Learn from the mistakes of others

[JURIST] The United Kingdom launched [Home Office press release] its first non-police law enforcement agency Monday - the Serious Organized Crime Agency (SOCA) [official website; FAQ] - modeled after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) [official website] in the US. SOCA will have 5,000 employees on staff and its main goals are to tackle organized criminal gangs [JURIST report] such as drug traffickers, people-smugglers who exploit illegal immigrants, criminals involved in trafficking women from eastern Europe to serve as prostitutes, and world-wide pedophile rings.

The agency, created under the Serious Organized Crime and Police Act [text; JURIST report], has been granted new powers to facilitate its work including the use of phone tapping evidence, plea bargaining for witnesses, and an enhanced witness protection program. One of Britain's top police officers, Bill Hughes, was named [press release] as SOCA's director general who said that the agency's creation was necessary to "prevent organized criminals from causing harm and misery to our fellow citizens and to the UK in general."

Reuters has more.
BBC News has local coverage.

[JURIST] The United Kingdom launched [Home Office press release] its first non-police law enforcement agency Monday - the Serious Organized Crime Agency (SOCA) [official website; FAQ] - modeled after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) [official website] in the US. SOCA will have 5,000 employees on staff and its main goals are to tackle organized criminal gangs [JURIST report] such as drug traffickers, people-smugglers who exploit illegal immigrants, criminals involved in trafficking women from eastern Europe to serve as prostitutes, and world-wide pedophile rings.

The agency, created under the Serious Organized Crime and Police Act [text; JURIST report], has been granted new powers to facilitate its work including the use of phone tapping evidence, plea bargaining for witnesses, and an enhanced witness protection program. One of Britain's top police officers, Bill Hughes, was named [press release] as SOCA's director general who said that the agency's creation was necessary to "prevent organized criminals from causing harm and misery to our fellow citizens and to the UK in general."

Reuters has more.
BBC News has local coverage.

[JURIST] UK Lord Chancellor Lord Falconer of Thoroton [official profile] who under the UK's traditional governmental structure served three roles as Speaker of the House of Lords, the head of the UK's judiciary, and a minister in the British government, has resigned his judicial post as part of the constitutional reform process instigated by Prime Minister Tony Blair. Lord Chief Justice Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers [BBC profile] has taken Lord Falconer's judicial position.

Read the UK Department of Constitutional Affairs press release on the transition.
BBC News has more.

The ongoing constitutional reforms also envisage the creation of a new independent commission that will take over responsibility from the Lord Chancellor for appointing judges to the bench, and the institution by 2009 of a new national Supreme Court. Also this week the Judiciary of England and Wales has launched a new website [official website] that includes current court rulings, information on the history of the UK's judiciary, and a variety of learning resources intended to educate the public on how the UK court system functions.

The Guardian has more.

[JURIST] UK Lord Chancellor Lord Falconer of Thoroton [official profile] who under the UK's traditional governmental structure served three roles as Speaker of the House of Lords, the head of the UK's judiciary, and a minister in the British government, has resigned his judicial post as part of the constitutional reform process instigated by Prime Minister Tony Blair. Lord Chief Justice Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers [BBC profile] has taken Lord Falconer's judicial position.

Read the UK Department of Constitutional Affairs press release on the transition.
BBC News has more.

The ongoing constitutional reforms also envisage the creation of a new independent commission that will take over responsibility from the Lord Chancellor for appointing judges to the bench, and the institution by 2009 of a new national Supreme Court. Also this week the Judiciary of England and Wales has launched a new website [official website] that includes current court rulings, information on the history of the UK's judiciary, and a variety of learning resources intended to educate the public on how the UK court system functions.

The Guardian has more.

ID card compromise reached in Parliament

Sylvia Carr
silicon.com
March 30, 2006, 17:30 BST

The Commons and the Lords have both passed an amended form of the government's ID cards bill

( Read more... )

silicon.com had this to say:

New ID cards agency set up after Queen approves bill
Critics of the scheme vow to fight on...

By Andy McCue

Friday 31 March 2006

( Read more... )

guess it won't be long before we're playing good little allies and following suit ...

ID card compromise reached in Parliament

Sylvia Carr
silicon.com
March 30, 2006, 17:30 BST

The Commons and the Lords have both passed an amended form of the government's ID cards bill

( Read more... )

silicon.com had this to say:

New ID cards agency set up after Queen approves bill
Critics of the scheme vow to fight on...

