All posts tagged: Policing

Europe up for policing Hormuz — but only if the fighting stops – POLITICO

Europe up for policing Hormuz — but only if the fighting stops – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The virtual meeting came days after the U.S. president called for NATO countries to “take the lead” and send warships into the Strait, whose retaliatory blockage by Iran has set off a global energy crisis. Trump doubled down Wednesday night, telling POLITICO: “They gotta get guts and go in.” A readout of the meeting, provided by the U.K. side, said participants agreed to turn up international heat “including through the UN, to send clear and co-ordinated messages to Iran to permit unimpeded transit passage through the Strait of Hormuz and to comprehensively reject the imposition of tolls on vessels which seek to pass through.” It promised to explore “co-ordinated economic and political measures, such as sanctions” to increase the pressure on Tehran if the Strait stays closed. And there was talk of “arrangements to support greater market and operational confidence,” including boosting informational sharing “with shipping operators and industry bodies.” But the 90-minute call also showed the reluctance among those on Trump’s wishlist to deploy military force in the Strait while the war continues. British …

Embracing the Warrior-Guardian Paradox in Modern Policing

Embracing the Warrior-Guardian Paradox in Modern Policing

Published by Jenni Sidey

Few debates in law enforcement generate more heat — and less light — than the question of whether police officers should see themselves as warriors or guardians. Advocates on one side argue that the warrior identity is essential: that officers who hesitate expose themselves and innocent people to catastrophic harm. Advocates on the other argue that the warrior mindset poisons community trust, and that the guardian model is the only path to legitimacy in a democratic society. Both sides have valid and justified perspectives. And both sides are incomplete. The warrior and the guardian are not competing philosophies between which a department must choose. They are complementary capacities every officer needs — and every agency must develop, sustain, and honor equally. The question is not which mindset belongs in policing. It is how to build professionals skilled enough to know which one a given moment demands, and courageous enough to deploy it fully. The tension between these orientations is embedded in the founding DNA of modern policing. When Sir Robert Peel established the Metropolitan Police …

Starmer gives green light for UK forces to intercept Putin’s shadow fleet – POLITICO

Starmer gives green light for UK forces to intercept Putin’s shadow fleet – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

British efforts to counter the rogue vessels have so far mostly focused on tracking, monitoring and providing intelligence to allies. But Downing Street announced the U.K. would be able to lead more active operations, as Starmer travels to Finland for a meeting of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) on Thursday. Starmer stressed ahead of the trip that Ukraine’s allies need to be even more vigilant about policing sanctions against Russia in light of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. He said in a statement: “Putin is rubbing his hands at the war in the Middle East because he thinks higher oil prices will let him line his pockets. That’s why we’re going after his shadow fleet even harder, not just keeping Britain safe but starving Putin’s war machine of the dirty profits that fund his barbaric campaign in Ukraine.” Several JEF members – including Finland, Sweden and Estonia – have already conducted actions against suspected shadow fleet ships in the Baltic Sea, targeting what they see as a growing sanctions-evasion network operating on their doorstep. By extending similar powers …

Your Body Is Betraying Your Right to Privacy

Your Body Is Betraying Your Right to Privacy

Published by skeptic

Know thyself. It’s an old adage that has new resonance in the digital age. Today, you can buy smart devices that monitor your heartbeat, blood pressure, exercise habits, water intake, sleep, mood, menstrual cycle, sexual activity, and meditation patterns, not to mention your poop. The internet of things has turned into what academic and author Andrea Matwyshyn has termed the “Internet of Bodies” with the promise of selling you insights about your “quantified self.” The desire for self-awareness is not new, but these data offer a dif­ferent twist on enlightenment. Millions of Americans live with a smartwatch that reminds them to stand, breathe, and take a few more steps to meet their daily exercise goals. This helpful (and healthful) algorithmic prompt only works, of course, because your smart device is tracking your bodily activity. It literally knows you are breathing, which can be helpful to police if for some reason you stop. The data we produce—from our step count to our DNA—is increasingly coming under surveillance. Not all of this surveillance is unwelcome. Many medical …

Exclusive poll reveals what officers, public and victims think about UK policing | UK News

Exclusive poll reveals what officers, public and victims think about UK policing | UK News

