herald
“On Scots Drug Busters: Scottish police chiefs last night welcomed a new specialist unit, dubbed the ‘’British FBI’’, to help crack organised crime. . .” Daily Record
“Rougher justice for drug barons and gangsters” Times
“FBI-style crime unit to bring gangland bosses to justice” Independent
“Britain’s new G-men” Guardian Leader
“Quest for head of ‘British FBI’ ” Guardian
Following posted on 9.2.04 at 5.41pm.
“Blair to unveil crime superforce: Tony Blair is to unveil a crime-busting superforce to tackle organised drugs, vice and money-laundering operations at a national and international level. The Organised Crime Agency, to be announced early next week, will combine elements of police and law enforcement units, such as the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) and Customs, with highly-skilled financial and technology specialists to fight increasingly sophisticated global criminal cartels. . .” Guardian 7.2.04.
“British FBI’ to fight gangs : An FBI-style force of 5000 special agents is set to be created to tackle Britain?s criminal gangs [. . .] The new unit is expected to begin its operations in April 2006. . .” Scotsman
“Elite officers to form FBI-style superforce: Thousands of Britain?s top police officers are to be moved into a new FBI-style agency to break up the networks behind the nation?s most lucrative and dangerous organised crimes. . .” Scotland on Sunday
“Blair to unveil ‘FBI-style agency’: The creation of a new FBI-style national law enforcement agency was being announced today by Tony Blair. . .” Independent
“Blair launches crime-fighting agency” Press and Journal
Press Releases
“New UK-wide organised crime agency pooling expertise to track down crime bosses: “An elite squad of specialist investigators will take on the new challenge of fighting modern organised crime in the 21st century, the Home Secretary announced today. . .” Home Office
“UK plans to tackle organised crime: UK Government proposals for a single agency to tackle organised crime have been welcomed by Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson. She pledged that the Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency and the Scottish Police Service would work closely alongside the new agency in the fight against crime [. . .] The Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency is the equivalent, in Scotland, of the National Crime Squad in England and Wales. The creation of the new agency is intended to preserve current arrangements under which the SDEA and Scottish police forces operate in partnership with existing UK agencies in Scotland. . .” Scot. Exec.
See also
One Step Ahead - the White Paper on policing organised crime.
Posted by MM on Mon 29th Mar 2004 at 11:21 pm“Careless drivers may face lessons: In what ministers describe as a ?smart? alternative to fines and losing their licences, careless drivers will be taught to be safe on the road under the scheme run by the BSM and RAC. . .” Courier
“Back to school for poor drivers: Careless drivers in Scotland could go back to driving school instead of being prosecuted, under a new scheme. However, they will have to pay the ?129 cost of the course themselves and will still be prosecuted if they fail to attend. The scheme is to operate Scotland-wide and will run for three years, Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson has announced. . .” BBC
“Careless motorists could be made to take driving lessons” Scottish TV
“Scheme for careless drivers launched: Grampian TV
“Careless drivers ordered back to school” Evening News
“Bad drivers face going back to class” Evening Times
Press release
“School for careless drivers: From this week careless drivers could pay to go back to driving school as an alternative to prosecution. . .” Scot. Exec.
See also
Evaluation of the West Lothian Driver Improvement Scheme. Research Findings. 2002.
Evaluation of the West Lothian Driver Improvement Scheme. Full Report. 2002.
“Police chief unveils blueprint to make Scotland a safer place: new measures recommended to tackle threat from terrorist groups. Scotland is facing the greatest threat to its security in its entire history [. . .] The terror threat is the biggest of many challenges facing the Scottish Police , says John Vine, head of the Association of Chief Police Officers Scotland. The police are also faced with a rising tide of paedophile offences, racial hatred and fear of crime among the population running at near paranoid levels. . .” Sunday Herlad
Posted by MM on Mon 29th Mar 2004 at 2:09 pmPress release
“Chartered Institute of Arbitrators: The Solicitor General, Elish Angiolini QC has spoken to an audience of Scottish lawyers about the significant progress made by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) since the Lord Advocate announced the most wide-ranging programme of modernisation for a generation two years ago. . .” Scot. Exec.
Posted by MM on Mon 29th Mar 2004 at 1:17 pm“Drink-attack victims should be able to sue pubs, say police: Victims of violent drunks should be allowed to sue pub owners for instigating alcohol-fuelled attacks, police and industry figures said yesterday. One of the country’s leading licensing specialists has called for “server (or third-party) liability” to be introduced to produce more responsible
behaviour on the part of the country’s pubs and clubs. . .” Herald
“Pubs to open all day: [. . .] Current laws no longer reflect the way we live, Executive Spokesman. The last obstacle to 24-hour pub opening has finally been removed. An overwhelming majority of interest groups including licensing boards have backed round-the-clock drinking. . .” Sunday Mail
Posted by MM on Mon 29th Mar 2004 at 1:12 pmTo ask the Scottish Executive how many criminal cases were processed by district courts in the west of Scotland in each of the last three years, broken down by parliamentary constituency.
Miss Annabel Goldie (West of Scotland) (Con)
(OQ 25.3.04)
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it would support the creation of an association of Scottish prisoners.
Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green)
(OQ 25.3.04)
“McConnell ‘soft’ on underage booze: Jack McConnell was accused today of not being serious about cracking down on off-licence owners who sell booze to under-18s.
He came under fire from nationalist MSP Margaret Ewing who discovered that the number of prosecutions had fallen by two-thirds over the past five years. . .” Evening Times
See also
To ask the Scottish Executive how many prosecutions there have been of shop owners or managers for selling alcohol to a person under the legal age limit in each of the last five years, broken down by licensing board area.
Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray)
(WQ 22.3.04) Scroll down page to find q. and a.
“Antisocial blitz ‘won’t stop crime’: Proposed legislation to deal with antisocial behaviour will not solve any of the problems blighting areas of Edinburgh, it has been claimed. A public meeting heard arguments that the Bill will only serve to criminalise youngsters, waste valuable police time and distract attention from the real problems facing society. . .” Evening News
Posted by MM on Thu 25th Mar 2004 at 9:15 pmPress release
“Glenochil Prison inspection report: The HM Chief Inspector of Prison?s report on Glenochil Prison was published today. A full inspection was conducted in September 2003 and praises the prison’s:
anti-suicide strategy
full access to work
provision of programmes to address risks and needs
the fact that no prisoner has to share a cell. . .”
See also
[url=http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/justice/rhmpg-01.asp]HM Inspectorate of Prisons
Report on HM Prison Glenochil. November 2003.[/url]