The United States is in the middle of a great gun-buying boom that shows no sign of letting up as the annual number of firearms manufactured has nearly tripled since 2000 and spiked sharply in the past three years, according to the first comprehensive federal tally of gun commerce in two decades.
The report, released by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on Tuesday — three days after a mass shooting in Buffalo left 10 dead — painted a vivid statistical portrait of a nation arming itself to the teeth. Buyers capitalized on the loosening of gun restrictions by the Supreme Court, Congress and Republican-controlled state legislatures.
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The data documented a drastic shift in consumer demand among gun owners that has had profound commercial, cultural and political implications: Starting in 2009, Glock-type semiautomatic handguns, purchased for personal protection, began to outsell rifles, which have been typically used in hunting.
Embedded in the 306-page document was another statistic that law enforcement officials find especially troubling. The police recovered 19,344 privately manufactured firearms, untraceable homemade weapons known as “ghost guns,” in 2021, a tenfold increase since 2016. Law enforcement officials say that has contributed to the surge in gun-related killings, especially in California, where ghost guns make up as many as half of weapons recovered at crime scenes.
READ MORE AT:
U.S. Gun Production Triples Since 2000, Fueled by Handgun Purchases - The New York Times
Showing posts with label Crime. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Crime. Show all posts
5/21/22
2/7/22
USA - Lock him up: Trump’s incendiary Texas speech may have deepened his legal troubles, experts say
Donald Trump’s incendiary call at a Texas rally for his backers to ready massive protests against “radical, vicious, racist prosecutors” could constitute obstruction of justice or other crimes and backfire legally on Trump, say former federal prosecutors.
Trump’s barbed attack was seen as carping against separate federal and state investigations into his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results and into his real estate empire.
Trump’s rant that his followers should launch the “biggest protests” ever in three cities should prosecutors “do anything wrong or illegal” by criminally charging him over his efforts to overturn Joe Biden’s victory, or for business tax fraud, came at a 30 January rally in Texas where he repeated falsehoods that the election was rigged.
Read more at Trump’s incendiary Texas speech may have deepened his legal troubles, experts say | Donald Trump | The Guardian
Trump’s barbed attack was seen as carping against separate federal and state investigations into his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results and into his real estate empire.
Trump’s rant that his followers should launch the “biggest protests” ever in three cities should prosecutors “do anything wrong or illegal” by criminally charging him over his efforts to overturn Joe Biden’s victory, or for business tax fraud, came at a 30 January rally in Texas where he repeated falsehoods that the election was rigged.
Read more at Trump’s incendiary Texas speech may have deepened his legal troubles, experts say | Donald Trump | The Guardian
2/7/19
11/20/18
Saudi Arabia: Britain, EU collaborating for sanctions against Saudi Arabia - by Ahmet Gurhan Kartal
Britain on Tuesday said they are looking
into ways to introduce global sanctions against Saudi Arabia in the wake
of the brutal killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
“The
U.K. has been clear that we need to see accountability for the horrific
murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi,” a Foreign Office spokesperson
said.
“The actions Britain and our
allies take will depend on two things: firstly the credibility of the
final explanation given by Saudi Arabia, and secondly on our confidence
that such an appalling episode cannot -- and will not -- be repeated,”
the spokesperson added in a statement.
The
U.K. is “exploring with EU partners the potential for an EU global
human rights sanctions regime, which could address such brutal human
rights violations".
Read more: Saudi Arabia: Britain, EU collaborating for sanctions against Saudi Arabia
1/14/18
Christianity under threat: ‘Worst Year Yet’: The Top 50 Countries Where It’s Hardest to Be a Christian: by Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra
For decades, North Korea has clearly been the world’s worst persecutor of Christians. But now, another nation nearly matches it.
Overall in 2014, pressure on Christians increased in 29
countries, decreased in 11, and remained stable in 7. Three
countries—Mexico, Turkey, and Azerbaijan—were added to the watch list
this year.
