Monthly Archives: July 2021

Policeman looks for biryani, asks what is the need to pay

Police officer

Pune, July 30 (PTI) An audio clip in which a policewoman is heard asking a subordinate to get her mutton biryani at a famous local restaurant without paying for it went viral on social media on Friday.

Maharashtra’s Interior Minister Dilip Walse-Patil said he had asked the Pune Police Commissioner to investigate the matter and submit a report.

“I heard the audio clip and it’s serious business. I asked the police commissioner to investigate and submit a report. After that, the government will take the appropriate measures, ”he told reporters.

In the audio clip, the officer, who is said to have the rank of deputy commissioner, was allegedly heard asking a subordinate which restaurant in Vishrambaug police station sells good biryani. The latter recommended one prepared in “desi ghee” in a famous restaurant.

Vishrambaug Police Station falls under Pune Police Zone I.

She then asked him to order biryani at the restaurant and speak to the local “PI” (police inspector) if the payment issue arose.

“Do we have to pay in our own jurisdiction,” the woman officer was heard to say.

When the subordinate told him that they always pay for the food ordered outside, the police officer said, “What’s the problem, he (the inspector) will do it since the hotel is under his jurisdiction.” “. Later, speaking to a Marathi news channel, the officer claimed the audio clip had been tampered with and surfaced as the process of handing over senior police officials was underway.

“It’s a plot against me… there were police officers who had been stationed in the same area for several years. Their financial interests are involved here in the area. Some senior officials who worked here too are involved in this, ”she said.

“There are people in the department who want me to go out because after I took charge here their activities were shut down,” she said.

She was going to file a complaint with the cybercrime cell because the clip was partly falsified, added the officer. PTI SPK KRK KRK KRK


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Civilian police oversight across the country, a balance between investigative authority and avoidance of refoulements

Civilian police

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Across the country, efforts to have civilians oversee police services have surged over the past year, sparked by a distrust of law enforcement and a desire for more great responsibility.

The goals are the same in 10 cities and counties that established police review boards last year: greater transparency, greater accountability and better policing.

But cities differ in finding the right system, one that gives civilian councils a reasonable level of control and overcomes pushbacks from adversaries.

In Cleveland, a charter amendment that will likely be on the November ballot would strengthen the power of a civilian police review board created after Cleveland police killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice in 2014. Under the amendment, a new independent and more powerful community The Police Commission would have the power to entrust investigations to the review board, would have the final say on discipline, establish departmental policy and recommend candidates for a promotion to mayor.

The push for the amendment by Citizens for a Safer Cleveland is based on the belief that a federal consent decree governing police reform in Cleveland since 2015 has not been able to resolve all of the issues.

Prior to 2020, Cleveland was one of some 200 oversight entities in place across the country, said Cameron McEllhiney, director of training and education for the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement.

Over the past decade, the Department of Justice has consistently considered some form of civil review as part of consent decree settlements.

Forty-nine percent of civilian oversight bodies were created as a result of high-profile incidents, according to a 2018 report from the Ministry of Justice. In 2016, a Cato Institute report found that 79% of Americans preferred agencies outside of law enforcement to investigate allegations of police misconduct.

Interest in the civilian review has taken off following recent high-profile cases of people of color having died at the hands of police, including George Floyd in May 2020.

As of June 2020, more than 130 new jurisdictions have sought advice from the Association for Civilian Oversight, McEllhiney said.

At least 10 cities and counties have approved civilian oversight measures in the November 2020 election, according to Lawfare, a blog published jointly with the Brooking Institution.

Compare that to the 18,000 police departments in the United States, according to estimates from the United States Department of Justice.

Cleveland.com/ The Plain Dealer has reviewed existing civilian oversight boards, as the Clevelanders consider the amendment.

How well have these agencies worked?

It is difficult to assess the success of a civilian review in part because commissions vary so much – from commissions that review police investigations only after the fact or offer recommendations on police discipline to completely independent bodies that can discipline officers. as a result of their own investigation.

“The nature of civilian oversight and the fact that no two agencies are the same make it very difficult to quantify,” McEllhiney said.

The basis, however, is to have an impartial point of view.

