Displaying items by tag: law and order

Thursday, 04 June 2020 23:22

Update on Madeleine McCann

Madeleine McCann is ‘assumed’ to be dead, say German prosecutors investigating her disappearance in 2007. A 43-year-old German predator currently in prison for sex crimes is being investigated on suspicion of her murder. Police are appealing for the public's help in solving the case, after they announced on 3 June that they had a new suspect. Her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, felt the latest development was ‘potentially very significant’. Their spokesperson said, ‘Of all the thousands of leads and potential suspects that have been mentioned in the past, there has never been something as clearcut as that from not just one, but three, police forces.’ The Met are working with German and Portuguese police. They have released details of the suspect's phone number and the number which dialled him before Madeleine’s disappearance; any information about these numbers could be ‘critical’.

Published in British Isles
Thursday, 28 May 2020 21:43

People smugglers

1,775 migrants entered the UK in small boats this year: a record 741 landed in May. The French navy is escorting them across the Channel and into British waters as smugglers exploit legal maritime loopholes. By a 1974 law, all mariners must provide assistance to vessels in distress at sea. The small boats crossing the Channel are often overloaded and taking on water. When French vessels attempt to intercept them, migrants threaten to jump into the sea, or even throw children overboard. Their refusal to be rescued by French authorities puts lives at risk, so the French have no option but to shadow the boats into British waters, where migrants are safe, knowing they will be taken to Britain, not back to France. MPs are calling for new powers to return people to France.

Published in British Isles
Thursday, 14 May 2020 22:16

Machete attack every two hours

Statistics show that in the final two months of 2019 police dealt with 664 crimes involving machetes - an average of one every 130 minutes. Three years ago the deadly blades were used in only 100 crimes a month over the same period. Also the toll will be significantly higher because only 34 of the 43 police forces responded. Stabbing hotspots London and Greater Manchester refused to provide data. Rising numbers of criminals are using machetes as their weapons of choice to instil terror in victims and rival gang members. Offenders use them in violent rapes, robberies, and murders. The Home Office said that the Government is doing everything in its power to protect communities from the effects of knife crime, and is recruiting 20,000 more police officers over the next three years as well as ensuring that the most violent offenders spend longer behind bars.

Published in British Isles
Thursday, 12 March 2020 21:11

Salmond trial witness was ‘scared'

Alex Salmond is on trial for carrying out 14 sexual assaults on 10 women. He has pleaded not guilty to all 14 charges alleged to have happened while he was Scotland's first minister and the leader of the SNP. The first woman to testify, a former government official known as Woman H, told the court that she was scared to come forward at the time because he was a ‘powerful man’. She raised the allegations after getting ‘flashbacks’ around the time of the #MeToo movement. The charges include allegations of assaults and rape at Mr Salmond’s official residence in Edinburgh. She said she had emailed a colleague the day after the first attack to say she would not be attending a sporting event with him. She said she felt ‘hunted’ by Mr Salmond. Nine other women will also be giving evidence.

Published in British Isles
Thursday, 06 February 2020 22:43

UK terrorism

On 21 January (see) the media reported that terror offenders will face more time in jail and be monitored more closely, as part of new laws being introduced within weeks. Automatic early release from prison will be scrapped, while a minimum jail term of 14 years for serious crimes will be introduced. The Home Office said that a bill would be brought before Parliament by mid-March. Before these measures could be implemented, on 2 February Sudesh Amman, released from prison in January, attacked several people with a knife in Streatham. Home secretary Priti Patel is now calling for even tougher measures regarding the jailing of terrorists in the wake of this attack. The ministry of justice said the legislation would be introduced ‘when parliamentary time allows’. The government will also consider new legislation to ensure that extremists are more closely monitored on release, and will review whether the current maximum sentences for terrorist offences are sufficient.

Published in British Isles
Friday, 03 January 2020 09:06

Global: fighting corruption

Around the world in 2019, corruption sparked demonstrations and toppled governments in what should be a wake-up call for leaders to follow through on their commitments and make good on old promises as well as new, meaningful resolutions. Corruption is deepening the crisis of democracy in many parts of the world. Countries with higher rates of public sector corruption have weaker democratic institutions, depriving citizens of political rights such as free and fair elections and the right to protest. Many protested and, losing patience, took to the streets demanding that their governments serve public interest. We may see more protests in the coming year unless political leaders take urgent steps to eradicate corruption and make their countries a liveable place for all citizens. In over 100 countries, people can turn to Transparency International chapters for advice on long-lasting and inclusive approaches to strengthen their democracies.

Published in Worldwide
Thursday, 17 October 2019 22:28

Abortion on Christian family's disabled daughter

Specialists will perform an abortion on a woman from a Christian home who has severe learning disabilities and is twelve weeks pregnant. Mr Justice Williams ruled that the woman's pregnancy could be terminated after analysing the case at the Court of Protection, where judges consider issues relating to people who lack the mental capacity to make decisions. A police investigation is under way to discover how a woman in her twenties, with the mental capacity of a toddler, became pregnant. Was she raped or made pregnant by a male friend with learning disabilities? Police will carry out DNA tests to establish the father’s identity. The woman's foster parents are Christians and churchgoers. Pray for this case to highlight the need for the NHS, social services and trusts to examine, and update where needed, appropriate care packages for safeguarding vulnerable people in their care.

Published in British Isles

More than 15,000 cannabis plants with a street value of £4million were found at an industrial unit in North Lincolnshire. The operation was so big that four former Tesco home delivery vans were used to distribute drugs to cannabis dealers across Scunthorpe, Grimsby, Doncaster and large parts of Lincolnshire and from the factory in Scunthorpe. Five Vietnamese men, who are the suspected growers, were found inside. It is believed they were illegally trafficked to look after the farm. Three of the men were caught. Another two fled the scene and are being hunted by police. The estate where the farm was found was being used by a mixture of major distribution and manufacturing companies and small car repair and business units.

Published in British Isles

The Inspectorate of Constabulary has said ‘inconsistent’ approaches to policing fraud in England and Wales leaves people at high risk of scams. One officer told its inquiry that a crime was not a priority if it didn’t ‘bang, bleed or shout’. Police said ‘significant’ work was under way to address the problems. By 2017 identity theft had reached epidemic levels. Recent police statistics show that over £190,000 a day is being lost in the UK by victims of cyber-crime, with people in their 30s the most-targeted group. The elderly are ‘under siege’ from scammers. Inspectors visited 11 police forces and other agencies that tackle fraud. One force filed 96% of the cases it received from a national intelligence bureau without further investigation, despite inspectors finding a good deal of evidence, including names of suspects, in some of the cases. Another force had only two dedicated fraud investigators.

Published in British Isles
Thursday, 28 February 2019 22:27

Insight: what would Jesus do?

A shooting range which provides ‘family fun’ for adults and children aged six and over announced a new target in a tweet. ‘Hot off the press’ showed an image of Shamima Begum and the hashtag ‘no remorse’. 19-year-old Shamima is in a refugee camp, asking to return to the UK after living with IS terrorists for four years. The home secretary removed her British citizenship for the public good, and suggested she apply for Bangladeshi nationality as her mother is a Bangladeshi. There are questions around citizenship, justice and reconciliation in the aftermath of the most brutal conflict so far this century. Our moral reasoning and response to those complicit in IS evil will be debated in the law courts. Our government has responsibilities to protect citizens, administer justice and look after those who have suffered. What would Jesus do? For background, see

(Linda Digby - Prayer Alert team)

Published in British Isles
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