Cross-party fury over MP's arrest

[Park Life 71]

Ex-Labour MP Tony Benn was just as incredulous: "I may sound strangely medieval, but once the police can interfere with Parliament, I tell you, you are into a police state."

 

 

Tony Benn & Fop.

 

+Parky.

 

 

Arm the people.

[Fop 1]

'They said I would go to jail for life'

 

By Chris Summers

BBC News

 

A former police officer, his son and two journalists have been cleared of charges in connection with leaking confidential information to the media. One of the journalists, Sally Murrer, recounts her ordeal.

 

Sally Murrer has been a local journalist for 33 years, and for the past 20 she has juggled her work with being a parent.

 

I was told five times that I would go to prison for life

Sally Murrer

 

A single mother, with three children - one of whom is autistic - she works part-time on the Milton Keynes Citizen, a bi-weekly newspaper.

 

In May 2007 her cosy, little world suddenly imploded when she received a visit from officers working on Operation Plaid.

 

"I was arrested, strip-searched and held in custody for 30 hours and because I had just moved and didn't have a telephone at the house, I couldn't contact my children or tell them what was going on," she recalls.

 

Interrogated

 

"I was told five times that I would go to prison for life," she says.

 

Ms Murrer was interrogated about her relationship with Det Sgt Mark Kearney, a Thames Valley police officer who was only five weeks away from retirement at the time and working as a police liaison officer at Woodhill prison.

 

Mr Kearney was her former lover and they remain close friends.

 

But the detectives who questioned her were convinced he had been leaking confidential information to her that she had used as a journalist.

 

She remains staggered by the police's over-reaction to what is a common occurrence on local papers across the country - police officers and journalists gossiping and sharing information.

 

 

The NUJ pays tribute to Sally for her bravery and resilience in standing up for her principles throughout the case

National Union of Journalists general secretary Jeremy Dear

 

Ms Murrer told BBC News: "Over the years I have done hundreds of stories based on information provided by police officers, but that is no different from any local journalists and none of these stories were groundbreaking."

 

Mr Kearney was later charged with misconduct in public office, an offence that does indeed carry a life sentence.

 

Ms Murrer, Mr Kearney's soldier son Harry, and a former Hertfordshire police officer, Derek Webb, were all charged with aiding and abetting misconduct in public office.

 

But Ms Murrer, who lives in Kensworth, Bedfordshire, pointed out that in not one of the alleged leaks, only some of which she was privy to, was any information ever published.

 

These were the alleged leaks:

 

• Details about the discovery of a hydroponic cannabis factory at the home of Douglas Belcher, who was murdered in Bletchley, near Milton Keynes, in April 2007.

 

• Information about former Milton Keynes Dons footballer Izale McLeod being arrested at a party at a hotel in the town. Mr McLeod was never charged in relation to an alleged fight at the party

 

• Details about an unnamed 15-year-old who had been freed from prison despite telling officials he was going to become a suicide bomber

 

• Details about a convicted killer who walked out of an open prison in the 1980s

 

• An internal police memo in which police officers were offered overtime for tracking terrorists

 

• Information about letter bomber Miles Cooper being transferred to Woodhill prison

 

• Notes about prison inmates working at a Citizen's Advice Bureau in Oxford

 

Earlier this year the saga took a twist when it was revealed in Mr Kearney's statement that he had been pressurised by the Metropolitan Police to bug Labour MP Sadiq Khan while he met a constituent, Babar Ahmad, who was being held in the prison pending extradition to the US.

 

Journalist tells of 'sheer hell'

 

That led to a huge row about the bugging of MPs, but was unrelated to Ms Murrer's case, which eventually turned on Article 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights, which protects the journalists' right to protect their sources.

 

This week the judge hearing the case, Judge Richard Southwell, ruled that Thames Valley Police had breached the journalists' Article 10 rights and that effectively ended the prosecution.

 

Welcoming the judge's ruling, the general secretary of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), Jeremy Dear, said: "Let's be clear, this was an attempt to make a criminal out of a journalist for receiving information that the state didn't want to get out.

 

"It was a misguided prosecution that sought to punish Sally for simply doing her job.

 

"This thoughtless action has put Sally under intolerable pressures.

 

"I'm sure she will be immensely relieved by the decision, though she'll never be able to win back the past year of her life, throughout which she has been forced live under a cloud of uncertainty and stress."

 

"The NUJ pays tribute to Sally for her bravery and resilience in standing up for her principles throughout the case."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7750669.stm

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7755816.stm

 

 

 

Seems like it's not just MPs getting the Gestapo treatment.

[Park Life 71]

England my England.

[Park Life 71]

A man was shot dead in front of Guildford cathedral yesterday by police marksmen who were responding to reports of an armed man roaming the grounds.