“By acting as an independent and neutral body reviewing the work of the law enforcement agency and its sworn staff, civilian oversight of law enforcement offers a unique element of legitimacy that the mechanisms of internal accountability and review simply cannot, “according to a new study co-authored by McEllhiney.

The Justice Department said in 2018 that there was not yet enough information to determine the effectiveness of civilian oversight.

“There is little, if any, empirical research on the effectiveness of civilian oversight of police, and programs are not subject to any systematic evaluation,” the department said.

The ministry found that in communities where some form of civilian oversight exists, the complaint rate tends to be higher – 11.9 per 100 officers compared to 6.7 in other communities – probably because people are over willing to come forward.

McEllhiney cited Los Angeles as a city that has found a successful mix. Its police commission operates independently as a board of directors on the police service. Its executive director acts as a liaison between the council and the chief. Commission staff also conduct large volumes of research, promoting transparency with public reporting.

A Washington post Analysis of more than 30 civilian oversight panels praised the Denver Watch Office – an independent observer who works with a civilian board. The key to its success has been strong support from politicians and strong financial backing, The Post said.

What are the frustrations?

In many communities, civilian oversight was hampered by the limits of the review agency’s power.

Often, boards can only recommend disciplinary action to a chief of police or director of security. This is the case in Cleveland now.

And these recommendations are just that – recommendations.

In Seattle, for example, this city is The Community Policing Commission recently protested when the police chief overturned the recommendations for discipline for how agents handled protests in 2020.

The leader’s decision, the commission said, “denies justice to thousands of Black Lives Matter protesters who marched against police brutality to face indiscriminate police violence.”

The leader, who has the power to ignore the commission’s recommendations, defended his decision saying it was based on “fundamental fairness”.

As citizen oversight evolves, communities are identifying best practices and applying them elsewhere, McEllhiney said. But building a system that puts teeth behind the findings of a supervisory board can be difficult.

“It’s often a pretty controversial conversation at least when you’re talking about taking authority over an individual,” McEllhiney said. “It’s a process and it’s part of a larger reform process that requires people to work together.

The Cleveland plan would radically alter the balance of power. Under the current system, the civilian commission makes recommendations to the police chief. The new review board would be able to order disciplinary action, which the chief should apply unless it is shown to be inappropriate by clear and convincing evidence.

But this shift in power – shifting executive power into the hands of an appointed committee – is precisely why several Cleveland mayoral candidates – Basheer Jones, Kevin Kelley, Dennis Kucinich and Sandra Williams – have come out against modification of the charter.

How was the civilian advice received?

According to the analysis of The Washington Post. It has reviewed more than 30 civilian oversight committees.

Lawsuits and unfair labor practices complaints have been used by police unions in an attempt to derail civilian oversight efforts in places like Portland, Oregon, Albuquerque, New Mexico and Newark, New Jersey.

In other cities, such as New Bedford, Mass., And Urbana, Ill., Police unions have secured clauses in their contracts to block civilian councils or prevent them from investigating complaints against officers. .

Police argued that civilians lack the expertise to conduct investigations and that internal investigative units are better suited to do the job.

Fraternal National Order of Police chief Jim Pasco likened it to a plumber investigating a plane crash. No matter how skilled the plumber is, it doesn’t mean the expertise is there to determine the cause of an accident, he told the Post.

How could this work in Cleveland?

The proposal of Citizens for a Safer Cleveland was inspired by ideas from Seattle and Los Angeles.

The Cleveland Civilian Police Review Board would operate like the one in Seattle, where community policing board staff investigate complaints against officers.

This independent commission is akin to the Los Angeles Police Commission, which was created in the 1920s. Reforms were recommended following the beatings of Rodney King in the 1990s and a Department investigation by the Christopher Commission, headed by future Secretary of State Warren Christopher. Among these, the creation of the post of Inspector General.

Police service deals with allegations of misconduct, reporting its findings to the independent commission.

If Cleveland passes the charter amendment, it will take a culture change before its effectiveness can be assessed, said Subodh Chandra, a civil rights attorney who wrote the language.

“It will take a new generation of dedicated constitutional police officers,” Chandra said. The police chief and the director of security will adapt to meet the demands of the new system, he said. The question is to what extent the base will accept the change.