To get the complete report click go to: https://www.opendoorsusa.org/2018-world-watch-list-report/
Read more: ‘Worst Year Yet’: The Top 50 Countries Where It’s Hardest to Be a Christian | News & Reporting | Christianity Today
Open Doors recently released its 2018 World Watch List
(WWL), an annual ranking of the 50 countries where it is most dangerous
to follow Jesus. Approximately 215 million Christians now experience
high, very high, or extreme levels of persecution; that means 1 in 12
Christians live where Christianity is “illegal, forbidden, or punished,”
according to Open Doors researchers.
Kim Jung-un’s country hasn’t moved from the No. 1 spot
on the list for 16 years in a row. “With more than 50,000 in prison or
labor camps, such a ranking is little surprise for the totalitarian
regime that controls every aspect of life in the country and forces
worship of the Kim family,” Open Doors reported.
But rivaling it this year is Afghanistan, which ranked No. 2 by less
than a point. North Korea’s total score was 94 (on a 100-point scale),
pushed above Afghanistan’s 93 by a 0.6 difference in their
Open Doors recently released its latest World Watch List
(WWL). The annual list ranks the top 50 countries "where Christians face
the most persecution," aiming to create "effective anger" on believers' behalf.
“This year, the threshold was higher for a country to
make the list, indicating that worldwide levels of persecution have
increased,” stated
Open Doors in announcing its analysis of the "significant trends" in
2014 that drove persecution higher worldwide, "even in places where it
has not been reported in the past."
So while countries such as Sri Lanka and the United Arab
Emirates (UAE) fell significantly in rank on this year's watch list
(Sri Lanka dropped 15 spots to No. 44, and the UAE dropped 14 spots to
No. 49), their level of persecution dropped only slightly from last
year's list (by four points and two points, respectively, on a 100-point
scale).
Bahrain, Morocco, and Niger—were
removed from the list this year, the level of persecution in each
remained virtually the same from 2013 to 2014.
To get the complete report click go to: https://www.opendoorsusa.org/2018-world-watch-list-report/
10/17/17
Malta: Murder of Malta’s top investigative journalist provokes shock and outrage – by Georgi Gotev
Daphne Caruana Galizia, Malta’s top investigative journalist, was
killed on Monday (16 October) when the car she was driving exploded
shortly after she left her home.
Caruana Galizia was a top gun when it came to exposing corruption in Malta and EURACTIV repeatedly quoted her articles and was in touch with her. Her blog, Running Commentary, was considered by many colleagues as the best source of information about her country.
The force of the blast that killed her reduced the car she was in to pieces and catapulted the journalist’s body into a nearby field, witnesses said. She leaves behind a husband and three sons. Local media say one of her sons heard the blast and rushed outside.
She was killed minutes after posting her last blogpost, following up on her investigations based on the Panama Papers.
Note EU-Digest: Our condolences to the family and what we hope will be a speedy arrest of the conspirators who planned and carried out this hideous crime.
Read more: Murder of Malta’s top investigative journalist provokes shock and outrage – EURACTIV.com
Caruana Galizia was a top gun when it came to exposing corruption in Malta and EURACTIV repeatedly quoted her articles and was in touch with her. Her blog, Running Commentary, was considered by many colleagues as the best source of information about her country.
The force of the blast that killed her reduced the car she was in to pieces and catapulted the journalist’s body into a nearby field, witnesses said. She leaves behind a husband and three sons. Local media say one of her sons heard the blast and rushed outside.
She was killed minutes after posting her last blogpost, following up on her investigations based on the Panama Papers.
Note EU-Digest: Our condolences to the family and what we hope will be a speedy arrest of the conspirators who planned and carried out this hideous crime.
Read more: Murder of Malta’s top investigative journalist provokes shock and outrage – EURACTIV.com
9/12/17
Spain Catalonia: Ballot papers for banned referendum to be seized
The vote on breaking away from Spain, planned for 1 October, has been suspended by the constitutional court.
But Catalonia's pro-independence government says it will still go ahead.
As a result, the Public Prosecutor's Office instructed security forces to take everything which could help with the "consummation of the crime".