By Andy McCue

Friday 31 March 2006

( Read more... )

guess it won't be long before we're playing good little allies and following suit ...

[JURIST] The UK House of Lords [official website] dealt another major legislative setback to the anti-terrorism policies of the government of Prime Minister Tony Blair Monday by voting down for a second time a bill designed to establish a UK national ID card system. The Identity Cards Bill [text], a previous version of which failed in the Lords [Telegraph report] in January, was defeated 277-166. After the January setback UK Home Secretary Charles Clarke backed down [JURIST report] on the initial plan to make the ID cards immediately compulsory, and approved amendments passed by the Commons last month [JURIST report] that instead would have required anyone applying for travel or immigration documents in the United Kingdom to register for the card, delaying further legislation to make them officially compulsory until as late as 2011. Peers argued Monday that tying registration to the cards to passport applications in particular would simply make them compulsory "by stealth."

From London, the Telegraph has more.

Liberty UK [official website] and other British civil rights groups [No2ID campaign website] have denounced ID cards [Liberty press release] as both ineffective and a violation of civil liberties. Lord Carlile, the Liberal Democrat peer appointed by the British government as an independent reviewer of its anti-terror laws, said in January that the ID cards would be of "limited value" against terrorism [JURIST report] and would not have prevented the London bombings in July. National ID cards were last required in the UK during World War II to facilitate the identification of aliens, but they were judicially ruled unlawful in 1951.

[JURIST] The UK House of Lords [official website] dealt another major legislative setback to the anti-terrorism policies of the government of Prime Minister Tony Blair Monday by voting down for a second time a bill designed to establish a UK national ID card system. The Identity Cards Bill [text], a previous version of which failed in the Lords [Telegraph report] in January, was defeated 277-166. After the January setback UK Home Secretary Charles Clarke backed down [JURIST report] on the initial plan to make the ID cards immediately compulsory, and approved amendments passed by the Commons last month [JURIST report] that instead would have required anyone applying for travel or immigration documents in the United Kingdom to register for the card, delaying further legislation to make them officially compulsory until as late as 2011. Peers argued Monday that tying registration to the cards to passport applications in particular would simply make them compulsory "by stealth."

From London, the Telegraph has more.

Liberty UK [official website] and other British civil rights groups [No2ID campaign website] have denounced ID cards [Liberty press release] as both ineffective and a violation of civil liberties. Lord Carlile, the Liberal Democrat peer appointed by the British government as an independent reviewer of its anti-terror laws, said in January that the ID cards would be of "limited value" against terrorism [JURIST report] and would not have prevented the London bombings in July. National ID cards were last required in the UK during World War II to facilitate the identification of aliens, but they were judicially ruled unlawful in 1951.

[JURIST Europe] UK Home Secretary Charles Clarke [official profile] is expected to propose legislation that would allow the use of wiretap evidence in British courtrooms, specifically in cases of organized crime and terrorism, according to British press reports Tuesday. The practice is already common in the US, Australia, and other European countries to secure convictions. There has been a recent change in the traditional opposition [Guardian report] to the use of wiretap evidence by police, security services and the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) [official website], which now say they would not protest the measure but want strict safeguards included in new laws, specifically to protect their agents or covert techniques.

UK Prime Minister Tony Blair [JURIST news archive] is thought to favor the potential legislation. The use of phone-tap evidence is also supported by some civil rights groups who believe that it will allow for more transparency in convictions. Others have expressed reservations, suggesting that the move will not make as much difference as suggested and could potentially cause problems.

From London, the Independent has local coverage.

[JURIST Europe] UK Home Secretary Charles Clarke [official profile] is expected to propose legislation that would allow the use of wiretap evidence in British courtrooms, specifically in cases of organized crime and terrorism, according to British press reports Tuesday. The practice is already common in the US, Australia, and other European countries to secure convictions. There has been a recent change in the traditional opposition [Guardian report] to the use of wiretap evidence by police, security services and the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) [official website], which now say they would not protest the measure but want strict safeguards included in new laws, specifically to protect their agents or covert techniques.

UK Prime Minister Tony Blair [JURIST news archive] is thought to favor the potential legislation. The use of phone-tap evidence is also supported by some civil rights groups who believe that it will allow for more transparency in convictions. Others have expressed reservations, suggesting that the move will not make as much difference as suggested and could potentially cause problems.

From London, the Independent has local coverage.