 

The man's name had not been released last night but the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said he was 39 and lived in the Surrey town.

 

Surrey police handed the investigation over to the IPCC shortly after the incident, which happened at around 3pm, and the cathedral was sealed off to allow forensic experts and the pathologist to gather evidence throughout the night.

 

They will report their findings to the IPPC's commissioner, Rebecca Marsh, who promised a "thorough, proportionate and timely" inquiry.

 

"My condolences to the dead man's family and friends," she added."

[Fop 1]

This year, the police are using a new breathalyser device. As well as indicating amount of alcohol in a driver's breath (measured in micrograms of alchohol per centilitre - the limit is 35) it also records the driver's age, gender, ethnicity and precise location and reading of the test. The data will not include the driver's name or any personal information that could identify them. At the end of the patrol, data from all the tests is uploaded to a new, national database.

 

Yet another new national police database.

[Park Life 71]

This year, the police are using a new breathalyser device. As well as indicating amount of alcohol in a driver's breath (measured in micrograms of alchohol per centilitre - the limit is 35) it also records the driver's age, gender, ethnicity and precise location and reading of the test. The data will not include the driver's name or any personal information that could identify them. At the end of the patrol, data from all the tests is uploaded to a new, national database.

 

Yet another new national police database.

[ewerk 31600]

This year, the police are using a new breathalyser device. As well as indicating amount of alcohol in a driver's breath (measured in micrograms of alchohol per centilitre - the limit is 35) it also records the driver's age, gender, ethnicity and precise location and reading of the test. The data will not include the driver's name or any personal information that could identify them. At the end of the patrol, data from all the tests is uploaded to a new, national database.

 

Yet another new national police database.

 

Aye but think of the efficiency savings when it comes to harassing black drivers.

[Park Life 71]

Police to be allowed searches of national database of NHS patient records

News analysis

 

It went largely unnoticed but the minister for the NHS’s National Programme for IT, Ben Bradshaw, has confirmed that data on a central database of millions of confidential health records will be made available to police where there is an “overriding public interest”.

 

The phrase “overriding public interest” is not defined.

 

Some people will say “So what? If police can better protect us by accessing health records we should be grateful the technology is now being provided”.

 

Others may say that allowing police access to the national electronic database of patient records information is a step towards allowing access to other public authorities, such as social services; and later on private organisations, including employers and insurance companies.

 

Officials at the Department of Health would argue that every access to the records leaves a flag in the audit trail. But we will be reporting on evidence shortly that NHS staff may not have the time to check increasingly long audit trails of electronic healthcare records.

 

Ben Bradshaw said that police will have access to data in the Secondary Uses Service [sUS] database where "it is in the overriding public interest” or there is statutory authority, or the courts have made an order requiring disclosure.

 

The SUS is to be supported by a database of millions of patient records. The database will draw from local detailed care records of patients and 50 million summary care records.

 

The SUS system has technical design features that allow data from different sources relating to the same person to be linked. The data is “pseudonymised” which means that records are made anonymous to healthcare researchers but the names and personal details of patients can be easily linked to individual records if police and other government authorities require it.

 

The disclosure about possible police access to data in electronic health records was prompted by a question from Conservative MP Jeremy Wright. He asked the Secretary of State for Health “whether it will be lawful for the secondary users database to be searched at the request of the police and for the police to be provided with the identity of individuals whose medical records contain specific information”.

 

Ben Bradshaw replied:

[Fop 1]

This year, the police are using a new breathalyser device. As well as indicating amount of alcohol in a driver's breath (measured in micrograms of alchohol per centilitre - the limit is 35) it also records the driver's age, gender, ethnicity and precise location and reading of the test. The data will not include the driver's name or any personal information that could identify them. At the end of the patrol, data from all the tests is uploaded to a new, national database.

 

Yet another new national police database.

 

Aye but think of the efficiency savings when it comes to harassing black drivers.

 

Actually I imagine that won't be the case in this instance (although certain groups will be overly targeted, of course).

 

I'm more interested in when they inevitably link this to the ID Card database anyway, then they can check on you for "probability of crime".

 

Then imagine this linked to the ID Card database AND a vehicle GPS "road use" database! You'd never be able to drive past a pub if you were a middle aged, white, male solicitor without 30 "anti-terror" police dropping out of the sky onto you.

[Fop 1]

Police to be allowed searches of national database of NHS patient records

 

I wondered when they'd get a whiff of that one. Not just the police will be wanting access to your records too, tax, NI, child support, social services etc. could all have "reasonable claims" to it.

 

Never mind if they go for a DVLA-esq £££'s spinner of selling your details to insurance companies and prospective employers.