This includes promotional materials and the ballots themselves, Spanish newspaper El Pais reports [in Spanis
The order came as Spanish tennis champion Rafael Nadal came out strongly against the plans.
Read more: Spain Catalonia: Ballot papers for banned referendum to be seized - BBC News
But Catalonia's pro-independence government says it will still go ahead.
As a result, the Public Prosecutor's Office instructed security forces to take everything which could help with the "consummation of the crime".
This includes promotional materials and the ballots themselves, Spanish newspaper El Pais reports [in Spanis
The order came as Spanish tennis champion Rafael Nadal came out strongly against the plans.
Read more: Spain Catalonia: Ballot papers for banned referendum to be seized - BBC News
2/25/17
USA - CRIME: Spectators injured after car plows into crowd during New Orleans parade
Police in New Orleans say up to 28 people were injured on Saturday when a
vehicle drove into crowds watching a parade. One person is reportedly
in custody; terrorism is not suspected.
New Orleans Police Department spokeswoman Ambria Washington said that "initial reports show so far that about a dozen people are in critical condition," the local Times-Picayune newspaper reported. She said the number of injured may increase as an investigation continues.
Read more: Spectators injured after car plows into crowd during New Orleans parade | News | DW.COM | 26.02.2017
New Orleans Police Department spokeswoman Ambria Washington said that "initial reports show so far that about a dozen people are in critical condition," the local Times-Picayune newspaper reported. She said the number of injured may increase as an investigation continues.
Read more: Spectators injured after car plows into crowd during New Orleans parade | News | DW.COM | 26.02.2017
9/27/16
Gun Control USA: 3% of Americans own half the country's 265 million guns
Despite steep declines in violent crimes, an estimated 70 million firearms were added to American arsenals the past two decades, according to a new landmark study on gun ownership.
Overall, Americans own an estimated 265 million guns – more than one gun for every American adult, according to the study by researchers at Harvard and Northeastern universities. Half of those guns – 133 million – were in the hands of just 3% of American adults, so-called “super owners” who possessed an average of 17 guns each, it showed.
The survey, the most authoritative since a 1994 study posed similar questions to gun owners, is under peer-review for publication in a trade journal. Summaries of the study were released this week to the Guardian and The Trace news outlets.
Read more: 3% of Americans own half the country's 265 million guns
Overall, Americans own an estimated 265 million guns – more than one gun for every American adult, according to the study by researchers at Harvard and Northeastern universities. Half of those guns – 133 million – were in the hands of just 3% of American adults, so-called “super owners” who possessed an average of 17 guns each, it showed.
The survey, the most authoritative since a 1994 study posed similar questions to gun owners, is under peer-review for publication in a trade journal. Summaries of the study were released this week to the Guardian and The Trace news outlets.
Read more: 3% of Americans own half the country's 265 million guns
5/11/16
Refugee Meltdown: Conflicts, Disasters Displaced Nearly 28 Million People Worldwide In 2015, Report Shows
The stories of the hundreds of thousands of refugees, migrants and
asylum-seekers, who have risked their lives to reach European shores in
search of a safe haven, have drawn much attention to the phenomenon of
displacement; but they represent only a fraction of a more complex
issue, according to a new report, which highlights the global crisis of
internal displacement.
Conflict, violence and disasters internally displaced 27.8 million people in 2015, taking the total number of internally displaced people (IDPs) last year to a record 40.8 million, the report released Wednesday by the Geneva-based Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), said.
“There are now twice as many internally displaced people as refugees worldwide,” Jan Egeland, head of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), said in a statement. “IDPs often lose everything when they flee, and the trauma and upheaval of displacement leave many with deep psychological and physical scars.”
Some 8.6 million IDPs in 2015 — an average of 24,000 a day — were linked to conflict, including 4.8 million in the Middle East and North Africa. Other nations with the highest number of people fleeing were Ukraine, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, Colombia, Central African Republic and South Sudan.
