[Clips] "Clippre": Police ask for tough new powers

[R.A. Hettinga]

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 Delivered-To: clips at philodox.com
 Date: Fri, 22 Jul 2005 19:43:26 -0400
 To: Philodox Clips List <clips at philodox.com>
 From: "R.A. Hettinga" <rah at shipwright.com>
 Subject: [Clips] "Clippre": Police ask for tough new powers
 Reply-To: rah at philodox.com
 Sender: clips-bounces at philodox.com

 Here we go again...

 >They also want to make it a criminal offence for suspects to refuse to
 >cooperate in giving the police full access to computer files by refusing
 >to disclose their encryption keys.

 Cheers,
 RAH
 --------

 <http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,3858,5245014-117079,00.html>

   The Guardian

 Police ask for tough new powers

 PM told of need for three-month detention of suspects and crackdown on
websites
 Alan Travis and Richard Norton-Taylor
 Friday July 22, 2005


 Police last night told Tony Blair that they need sweeping new powers to
 counter the terrorist threat, including the right to detain a suspect for
 up to three months without charge instead of the current 14 days.

 Senior officers also want powers to attack and close down websites, and a
 new criminal offence of using the internet to prepare acts of terrorism, to
 "suppress inappropriate internet usage".

 They also want to make it a criminal offence for suspects to refuse to
 cooperate in giving the police full access to computer files by refusing to
 disclose their encryption keys.

 The police would also like to see much clearer information given to the
 public about the threat level, the creation of a specialist border security
 agency and further discussions about the use of phonetap evidence in
 terrorist cases.

 The Association of Chief Police Officers published its list of 11 further
 changes in the law it wants after meeting Mr Blair and security services
 chiefs yesterday.

 MI5 and MI6 wanted yesterday's meeting to discuss Britain's entire
 counter-terrorism strategy and how to fill the intelligence gaps exposed by
 the London bombings.

 Whitehall officials confirmed that, as reported in yesterday's Guardian,
 the security and intelligence agencies want a new system of plea
 bargaining. Convicted terrorists would be given lighter sentences if they
 supplied information before their trials.

 Suspects would be given the chance to provide information in
 "intelligence-only" interviews and none of the information would be used
 against them in trials.

 Officials also said MI5 was "in principle" in favour of the product of
 phone taps being used as evidence in trials. What has not been resolved is
 who would pay for the resources needed to transcribe the tapes in a way
 that would satisfy defence lawyers, according to counter-terrorism sources.

 The prime minister has said he is willing to consider any "gaps in the law"
 that police and security chiefs identify as a result of the London attacks.

 Ken Jones, the chairman of Acpo's terrorism committee and Sussex chief
 constable, said: "The evolving nature of the current threat from
 international terrorism demands that those charged with countering the
 threat have the tools they need to do the job.

 "Often there is a need to intervene and disrupt at an early stage those who
 are intent on terrorist activity, in order to protect the public. Clearly
 our legislation must reflect the importance of such disruptive action."

 The most controversial of the police proposals is the demand to be able to
 hold without charge a terrorist suspect for three months instead of 14
 days. An Acpo spokesman said the complexity and scale of counter-terrorist
 operations means the 14-day maximum is often insufficient.

 "The complexities and timescales surrounding forensic examination of
 [crime] scenes merely add to the burden and immense time pressures on
 investigating officers," he said. Three-month periods would help to ensure
 the charge could be sustained in court.

 Other powers police told Mr Blair they needed include:

 7 Terror suspects to give compulsory answers to questions similar to
 obligations on company directors in fraud trials;

 7 A duty on the private sector to install protective security in designated
 locations;

 7 Putting private security staff at the disposal of the police in the
 immediate aftermath of an outrage;

 7 New generation CCTV cameras at ports and airports.

 The police sought extra funding for a regional network of Special Branch
 officers and a further #45m to ensure national coverage for the new
 generation CCTV cameras, which scan number plates and alert intercept teams.

 "The terrorist attacks in London on July 7 and today provide an opportunity
 for us to reflect on our systems and practices to ensure they are
 sufficient to counter such unprecedented events," Mr Jones said.

 --
 -----------------
 R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah at ibuc.com>
 The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/>
 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA
 "... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity,
 [predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to
 experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'
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-- 
-----------------
R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah at ibuc.com>
The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/>
44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA
"... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity,
[predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to
experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'