Whose terrorising who & the need for evidence to protect oneself

As the blame/revenue collection Technologies “kick-in”, perhaps more rigorously given a climate of recession, what protection have you got against authority given its profiling/storage mechanisms as to DNA, finger prints, CCTV footage, lie detectors, phone and e-mail interceptions etc etc  while it also be guilty of digital data losses creating a sea of chaos as to ordinary people. The Gov are not alone though as private companies also use CCTV footage as evidence for the issuance of charges: News (23 10 2009-see below) CCTV Parking charge withdrawn as a driver provides CCTV evidence of her car being elsewhere.

What is the right balance given that on one hand we demand protection yet everyone be treated as suspects while on the other we desire a right to privacy in being innocent of any crime?. Due to data losses its become more important than ever to save copies of documents as completed and supplied to others like Benefit claims, taxation and other financial papers. Then one has authority to contend with orally in that one is told one thing one day and something totally opposite the next – “I never said that / implied that etc etc”. One may also come up against a unprofessional legal litigation expert whom lies through his teeth in stating untruths leading one down a garden path!. Of course in defense as to oneself one may have to provide evidence as to the reality of issues thus undermining such Authority/professionalism.

Like for like is about the deployment of self-technology for ones own protection against the technology which taxpayers fund yet which is effectively used against them – they having to pay twice – one for them – one for myself!. Thus how long will it be before Citizens themselves use technology like GPS (position and tracking), voice/lie detector software, image capture (camera/video recorders) etc in defense of themselves?.

On reflection its as though we are all being driven down that path and just think that if we all did walk that way how much the Gov would prosper through import duty and sales tax (VAT) as redesigns/upgrades follow as we all become like Robocop in defending ourselves!. What excuses will they then have as to failure as to themselves – interesting.  

 

Old News

21 02 2008 Gordon Brown - inquiry into DNA data blunder. Police are investigating how 17 wanted foreign criminals were left at large in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 />Britain for up to a year because of the Government's latest data blunder. Gordon Brown has announced an inquiry into why the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) failed to act after Dutch authorities sent them a disc containing DNA profiles of more than 2,000 individuals linked to serious crimes, including murderers and rapists. 29 05 2008 - In fact, it took fully four months – until April 2007 – for the disc to make its way from the post room to the desk of the lawyer who was supposed to be dealing with the matter. He promptly went off sick until October without arranging for anyone to handle the work in his in tray. No one at the CPS rang to ask him about the disc, because they didn't want to disturb him during his six-month absence. By the time he returned to work, the CPS had been in possession of this urgent information for 10 months – and had done absolutely nothing with it. When it was checked against the national DNA database, lo and behold, a number of matches were found. Even worse, at least 11 of those named on the disc had committed crimes in the UK, including serious assaults, during the 12 months it had been in the CPS's possession.

 

06 05 2008 Police chief admits CCTV failure. A senior police officer has admitted CCTV has failed to cut crime despite huge investment in camera systems. Det Ch Insp Neville said only 3 per cent of London's street robberies had been solved using CCTV images. "Billions of pounds has been spent on kit, but no thought has gone into how the police are going to use the images and how they will be used in court.

 

12 05 2008 Lie detectors to spot fake sickies. The technology is already being used to identify people making fraudulent benefit claims. After successful trials at seven councils, anti-fraud minister James Plaskitt announced last week that the scheme would be extended. Now employers have given a cautious welcome to the idea of using the Voice Risk Analysis (VRA) system to identify people who may be lying when they phone in sick. Lawrence Knowles, managing director of software and outsourcing firm Midland HR, told Personnel Today that VRA would soon be a useful tool in reducing sickness absence. "If lie detectors can detect benefit fraud, then why not look at the application of the technology in absence management?" he said.

 

15 06 2008 David Davies – Labour not laughing now. Suddenly, Labour is not laughing at David Davis. Could David Davis somehow have stumbled across something the establishment has missed, an untapped anger with what the public sees as a snooping, heavy-handed state that spies on it through speed cameras and CCTV and microchips on its rubbish bins, that tramples its freedoms and makes sloppy mistakes with its private data?. The unrepentant Davis, however, argues the terrorism Bill was only part of a jigsaw of controversial issues he wants to debate, which include the estimated one million people whose samples are held on the police DNA database even though they have never been convicted of any crime, and the surveillance powers introduced to combat terrorism being used by councils to enforce anything from school admissions policies to dog fouling.