The report also said that disasters displaced about 19.2 million people across 113 countries in 2015, more than twice the number who fled conflict and violence during the same year. India, China and Nepal had the highest numbers, with 3.7 million, 3.6 million and 2.6 million, respectively.
“Displacement in the Middle East and north Africa has snowballed since the wave of social uprisings known as the Arab Spring in late 2010 and the rise of the Islamic State [group],” with Yemen, Syria and Iraq accounting for more than half of the global total, the report said.
The total number of new displacements last year “is the equivalent of the combined populations of New York City, London, Paris and Cairo grabbing what they can carry, often in a state of panic, and setting out on a journey filled with uncertainty,” Egeland said. “Put another way, around 66,000 people abandoned their homes every day of 2015.”
The report also measured the number of people displaced by criminal violence associated with drug trafficking and gang activity, displacing at least a million people in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico as of December 2015.
“Studies have established a direct link between criminal violence and migration, but such displacement in the region tends to remain unquantified and unaddressed for reasons ranging from political to methodological,” the report said.
Read more: Conflicts, Disasters Displaced Nearly 28 Million People Worldwide In 2015, Report Shows
Conflict, violence and disasters internally displaced 27.8 million people in 2015, taking the total number of internally displaced people (IDPs) last year to a record 40.8 million, the report released Wednesday by the Geneva-based Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), said.
“There are now twice as many internally displaced people as refugees worldwide,” Jan Egeland, head of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), said in a statement. “IDPs often lose everything when they flee, and the trauma and upheaval of displacement leave many with deep psychological and physical scars.”
Some 8.6 million IDPs in 2015 — an average of 24,000 a day — were linked to conflict, including 4.8 million in the Middle East and North Africa. Other nations with the highest number of people fleeing were Ukraine, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, Colombia, Central African Republic and South Sudan.
The report also said that disasters displaced about 19.2 million people across 113 countries in 2015, more than twice the number who fled conflict and violence during the same year. India, China and Nepal had the highest numbers, with 3.7 million, 3.6 million and 2.6 million, respectively.
“Displacement in the Middle East and north Africa has snowballed since the wave of social uprisings known as the Arab Spring in late 2010 and the rise of the Islamic State [group],” with Yemen, Syria and Iraq accounting for more than half of the global total, the report said.
The total number of new displacements last year “is the equivalent of the combined populations of New York City, London, Paris and Cairo grabbing what they can carry, often in a state of panic, and setting out on a journey filled with uncertainty,” Egeland said. “Put another way, around 66,000 people abandoned their homes every day of 2015.”
The report also measured the number of people displaced by criminal violence associated with drug trafficking and gang activity, displacing at least a million people in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico as of December 2015.
“Studies have established a direct link between criminal violence and migration, but such displacement in the region tends to remain unquantified and unaddressed for reasons ranging from political to methodological,” the report said.
Read more: Conflicts, Disasters Displaced Nearly 28 Million People Worldwide In 2015, Report Shows
5/10/16
Capitalism and Corruption: Jail the Corrupt! No More Impunity - by Frank Vogl
From Brazil to Macedonia, Iceland to Guatemala, public prosecutors are going after corrupt top politicians on an unprecedented scale.
The release on May 9 by The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists of a searchable database with information on more than 200,000 offshore entities that are part of the “Panama Papers” investigation, will fuel the expanding international investigations of top-level bribery.
Public prosecutors in many countries face vested interests, high-powered defense lawyers and long traditions of political impunity as they strive to bring corrupt political elites to justice.
The corruption-fighting example of the United States cannot be underestimated as a stimulus for brave prosecutors and judges in countries where their lives can be in danger because of the work they do.
The U.S. assault on the most powerful politicians who abuse their office is bold and clear. Before jailing him, U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni told Silver:
Read more: Jail the Corrupt! No More Impunity - The Globalist
The release on May 9 by The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists of a searchable database with information on more than 200,000 offshore entities that are part of the “Panama Papers” investigation, will fuel the expanding international investigations of top-level bribery.
Public prosecutors in many countries face vested interests, high-powered defense lawyers and long traditions of political impunity as they strive to bring corrupt political elites to justice.