Published by Sam Flores

“I’ve had someone pull a knife on me outside the shop. Six times we’ve been broken into.” Cobbler Vince Ayris, 62, is a former boxer and says he can handle himself in most situations, but the frequent raids on his shoe repair shop frustrate him. “It does annoy us when we get hit. Someone nicked all my leather insoles the other day.” Too often, criminals get away with it; that’s the overwhelming verdict from shopkeepers like Vince on Swindon high street – and that was also the finding of our exclusive national YouGov crime survey. The first study of its kind, it reveals the extent of public concern over how crime is policed, and the experiences of victims, but it also asks what police officers think. Image: Cobbler Vince Ayris says frequent raids on his shoe repair shop frustrate him While more than half the public is confident the police investigate major crimes such as violence and sexual offences, confidence plummets to just 14% when it comes to lesser crimes like shoplifting. Havelock Street in …

Policing and media charter is ‘profound commitment to transparency’

Policing and media charter is ‘profound commitment to transparency’

Published by Sam Flores

Police cordon. Picture: Getty Images There is a scene that plays out in newsrooms and police press offices across the country every day. A journalist needs information. A police communications officer is trying to make sure information released will not interfere with a potential court case. Somewhere in between, the public waits and in that gap, rumour, speculation and outright falsehood can take root. We now live in a world where misinformation spreads like wildfire. A single social media post can reach millions within minutes. By the time a police force has issued a considered response, the damage can already be done to communities, to investigations and to public trust in the institutions that are there to protect them. This week represents one of the most significant resets in the relationship between policing and the press since The Leveson Inquiry almost 14 years ago. Policing has worked with national and regional media on a landmark piece of work to strengthen our relationship so that the public can have confidence in what they are being told …

China used UK Border Force officer for ‘shadow policing operations’, court told | UK News

China used UK Border Force officer for ‘shadow policing operations’, court told | UK News

Published by Sam Flores

China used a Border Force officer to carry out “shadow policing operations” in the UK including spying on dissidents and forcing entry to a suspected fraudster’s flat, a court has heard. Retired Hong Kong police superintendent Chung Biu (Bill) Yuen, 65, is alleged to have tasked Chi Leung (Peter) Wai, 38 – who worked for UK Border Force from December 2020 and was a special constable in the City of London Police – and others with missions. The Old Bailey heard they received requests from the Hong Kong authorities to gather intelligence on exiles targeted with £100,000 bounties over their alleged links to pro-democracy protests, including Nathan Law. Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson KC said Yuen and Wai both undertook and tasked others to “conduct special hostile activity” including “information gathering, hostile surveillance, and acts of deception” targeting Hong Kong diaspora now based in the UK. They also put together a team to gain access to the Pontefract flat of Monica Kwong, who left Hong Kong in December 2023 accused of fraud, the court heard. A jury …

Far-right leader Bardella criticizes Macron’s pan-European nuclear push – POLITICO

Far-right leader Bardella criticizes Macron’s pan-European nuclear push – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Bardella acknowledged that France’s nuclear doctrine has always foreseen that the country’s vital interests do not stop at the French borders. “When it comes to nuclear power, I defend principles, and those principles are that there can be no sharing, no co-financing, and no co-decision-making on the nuclear button,” Bardella also said. The Elysée Palace has always stressed that any decision to launch a nuclear weapon would remain with the French president. The National Rally, historically skeptical of engagement with both NATO and the EU, is leading early polls for next year’s pivotal presidential election. If longtime leader Marine Le Pen’s appeal to shorten or overturn her five-year election ban related to embezzlement charges is unsuccessful, the 30-year-old Bardella will likely run in her place. Bardella’s remarks come a few days ahead of a landmark speech Macron is set to deliver on how France’s nuclear weapons can contribute to Europe’s security. Paris has been in talks with European capitals such as Berlin, Stockholm and Warsaw over how French nukes could help the continent deter Russian …

When Gender Policing Backfires | Blog of the APA

When Gender Policing Backfires | Blog of the APA

Published by Jenni Sidey

Recently, I was coming home from a conference, and I had just gotten through TSA at an airport that I had been to before. I noticed something that I had noticed the previous time I was there, which is a startlingly long line. The line that I had noticed previously is the line to the women’s restroom. I usually notice the line to the women’s restroom at major events, whether Comic-Con, a concert, a speech, or a book signing; the lines for women and men are literally night and day. This moment at the airport was no different. As per usual, there was no line for the men’s room; men and boys went in and out of the restroom like clockwork. Yet the line for women and girls moved more slowly than molasses on a cold winter’s day. The long women’s bathroom line is not an unusual phenomenon, but it is still painful to witness. We can make planes, trains, cars, and Wi-Fi fast, but not the restroom line designated for women and girls. One …