Big fall in UK police use of stop-and search powers

The Guardian reports that Home Office figures show that there has been a sharp fall this year in the police use of counter-terror stop and search powers in the wake of a public outcry over their discriminatory nature. The Home Office figures show that during the first three months of 2009-10 – April to June [...]

Sanremo Handbook on Rules of Engagement

Read it here.

As the political control on the use of force and with that the use of rules of engagement to regulate the conduct of armed forces by individual nations, alliances and coalitions around the world continues to grow, so too the need to be able to train on and understand rules of engagement similarly [...]

Four people killed in Special Anti-Terrorist Operation in Ingushetia

On October 16, 2009 after 4 p.m. in the village of Ordzhonikidzevskaya (Ingushetia) officers of the Federal Security Service and Ministry of Internal Affairs killed four people during a special operation. The deceased were named in the press-release: Sulumbek Machukaev, Aslan Machukaev, Roza Hayauri and Nazir Gaydarov
According to official information in the press-release of [...]

New Bill Allows Russian Troops to be Deployed Abroad

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has approved an amended law that will allow the use of Russian armed forces abroad. The amendments stipulate that Russian troops can be used abroad to repel an attack on Russian military units or other troops deployed outside the country, to repel or prevent an armed attack on another state asking [...]

Council of Europe Committee of Ministers condemns UK implementation of Marper

At its last meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies, in September (1065-4.2), the CoM made a damning assessment of the progress of UK’s implementation of the ECtHR ruling in S & Marper v. UK. The Committee of Ministers will conduct another progress assessment at its December meeting, three days short of the first anniversary of the [...]

Approval of EU-US extradition agreement – Council Decision 2009/820/CFSP

Full text here. 2003 extradition agreement here.This means the 2003 agreement is nearer to entering into force which should be on the first day following the third month after the date on which the Contracting Parties have exchanged instruments indicating that they have completed their internal procedures for this purpose.

Surveillance and technology round-up

CNN reports that the US Deparment of Homeland Security is funding a new project called Future Attribute Screening Technology, or FAST. Instead of focusing on whether you have hidden explosives or whether you’re carrying a weapon, sensors and cameras located at security checkpoints would measure the natural signals coming from your body — your heart [...]

Azerbaijan court sentences 26 attackers of Abu Bakr Mosque

Those convicted said they were members of an organisation called Forest Brothers and among them were 23 Azeris, one Russian and two Turkish nationals. A court spokesman said the men were convicted of various offences including terrorism, murder, formation of an illegal group and arms possession.

Lithuania probe into secret detention sites to be expected on 22 December

Lithuania’s parliament voted Thursday to probe into allegations of the existence of a secret CIA prison on Lithuanian soil in 2005, RIA Novosti reports. The investigation findings are to be presented by December 22.
The launch of the parliamentary enquiry into the matter was initiated by the National Security and Defense Committee’s chairman, Arvydas Anusauskas. The [...]

French Senate examines EU-US Swift agreement

Read it here.