The corruption-fighting example of the United States cannot be underestimated as a stimulus for brave prosecutors and judges in countries where their lives can be in danger because of the work they do.
The U.S. assault on the most powerful politicians who abuse their office is bold and clear. Before jailing him, U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni told Silver:
I hope that the sentence I’m going to impose on you will make the next politician hesitate just long enough before taking a bribe or a kickback, for his better angels to take over. Or if there are no better angels, and for some people, there are not, then maybe his fear of living out his golden years in an orange jumpsuit will put him on the straight and narrow.Recently, at a Washington, D.C. conference, Robert Mueller, the former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), stressed that apart from terrorist crimes, no issue has greater priority for the FBI than investigating corruption.
Read more: Jail the Corrupt! No More Impunity - The Globalist
4/17/16
The Netherlands Economy: Vice crime pumps over €2.5 billion into Netherlands economy - by Janene Pieters
Criminal activities involving drugs, illegal prostitution, illegal
gambling and similar crimes contribute about 2.7 billion euros to the
Netherlands’ economy a year. That means that criminal activities account
for about 0.4 percent of the Dutch economy, according to an estimate by
Statistics Netherlands at the request of broadcaster RTL .
The estimated value of the criminal economy was 2.6 billion in 2010, which means that the growth does not seem to be very strong. Though Statistic Netherlands emphasizes that it should be noted that it is very difficult to make a reliable estimate.
According to Statistics Netherlands’ estimates, the added value of drugs and illegal prostitution increased somewhat, while money earned by illegal downloads providers decreased. Previous calculations showed that drug production and -trade accounts for 55 percent of the criminal economy, followed by prostitution with 21 percent. Illegal downloads and illegal gambling accounts for about 9 percent.
Read more: Vice crime pumps over €2.5 billion into Netherlands economy - NL Times
The estimated value of the criminal economy was 2.6 billion in 2010, which means that the growth does not seem to be very strong. Though Statistic Netherlands emphasizes that it should be noted that it is very difficult to make a reliable estimate.
According to Statistics Netherlands’ estimates, the added value of drugs and illegal prostitution increased somewhat, while money earned by illegal downloads providers decreased. Previous calculations showed that drug production and -trade accounts for 55 percent of the criminal economy, followed by prostitution with 21 percent. Illegal downloads and illegal gambling accounts for about 9 percent.
Read more: Vice crime pumps over €2.5 billion into Netherlands economy - NL Times
4/1/16
The Netherlands: Turkey and Europol sign Liaison Agreement
satisfaction with the possibilities this will offer to enhance cooperation with Turkish law enforcement.
'This is an important step in our relations. The Liaison Officer from Turkey will benefit from being part of a wide network of liaison officers from more than 40 states and have access to Europol expertise.
The agreement and the secondment of an officer from Turkey at our premises in the near future will benefit all parties in their fight against organized crime and terrorism
Read more: Turkey and Europol sign Liaison Agreement | Europol
12/14/15
Sweden jails two ISIS men for life for crimes in Syria - by Robert Hackwil
Two men have been jailed for life in Sweden for committing acts of murder in Syria. They are the first to be jailed for terrorist crimes committed in the country.
Read more: Sweden jails two men for life for crimes in Syria | euronews, world news
The men, both Swedish, deny the charges and at least one says he will appeal.
They are accused of beheading and cutting the throats of two men in Aleppo in 2013.
One insisted he had gone to Syria to fight against the Assad regime, but film emerged of him and his colleague enthusiastically taking part in acts of savagery.
It had been kept by the youngest of the accused on a USB key at his home in Gotenburg.
Both men lived in Sweden’s second city, which has sent over 120 people to fight in Syria, making it one of Islamic State’s main recruiting centres in Europe.
They are accused of beheading and cutting the throats of two men in Aleppo in 2013.
One insisted he had gone to Syria to fight against the Assad regime, but film emerged of him and his colleague enthusiastically taking part in acts of savagery.
