Policing
Opinion survey (Sunday Times 8th January 1984) on public view of the police. Major findings:
60% plus wanted
- stop/search of anyone police think is suspicious.
- use of plastic bullets, water cannon, tear gas on ‘probably violent’ demonstrations.
- police to fingerprint everyone in an area where a serious crime has been committed.
But 80% disapproved of police phone tapping.
Police and Criminal Evidence Bill
Government guaranteed pupils’ confidential school records will be immune from police seizure. Daily Telegraph 18th January 1984.
Police Intelligence Files
A box of said found on rubbish tip in Edinburgh. Contents confirm that the police are keeping files on almost everybody. Described by police spokesperson as ‘basic criminal intelligence’, files were mostly about non-criminals. Sunday Times 8th January 1984.
DHSS fraud squads to be trained by police at police colleges. Guardian 3rd February 1984
Police Use of Guns
Police use of guns in Camden dropped 80% in one year after protests by (unofficial) Camden police committee. Tribune 3rd February 1984.
Humberside Police personnel posed as market researchers during survey of public views of police in Humberside. Guardian 19th January 1984
The Police Use of Computers
In L3 we printed some sections from the Association of Chief Police Officers’ The Police Use of Computers purporting to describe the joint Humberside/Kent system due to ‘go live’ in 1985.
Information given by a rather garrulous Humberside officer involved in the system’s development at a meeting of the Humberside Police Committee (19th Jan 1984) indicates that this description is misleading.
The officer stated that the force’s ‘collator cards’ – i.e. the intelligence files – will be included in the system. The system will have a ‘criminal intelligence’ function. This is not included in the ACPO account of the system. The Post (Hull) No 6.
The Met Computer
Report that computer company CTL built computer system for Metropolitan Police’s criminal intelligence system in 1979. Did we know this already? I suspect not.
Guardian 28th February 1984
Merseyside and the Police Computer
Merseyside County Council to shelve police computerisation of existing criminal records (ie details of convictions) unless amendments are made to the Data Protection Bill. The amendments propose creation of a new official who will have the power to investigate databases of those systems (such as the police’s) which are to be exempt from inspection under the Bill as it stands now. Computing 23rd February 1984
Data Protection Bill and Police Computers
Large explanatory piece on the implications of the combined effects of the Data Protection and Police and Criminal Evidence Bill.
“Together these acts … allow (the police) access to any computerised database.”
Computing 9th February 1984
Computers and Northern Ireland: Bringing the War Home?
Report (Guardian 12th January 1984) of police camera/computer checks on car licence plates on M1. (See also New Scientist for details 12th January 1984). The system, linked to the Police National Computer (PNC) at Hendon, provides 24 hour automatic surveillance of the movements of all cars whose licences are on the PNC.
This smells like the beginning of the introduction of something like the system now in operation in Northern Ireland.
There the Army are operating a computer system, apparently known as Big Brother Vengeful, which records and stores for 7 days information on all cars sighted at border crossing points. The system, when accessed, will respond with up to 16 sightings of the nominated vehicle for the previous 7 days. Sunday News 5th June 1983
The other Northern Ireland development of interest is the plan to introduce computer terminals into all Royal Ulster Constabulary cars. £110 million is being spent. The system will log all incidents and the location of all the computer-linked vehicles.
Sunday News 22nd March 1983.
Neighbourhood Watch Schemes
Report on them in Observer 19th February 1984. Major conclusion is that they are popular in middle and upper class areas and not with the working class.
Alderson’s warning
Ex Chief Constable Devon and Cornwall, James Alderson, warned of the danger of British police becoming the arm of an authoritarian government. This, before the miners’ strike. Guardian 19th January 1984
Immigration Act
Home Secretary acknowledges that confidential instructions to Immigration officials are in breach of the 1971 Immigration Act. Guardian 9th February 1984
Paramilitary Group
Report on London-based ‘Legion of Frontiersmen of the Commonwealth’, a private paramilitary force of 2000, members of Government funded Reserve Forces Association, linked to Civil Defence Network. New Statesman 10th February 1984
Surveillance
Large explanatory piece about the implications of the National Insurance plastic cards and DHSS computerisation. Guardian 25th January 1984
Large explanatory piece about machine-readable passports and development of European-wide surveillance of travellers. New Scientist 5th January 1984
State Secrecy
Increasing number of post-war official papers due to be released under 30 year rule being withheld by Government. Examples given. Guardian 10th January 1984
Large explanatory piece on Canada’s Access to Information and Privacy Act.
Computing 9th February 1984
British Psywar Operations
Documents released under 30 year rule reveal UK interest in and use of psywar techniques against Mau Mau in Kenya. New Scientist 12th January 1984
British Defoliation
UK used dioxide based defoliants in war in Malaya 1951-53.
New Scientist 19th January 1984
CIA’S MK Ultra Programme
9 Canadians, victims of CIA brain washing experiments under MK Ultra are suing the US government.
There is a suggestion that the UK government was involved in similar operations. Part of the surviving CIA documentation on MK Ultra (most was destroyed on Helms’ orders) reads: “allied governments where the security services has people under its control.”
New Scientist 2nd Feb. 1984