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The full jurisdiction of the central government over Hong Kong and Macao stressed in Xi’s speech

Jurisdiction

Hong Kong Special Administrative Region officials are attending a flag-raising ceremony in Golden Bauhinia Square on Thursday to celebrate the 24th anniversary of the city’s return to the homeland. Thursday also marked the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party. Photo: VCG

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said on Thursday that we will remain true to the letter and spirit of the “one country, two systems” principle, ensuring that the central government exercises comprehensive jurisdiction over Hong Kong and Macao, and implement legal systems and enforcement mechanisms for the two Special Administrative Regions (SARs) to safeguard national security while protecting sovereignty, security and development interests from China.

Attending a grand ceremony to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the CCP, Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, sounded the alarm on the secessionists and the forces behind them, vowing to take resolute action to completely defeat any attempt. against “Taiwan independence”, which was echoed by waves of cheers and applause from the audience in Tiananmen Square.

By integrating the core tenets of the “one country, two systems” policy with a new understanding of developments in Hong Kong and Macau, Xi’s emphasis on full central government jurisdiction over the two SARs stems from the experience accumulated during the process of practicing politics in these two Chinese cities.

This basic state policy has been enriched to provide essential support for the resolution of the Taiwan issue in the near future, some experts said.

We will remain true to the letter and spirit of the “one country, two systems” principle, whereby the people of Hong Kong rule Hong Kong and the people of Macao rule Macao, both with a high degree of autonomy, a Xi said. , noting that we will ensure that the central government exercises comprehensive jurisdiction over the two cities, and implementing the legal systems and enforcement mechanism for the two SARs to safeguard sovereignty, security and development interests of the country as well as the social stability and prosperity of Hong Kong and Macao, Xi said.

Over the past two years, particularly in Hong Kong, serious problems have endangered national security. B Summing up Macau’s experience, the central government has moved forward with building legal and enforcement systems to protect national security in Hong Kong, Hong Kong affairs expert Li Xiaobing told the Global Times on Thursday. Nankai University in Tianjin.

“What we are emphasizing more now is to take sovereignty, national security and development interests as a whole … Hong Kong and Macao are at the forefront of the country in their relations with the world, and we must develop a system and legislation result on the issue of national security, ”Li said.

It is not new to mention the full jurisdiction of the central government over Hong Kong. A white paper published in June 2014 on the “one country, two systems” practice pointed out that the central government has full jurisdiction, including power exercised directly by central government or power delegated to Hong Kong authorities in accordance with the law.

Full jurisdiction has become a benchmark for the central government in the governance of the two SARs and the establishment of relevant legislative and systemic arrangements, Tian Feilong, associate professor at the university’s law school, told the Global Times on Thursday. from Beihang.

Over the past year, the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law and electoral reform aimed at ensuring the principle of one patriots ruling Hong Kong have been devoted to achieving the goal of safeguarding sovereignty, the security and development interests of the country as a Hong Kong, and safeguarding national security is also the core responsibility of the central government, Tian said.

“The enriched principle of ‘one country, two systems’ has also strengthened confidence in exploring basic policy for the island of Taiwan by aiming for reunification as a historic task,” Tian added.

Xi said during his speech that resolving the Taiwan question and completing reunification is a historic mission and an unwavering commitment of the CCP. Cheers and shouts took the ceremony to another climax when Xi said that “no one should underestimate the determination, will and ability of the Chinese people to defend their national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

This was another clear and decisive message from the top Chinese leader to the island’s secessionists as well as to all outside forces behind them, experts said, as such a strong public backlash also showed that the reunification is an inevitable trend, based on the collective will of the Chinese people.

“After years of preparation and development, we can see that the reunification process has entered a period of countdown,” Li said, noting that this is also an important goal for the CCP. who will strive to achieve this generation by generation.

Some Hong Kong residents and academics told the Global Times they were delighted to hear Xi’s speech, which was powerful, encouraging and full of confidence.

“Meanwhile, people cannot let their guard down. When the country has entered a new phase of development, it can trigger worry, fear and envy in the US-led West, which would seek to contain its rise jointly, ”Lau Siu said. Kai, vice president of the China Association for Hong Kong and Macao Studies, told the Global Times.

“Besides reviewing the CCP’s significant achievements over the past 100 years, the speech made us reflect on the obstacles that lie ahead, especially outside forces, in the face of new challenges and safeguarding national security,” he said. Lau said.


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