 

30 07 2008 Study criticises DNA database. Innocent people should have their profiles deleted from the National DNA Database, an inquiry funded by the Government has said. Even guilty people who have served their time should eventually have their DNA records erased because retaining the profile "continues to criminalise them", the study concluded. The "citizen's inquiry" overseen by the Human Genetics Commission urged ministers to take control of the database away from the police and the Home Office, by setting up an independent body to own and control the information. It said some of the panel members believed that "past actions and hidden agendas have shown that the Government cannot be trusted"

28 11 2008 CCTV cameras help predict crimes. A Minority Report style CCTV system which helps predict crimes before they actually happen has been installed for the first time in a UK city. The Perceptrak system, produced by Smart CCTV Ltd, is able to spot "unusual" incidents such as somebody loitering or a vehicle travelling too fast.

 

01 12 2008 Attack on soldier caught on CCTV. A Lance Corporal who has served in Iraq and Afghanistan, was set upon after a night out but then charged and convicted on two counts of attacking police officers. Liverpool Crown Court were not amused on appeal when CCTV footage showed an officer rugby tackling the Lance Corporal to the ground and while pinning down by two officers the third punches him several times. He said: "I went into the Army thinking this country was worth fighting for. I put my life on the line every day in Afghanistan, so to come back and be treated like this for no reason was just so depressing.".

 

04 12 2008 DNA database 'breach of rights'. Two British men should not have had their DNA and fingerprints retained by police, the European Court of Human Rights has ruled. The men's information was held by South Yorkshire Police, although neither was convicted of any offence. The judges said keeping the information "could not be regarded as necessary in a democratic society".  Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said she was "disappointed" by the European Court of Human Rights' decision. Under present laws, the DNA profiles of everyone arrested for a recordable offence in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are kept on the database, regardless of whether they are charged or convicted. The court found that the police's actions were in violation of Article 8 - the right to respect for private and family life - of the European Convention on Human Rights.

01 03 2009 Video shows attack on girl in US police custody. Video shows attack on girl in US police custody. Prosecutors release CCTV footage of assault on teenager as part of case against Washington state deputy. The teenager is seen being punched and shoved into a wall before being pushed to the floor to be handcuffed and then dragged out of the cell by her hair. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/01/police-custody-assault-video

 

17 04 2009 Council 'spying' to be restricted. The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (Ripa) allows public authorities to intercept phone and e-mail data and use CCTV to spy on suspected criminals if it suspects criminal activity however its now used for dog fouling and littering. In a case cited by the Home Office as wrong is an investigation into parents using a false address to get their child into a preferred school. Lib Dem Chris Huhne: 'We need to get a sense of perspective' - "It was supposed to be there to tackle terrorism and serious crime. Instead it's being used by both the government and hundreds of local authorities to pry into all kinds of different parts of people's lives. It has to stop."

04 08 2009 "overdue a death in custody" - A damning report into Cambridge Constabulary's custody arrangements showed widespread failures to properly manage DNA material, including case evidence. DNA samples were left in a police fridge alongside a half-eaten takeaway meal, it has been revealed. The joint inspection by the police and prison inspectorates also criticised wider failures to ensure the safety of suspects in cells. One police staff member told inspectors they were "overdue a death in custody".

24 09 2009: The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has announced that 31,259 complaints were made against the Police in England and Wales (2008/09) which amounts to more than 600 complaints every week. Of those “one in every four” was for "neglect of duty", being slow or ineffective while “one in five” was about Police officers being rude towards the Public whom they serve!. The Home Office (HO) welcomed the report stating "We note the numbers of complaints and allegations have risen, which is likely to reflect in part greater public awareness about the role of the IPCC. "We also note only 10% of allegations were found to be substantiated, a proportion that has remained steady since the IPCC was established."

23 10 2009 CCTV parking row charge withdrawn. A private car parking company which claimed its cameras were never wrong, has withdrawn its £90 charge against a woman in Devon because she then provided CCTV evidence of her car being elsewhere. Although proving her case the Lady is extremely upset in that the Company fails to apologise. The Company told BBC News it was bound by data protection laws and could not comment on any individual case without written authorisation.