It had been kept by the youngest of the accused on a USB key at his home in Gotenburg.
Both men lived in Sweden’s second city, which has sent over 120 people to fight in Syria, making it one of Islamic State’s main recruiting centres in Europe.
Read more: Sweden jails two men for life for crimes in Syria | euronews, world news
5/31/15
US Police - US police officers kill more than two people a day
US police have reportedly shot and killed 385 people over the past five
months, a rate of more than two per day, reports the Washington Post.
The figure is much higher than typical federal counts.
The analysis is based on data the Washington Post newspaper is compiling on every fatal police shooting in 2015. The investigation also includes information about every officer killed by gunfire while on duty over the past five months.
“We are never going to reduce the number of police shootings if we don't begin to accurately track this information,” said Jim Bueermann, president of the Police Foundation, a not-for-profit organization committed to improving law enforcement.
Federal Bureau of Investigation records for the past decade show the occurrence of around 400 fatal police shootings per year, or an average of 1.1 deaths a day.
The death rate reported in the Washington Post newspaper on Saturday is more than twice that cited by the federal government over the past decade.
Read more: Report: US police officers kill more than two people a day | News | DW.DE | 31.05.2015
The analysis is based on data the Washington Post newspaper is compiling on every fatal police shooting in 2015. The investigation also includes information about every officer killed by gunfire while on duty over the past five months.
“We are never going to reduce the number of police shootings if we don't begin to accurately track this information,” said Jim Bueermann, president of the Police Foundation, a not-for-profit organization committed to improving law enforcement.
Federal Bureau of Investigation records for the past decade show the occurrence of around 400 fatal police shootings per year, or an average of 1.1 deaths a day.
The death rate reported in the Washington Post newspaper on Saturday is more than twice that cited by the federal government over the past decade.
Read more: Report: US police officers kill more than two people a day | News | DW.DE | 31.05.2015
2/19/15
Crime in trhe EU: The Netherlands Falls Victim to Violent Crime - by Sierra Rayne
With the recent news that
the Dutch goverment will be prosecuting Geert Wilders, the leader of
the Party for Freedom, for hate speech once again, even a cursory review
of what is happening in the Netherlands reveals why Wilders is so
concerned. His nation is becoming unrecognizable and deteriorating
rapidly.
Over the past 20 years, the violent crime rate has increased an astounding 83 percent in the Netherlands. Almost all of this increase took place before 2005 -- indeed, since 2005 there has been a slight decline in the Dutch violent crime rate, but the levels are still astronomical compared to those seen in the early to mid-1990s.
Between 1993 and 1995, the Dutch unemployment rate increased sharply but the violent crime rate was essentially unaffected. From 1995 to 2011, the unemployment rate fell from 7.1 percent to just 2.5 percent, and the violent crime rate exploded upwards. Since 2008, the jobless rate has increased rapidly, but the violent crime rate has declined modestly -- albeit still at nearly twice 1993 levels.
Real per capita GDP has fallen 5 percent since 2008, and violent crime also declined, whereas from 1993 to 2005 the real per capita GDP increased by almost 30 percent while the violent crime rate also increased 111 percent.
Attempting to assign causation for an increasing violent crime rate on increased per capita wealth generation would be inconsistent with the general experience among wealthy nations over this time frame (aka, invalid).
Changes in income inequality also won't explain the massive increase in the Dutch violent crime rate during the last two decades. The income shares for the top 10 percent and top 1 percent have hardly changed over this period.
What has changed in a consistent manner with the Dutch violent crime rate is the percentage of population that is classified as "international migrant stock"
Read more: Blog: The Netherlands Falls Victim to Violent Crime
Over the past 20 years, the violent crime rate has increased an astounding 83 percent in the Netherlands. Almost all of this increase took place before 2005 -- indeed, since 2005 there has been a slight decline in the Dutch violent crime rate, but the levels are still astronomical compared to those seen in the early to mid-1990s.
