Scotsman News in brief - 08.07.06
Dumfries and Galloway chief constable and€POS youth justice spokesman David Strang, one of Scotland's most senior police officers, has said that there is a "disproportionate fear" of young people and has hit back at ministers over the use of new powers to tackle antisocial behaviour, insisting they are not a panacea in fighting youth crime. Mr Strang said powers such as ASBOs for unruly children should not be used as a measure of success against tackling youth offending. His words appeared to be a thinly veiled criticism of recent comments made by the First Minister Jack McConnell. Both the Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson and Mr McConnell have been repeatedly critical of councils and police for not using measures such as ASBOs and dispersal orders. Mr Strang insisted," The real answer is investing in young people's lives at a much earlier stage. By the time they are taking drugs, drinking - at the age of 13 or 14 - it is almost too late. " The "real answer" was not to deliver more ASBOs but to tackle a loss of trust between young people and the wider community by reaching out to youngsters and he agreed that tough measures were needed against the most unruly children, including locking the very worst offenders up in secure accommodation. The SNP's deputy justice spokesman, Stewart Stevenson, said: "David Strang's comments accords with what police up and down Scotland are saying. What may be necessary in Lanarkshire is not necessarily what police on the ground in the rest of the country determine is right." A Scottish Executive spokesman said: " We do expect all of the various measures provided through the Anti-Social Behaviour Act to be used where appropriate to tackle local problems."
Roger Federer, the world's number one tennis player, has requested that the main course at the prestigious Champion's Dinner, to be held after Sunday's final, be his favourite meal- rack of Scottish lamb. Two hundred succulent eight-bone racks from the Duke of Buccleuch's estate have been ordered by Chefs at the Savoy Hotel in order not to disappoint the Swiss player. The Scotsman learned of Federer's special request when one of the hotel's head chefs said that Federer had requested that the Scottish lamb be provided for the feast after Sunday's final. More than 400 players, managers, coaches and other dignitaries expected to attend. The racks of lamb for this weekend's event have now been delivered by Buccleuch Foods to the Savoy Hotel.Managing Director of Buccleuch Foods, Brian Forrest, said that Federer had first eaten Buccleuch rack of lamb at the Savoy in 2004. Since then, he said, the player has raved about the dish, claiming it was the best meal he had ever eaten. Quality Meat Scotland spokesperson, Louise Welsh said the endorsement was a great boost to the industry: "It's great news for lamb producers to hear that the world's best tennis player thinks so highly of Scottish lamb Yesterday Federer beat Jonas Björkman in the semi-final. Federer, who tomorrow plays Rafael Nadal in the final, is on track to claim his fourth straight Wimbledon title and has already won seven Grand Slams.
Sir Ian Blair, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, the country's most senior police officers said that the terrorist threat to Britain has risen since the attacks on London last July, and could persist for decades to come.Sir Ian Blair said, "Since July the threat has palpably increased and I fear that we have to accept that we live in an age for some years when the threat of an attack getting through is very real," Other chief constables and security officials, who emphasised that the threat takes in the whole of the UK, backed Sir Ian's warning. MI5 intelligence officers and police are working in Scotland as part of a major new security operation to monitor dozens of radical Muslims with links to terrorism. Officials have said that since last July at leasterrorist plots have been foiled within the UK. Sir Ian said they were a mixture of homegrown and foreign terrorists. "Some of the threats that we have now interdicted in the last few months are from outside and inside," he said. "We are now in a position in which the threat is both internal and external." The threat level, the highest it can be in the absence of intelligence about a specific imminent attack, remains at "severe general." The present level of threat is reflected in the around 70 "live" counter-terrorism operations underway at the moment. Security officials have in their sights1,200 known targets but refuse to discuss their location. One well-placed source confirmed that some are in Scotland. "This is something that is in every part of the UK," the source said.
Sakchai Makao, a 23-year-old lifeguard at a Lerwick sports centre, walked to freedom from a court in the north of England after three judges rejected a Home Office bid to send him back to his native Thailand. The whole of SHETLAND was rejoicing last night after Sakchai Makao won the right to return to his adopted home on the islands. A clearly relieved Mr Makao said:"I think there are a lot of people to thank for a lot of hard work in the Shetland community, and without them this could not have happened."