La France va remettre les fichiers voles a HSBC a la justice Suisse

A rare example of the Swiss demanding to know something in order to prosecute someone.My French is inadequate, but if the French dont tell them, they [the Swiss} wil discontinue their [a]greed cooperation against tax fraud. This is aimed at Herve Falciani who is a whistleblower who left France with the details of many tax evaders stored on his laptop. The Swiss want the data back...but the clients are clients of HSBC...Now let me see...If you dont give us back the information on tax fraud, we wont cooperate with you on tax fraud...Ah! It all makes sense immediately! The Swiss are just being consistent!

US arrests three Africans in "al Qaeda cocaine sting"

Intriguing story. Americans pretending to be FARC [so that proves theyre drug smugglers] approach three guys from Mali, who are suuposed to be associates [whatever that means] of al Qaeda's Northern African branch [whatever that is] [and which will be used to prove that al Qaeda smuggles drugs]. Its a good one. None of it needs to be true but it will be used by academic/journalists as "evidence" of all sorts of stuff, like organised crime terrorism and financing are all interlinked. We shall see what happens in the trial.

Russia: Shift to the shadows

Nice piece in the FT on the role of the silovki under Putin and Medvedev. Turns out to be based on an article in post-Soviet Affairs: “Putin’s Militocracy”, by Olga Kryshtanovskaya and Stephen White. Post-Soviet Affairs 2003, 19, 4

Ministers creating an army of private police

The Independent's spin on yesterdays post includes the fact that lots of council emplyees have been given powers to confiscate property along with private security sneaking unannounced into traditional polcie roles....We're all coppers now! Dont you go taking any photographs without my permission!

Met was dysfunctional says Commissioner

Some interesting comments on the state the Commissioner found the organisation in when he took over. Radio interview for the Today programme.

Unease as security groups take police roles

Interesting that this is in the Financial Times, so it must be a business matter. Private security running cells at demonstrations and also getting into investigation work. ACPO untroubled...well, theyre looking for retirement jobs themselves arent they? Lots of retired officers getting into the sector...Could it be that theyre retiring too early???

Europe moves towards single area on justice and home affairs

Details of the Stockholm programme for the next five years

Drug money saved banks in global crisis, claims UN advisor

Bit of a tabloid presentation by the Guardian. Under the hype, it emerges that the head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime thinks a lot of money was laundered durimng the crisis. Must find the original text of his speech.

Lancashire police shut down roads into the county fom Merseyside to stop travelling ciminal gangs

Other police forces breathalyse people. Lancashire have their firearms teams out and blockade all roads from Merseyside and Manchester. You couldnt make it up! Nicking posh cars to attack cash in transit and speed off down the motorway!

Warning over sheep poaching gangs

In deepest darkest Devon, gangs of poachers are using cross-bred lurchers to hunt meat to order for their customers. Wonder who these customers are?