Between 1993 and 1995, the Dutch unemployment rate increased sharply but the violent crime rate was essentially unaffected. From 1995 to 2011, the unemployment rate fell from 7.1 percent to just 2.5 percent, and the violent crime rate exploded upwards. Since 2008, the jobless rate has increased rapidly, but the violent crime rate has declined modestly -- albeit still at nearly twice 1993 levels.
Real per capita GDP has fallen 5 percent since 2008, and violent crime also declined, whereas from 1993 to 2005 the real per capita GDP increased by almost 30 percent while the violent crime rate also increased 111 percent.
Attempting to assign causation for an increasing violent crime rate on increased per capita wealth generation would be inconsistent with the general experience among wealthy nations over this time frame (aka, invalid).
Changes in income inequality also won't explain the massive increase in the Dutch violent crime rate during the last two decades. The income shares for the top 10 percent and top 1 percent have hardly changed over this period.
What has changed in a consistent manner with the Dutch violent crime rate is the percentage of population that is classified as "international migrant stock"
Read more: Blog: The Netherlands Falls Victim to Violent Crime
10/19/14
Croatia: Croatian police arrest Zagreb mayor on corruption charges
Croatian anti-corruption authority USKOK on Sunday announced the arrests
of several leading Zagreb administration figures on suspicion of
corruption and abuse of power.
Although the official statements did not name any of those involved, local media all named Bandic as one of those who had been arrested.
According to USKOK, the arrests related to a suspicion of corruption and suspicion of abuse of power. The operation followed "a criminal investigation of several months" and involved several people from the administration.
The investigators said they were looking into possible illegal acts related to a holding entity belong to the city - Zagrebacki Holding - that runs many of the city's public services.
"After several months of a complex criminal investigation, several persons have been arrested on suspicion of illegal activities in the city of Zagreb and Zagrebacki Holding," the state prosecutor's office said in a statement on its website
Read more: Croatian police arrest Zagreb mayor on corruption charges: media | News | DW.DE | 19.10.2014
Although the official statements did not name any of those involved, local media all named Bandic as one of those who had been arrested.
According to USKOK, the arrests related to a suspicion of corruption and suspicion of abuse of power. The operation followed "a criminal investigation of several months" and involved several people from the administration.
The investigators said they were looking into possible illegal acts related to a holding entity belong to the city - Zagrebacki Holding - that runs many of the city's public services.
"After several months of a complex criminal investigation, several persons have been arrested on suspicion of illegal activities in the city of Zagreb and Zagrebacki Holding," the state prosecutor's office said in a statement on its website
Read more: Croatian police arrest Zagreb mayor on corruption charges: media | News | DW.DE | 19.10.2014
10/17/14
The Netherlands: Huge Dutch, Turkish task force busts int'l crime ring
On Tuesday, October 14th, the police raided 20 addresses in
Gelderland. This was done in connection with an investigation into money
laundering. 275 police officers took part in the raids. Thus far four
people have been arrested.
The raids were the culmination of an investigation called “Fiorino” which began in 2013. A team of detectives were put together to investigate a group of nine suspects allegedly involved in money laundering. Cannabis cultivation played an important role.
The raids focused on the search for information, data carriers and money. The police searched corporate offices and homes in Arnhem, Velp, Oosterbeek, Duiven, Zutphen and Haaksbergen, among others. Cannabis plantations and/or remnants were found at three addresses. Three homes, 11 cars,the contents of a safe and a large amount of money were seized.
A number of addresses in Turkey were also searched during the investigation.
The investigation continues.
Read more: Huge Dutch, Turkish task force busts int'l crime ring - NL Times
The raids were the culmination of an investigation called “Fiorino” which began in 2013. A team of detectives were put together to investigate a group of nine suspects allegedly involved in money laundering. Cannabis cultivation played an important role.
The raids focused on the search for information, data carriers and money. The police searched corporate offices and homes in Arnhem, Velp, Oosterbeek, Duiven, Zutphen and Haaksbergen, among others. Cannabis plantations and/or remnants were found at three addresses. Three homes, 11 cars,the contents of a safe and a large amount of money were seized.