Edited December 1, 2008 by Fop

[Park Life 71]

Police dish out kicking without realising he is a soldier.

 

 

[Fop 1]

Police dish out kicking without realising he is a soldier.

 

 

He shouldn't have asked them for directions whilst they were discussing how much overtime they'd get this week.

[Park Life 71]

Packs of robots will hunt down uncooperative humans

The latest request from the Pentagon jars the senses. At least, it did mine. They are looking for contractors to provide a "Multi-Robot Pursuit System" that will let packs of robots "search for and detect a non-cooperative human".

 

One thing that really bugs defence chiefs is having their troops diverted from other duties to control robots. So having a pack of them controlled by one person makes logistical sense. But I'm concerned about where this technology will end up.

 

Given that iRobot last year struck a deal with Taser International to mount stun weapons on its military robots, how long before we see packs of droids hunting down pesky demonstrators with paralysing weapons? Or could the packs even be lethally armed? I asked two experts on automated weapons what they thought - click the continue reading link to read what they said.

Both were concerned that packs of robots would be entrusted with tasks - and weapons - they were not up to handling without making wrong decisions.

 

Steve Wright of Leeds Metropolitan University is an expert on police and military technologies, and last year correctly predicted this pack-hunting mode of operation would happen. "The giveaway here is the phrase 'a non-cooperative human subject'," he told me:

 

 

Use the force ffs Luke! lol

Edited December 2, 2008 by Park Life

[Fop 1]

The cover up starts in earnest.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7770575.stm

[Fop 1]

Police chief issues Tory apology

Bob Quick: In charge of inquiry which has seen Tory Damian Green arrested

 

The head of Britain's counter-terror squad has issued an "unreserved" apology to the Conservative Party.

 

Met police assistant commissioner Bob Quick claimed on Sunday the party had mobilised the press against him.

 

They denied the claims and leader David Cameron demanded an apology from Mr Quick, who is heading the inquiry into the Home Office leaks to the Tories.

 

Mr Quick has now issued a statement in which apologised "unreservedly for any offence or embarrassment" caused.

 

He added: "I have now reflected on the comments I made yesterday at a difficult time for me and my family. I wish to make clear that it was not my intention to make any allegations and retract my comments."

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7795334.stm

 

 

With idiots like this in charge (and sitting snugly in Smith's back pocket) it's a wonder it's not an arrestable offence for reading a non-Party "newspaper".

[Park Life 71]

Police chief issues Tory apology

Bob Quick: In charge of inquiry which has seen Tory Damian Green arrested

 

The head of Britain's counter-terror squad has issued an "unreserved" apology to the Conservative Party.

 

Met police assistant commissioner Bob Quick claimed on Sunday the party had mobilised the press against him.

 

They denied the claims and leader David Cameron demanded an apology from Mr Quick, who is heading the inquiry into the Home Office leaks to the Tories.

 

Mr Quick has now issued a statement in which apologised "unreservedly for any offence or embarrassment" caused.

 

He added: "I have now reflected on the comments I made yesterday at a difficult time for me and my family. I wish to make clear that it was not my intention to make any allegations and retract my comments."

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7795334.stm

 

 

With idiots like this in charge (and sitting snugly in Smith's back pocket) it's a wonder it's not an arrestable offence for reading a non-Party "newspaper".

 

 

Unreal (those comments).

[Fop 1]

Police chief issues Tory apology

Bob Quick: In charge of inquiry which has seen Tory Damian Green arrested

 

The head of Britain's counter-terror squad has issued an "unreserved" apology to the Conservative Party.

 

Met police assistant commissioner Bob Quick claimed on Sunday the party had mobilised the press against him.

 

They denied the claims and leader David Cameron demanded an apology from Mr Quick, who is heading the inquiry into the Home Office leaks to the Tories.

 

Mr Quick has now issued a statement in which apologised "unreservedly for any offence or embarrassment" caused.

 

He added: "I have now reflected on the comments I made yesterday at a difficult time for me and my family. I wish to make clear that it was not my intention to make any allegations and retract my comments."

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7795334.stm

 

 

With idiots like this in charge (and sitting snugly in Smith's back pocket) it's a wonder it's not an arrestable offence for reading a non-Party "newspaper".

 

 

Unreal (those comments).

 

Aye, never mind hunting down BNP members, the police force clearly needs a stalinist purge of officers angling for a Labour Peerage.

 

 

It's a little scary how much the police force has become politicised in recent years.

[Park Life 71]

Tell that to the people who want a public inquiry into 7/7.

 

Military grade exlosive...No farm chemicals, no hairspray...Sorry it was military grade c4...No correction hair dye...no sorry correction Leeds Poly student with soap suds...etc..That story has changed so many times..