The Public Value of Security
Joining Forces
- The Pentagon's new map A map I should have put up ages ago. continue reading on 24th June 2008
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Lord West's abrupt ‘about turn’
Yesterday Lord West was asked whether he thought the police needed more than 28 days to question terrorist suspects.
08:20 (on the Today Programme): 'I'm not convinced we need to hold terror suspects longer than 28 days'
continue reading on 15th November 2007 Comments (3)
09:05 (having had breakfast with Gordon Brown): 'Actually, I am convinced' -
The politics of national security (or how to spin by the new PM)
Yesterday Gordon Brown gave a statement on national security. It was a veritable shopping list of activities, initiative and policies. Most of them had been announced last week but it was wheeled out again yesterday for one reason. Today the Conservative Party will publish their national and international security policy review. Brown’s sharp piece of political maneuvering will leave Cameron and his national security adviser Pauline Neville Jones only a few recommendations to choose from. In his statement Brown was able to announce the creation of a unified border police (the centre piece of the Conservative's proposal), propose a £70 million pound fund for local communities to resist violent extremism and announce 2 further things the government should have done 3 years ago
continue reading on 26th July 2007 - Review of Policing Sir Ronnie Flanagan, HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary is leading an independent review of the police service. We have been asked to advise him. Given the very short deadline(s) for the review we could simply draw on some of our own work but it strikes me that we need to have a more comprehensive and innovative approach - hence why we have created a wiki to solicit the views of serving police officers (in England, Wales and internationally), public servants, academics and NGOs to answer the questions posed by the review. continue reading on 1st June 2007
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"The monster that ate criminal justice"
An interesting article in today’s FT. In an interview with security correspondents Sir Ian Blair (Met Police) points to the risks of a US-style focus on homeland security. Apparently violent crime [robberies, aggravated assaults and murder] in the
- A political master stroke John Reid has won his battle to split the Home Office into two departments. While there is no doubt that some areas of the Home Office do need to be hived off to other departments, the question remains as to whether this is really a proportional response to the threat of terrorism and the challenges facing the UK. Summing up what most of Westminster and Whitehall is thinking, The Guardian (among others) argues, ‘the secrecy of planning for change, a deadline that looks more... continue reading on 30th March 2007
- MI5 News Update I've just received the latest email update from MI5, the Security Service. It's a really good example of how the agency is coming out of the shadows, embracing technology and becoming more open. According to the latest email Jonathan Evans, the Deputy Director General is to replace Eliza Manningham-Buller as the new Head of the Security Service on 21 April 2007. continue reading on 7th March 2007 Comments (2)
- Bucking a trend The US has one, while Dutch minister's are going to sign off on theirs soon, and the French are seriously thinking about creating one. Not content with a having one already, the Singapore national coordination secreteriat has just produced a glossy 'Diary of Resolve' outlining all their work securing the country in the past 1826 days (that's since 9/11 to you and me). An emerging trend of the post Cold War world is for government's to produce (public or private) national security strategies.... continue reading on 9th February 2007
- Secrets In an interview with The Times today, Sir Glenn Torpey, the Chief of the Air Staff, says that since 9/11 there has been at least one incident a month requiring an RAF fighter from a quick-reaction alert unit to intervene. Elsewhere The Independent leads with a question about the Freedom of Information. Separately the two articles are newsworthy items of some interest. Read together they raise some interesting questions about what information the Government is prepared to make public. continue reading on 28th December 2006 Comments (2)
- Today's political football: security A week is a long time in politics, just over a month must be considered a life time. And trying to remember what has been said by one’s boss must be difficult, nigh on impossible. Back in November David Cameron gave a speech on security to the IISS. In his speech, he said, “We must not allow the security of this country to become a political football – either between the parties or within the parties.... The two main contenders for the Labour leadership (Brown and Reid) are vying to outdo each other on how “tough” they can sound on security”. continue reading 20th December 2006