A number of addresses in Turkey were also searched during the investigation.
The investigation continues.
Read more: Huge Dutch, Turkish task force busts int'l crime ring - NL Times
10/6/14
Northern Ireland has 'more than 140 crime gangs'
More than 140 crime gangs
are operating in Northern Ireland, and the National Crime Agency must
be given full powers to tackle them, the DUP had said.
The NCA has fewer powers in Northern Ireland than the rest of the UK.
This was due to concern from nationalist and republican politicians about the agency's oversight.
The NCA, which was launched exactly one year ago, answers directly to the home secretary, meaning devolved governments do not have oversight or control over the agency.
Read more: BBC News - DUP: Northern Ireland has 'more than 140 crime gangs'
8/16/14
Terrorism: More Americans Killed By Police Than By Terrorists: With Crime Down, Why Is Police Aggression Up?
Oue might not know it from watching TV news, but FBI statistics show
that crime in the U.S.—including violent crime—has been trending
steadily downward for years, falling 19% between 1987 and 2011.
The job of being a police officer has become safer too, as the number of police killed by gunfire plunged to 33 last year, down 50% from 2012, to its lowest level since, wait for it, 1887, a time when the population was 75% lower than it is today.
So why are we seeing an ever increasing militarization of policing across the USA ?
Given the good news on crime, what are we to make of a report by the Justice Policy Institute, a not-for-profit justice reform group, showing that state and local spending on police has soared from $40 billion in 1982 to more than $100 billion in 2012. Adding in federal spending on law enforcement, including the FBI, Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Drug Enforcement Agency and much of the Homeland Security Department budget, as well as federal grants to state and local law enforcement more than doubles that total.
A lot of that money is simply pay and benefits. The federal Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that the ranks of state and local law enforcement personnel alone swelled from 603,000 to 794,000 between 1992 and 2010. That’s about two-thirds as many men and women as the entire active-duty US military.
Militarized “pro-active” policing may have had some effect on the drop in crimes in the US. But Kirkpatrick says, “I don’t think it’s the big thing.” Crime is down even in many cities where police forces have been cut for budget reasons, and experts agree that the decline in crime began before the militarization of policing really started to take off.
Other factors likely play a bigger role. One is increased immigration since, contrary to common belief, communities with greater numbers of immigrant families show the biggest drops in crime thanks to those families’ “stronger social fabric.” Another factor is an aging population—older people commit fewer violent crimes.
Read more: More Americans Killed By Police Than By Terrorists: With Crime Down, Why Is Police Aggression Up? | Alternet
The job of being a police officer has become safer too, as the number of police killed by gunfire plunged to 33 last year, down 50% from 2012, to its lowest level since, wait for it, 1887, a time when the population was 75% lower than it is today.
So why are we seeing an ever increasing militarization of policing across the USA ?
Given the good news on crime, what are we to make of a report by the Justice Policy Institute, a not-for-profit justice reform group, showing that state and local spending on police has soared from $40 billion in 1982 to more than $100 billion in 2012. Adding in federal spending on law enforcement, including the FBI, Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Drug Enforcement Agency and much of the Homeland Security Department budget, as well as federal grants to state and local law enforcement more than doubles that total.
A lot of that money is simply pay and benefits. The federal Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that the ranks of state and local law enforcement personnel alone swelled from 603,000 to 794,000 between 1992 and 2010. That’s about two-thirds as many men and women as the entire active-duty US military.
Militarized “pro-active” policing may have had some effect on the drop in crimes in the US. But Kirkpatrick says, “I don’t think it’s the big thing.” Crime is down even in many cities where police forces have been cut for budget reasons, and experts agree that the decline in crime began before the militarization of policing really started to take off.
Other factors likely play a bigger role. One is increased immigration since, contrary to common belief, communities with greater numbers of immigrant families show the biggest drops in crime thanks to those families’ “stronger social fabric.” Another factor is an aging population—older people commit fewer violent crimes.
Read more: More Americans Killed By Police Than By Terrorists: With Crime Down, Why Is Police Aggression Up? | Alternet
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