“A house divided against itself cannot stand”. On June 16, 1858, Abraham Lincoln, a Senatorial candidate at the time, pronounced this sentence, inspired by the Gospel of Mark (3:25), in a speech aimed at emphasizing how the young American democracy could not endure with half of the States allowing slavery. That speech of the future president of the United States, cited countless times in the last century and a half, remains an ever-present injunction to the American people, inscribed even on its seal with the words chosen by the Founding Fathers recalling the principle of unity: E pluribus unum.
It is precisely unity, which “is greater than conflict” as Evangelii Gaudium puts it, that is strongly evoked at this moment after the most divisive and polarizing American presidential elections in the country’s recent history. “Now is the time for our leaders to come together in a spirit of national unity”, said the president of the U.S. bishops, the Archbishop of Los Angeles José H. Gomez, in a message of congratulations to President-elect Joe Biden and Vice-president-elect Kamala Harris. Moreover, the American media, almost unanimously, put the theme of national reconciliation as the most urgent challenge (together with Covid-19 and the consequent economic crisis) that, as of next January 20, the next resident of the White House will face.
Significantly, last June 30, Pope Francis focused on the issue of unity in a message to the Catholic Press Association, to which Catholic communications organizations in North America belong. “E pluribus unum, the ideal of unity amid diversity, reflected in the motto of the United States”, observed the Pontiff, “must also inspire the service you offer to the common good. How urgently is this needed today, in an age marked by conflicts and polarization from which the Catholic community itself is not immune. We need media capable of building bridges, defending life and breaking down the walls, visible and invisible, that prevent sincere dialogue and truthful communication between individuals and communities”. Words addressed to the media, but also applicable to other areas of American society.
Certainly, unity for the Pope does not mean uniformity. Even in this particular context, we are aided by the image of the polyhedron which, in Francis’ vision, “reflects the convergence of all its parts, each of which preserves its distinctiveness”. This model is all the more valid for a nation that from its birth presents itself as plural: multi-ethnic, multicultural and multi-religious. This search for unity – corroborated by social friendship to echo Fratelli tutti – is not, however, an end in itself, but tends toward the promotion of the good of the person and the community. The two were at the heart of Francis’ speech before the United States Congress (a first for a Pope on Capitol Hill), which took place on September 24, 2015.
“If politics must truly be at the service of the human person,” was his exhortation on that occasion, “it follows that it cannot be a slave to the economy and finance. Politics is, instead, an expression of our compelling need to live as one, in order to build as one the greatest common good: that of a community which sacrifices particular interests in order to share, in justice and peace, its goods, its interests, its social life”. Addressing himself directly to the members of U.S. congress, the Pope said: “I do not underestimate the difficulty that this involves, but I encourage you in this effort”. An exhortation that today, in such a delicate moment in the history of the United States, echoes even more strongly.
Ethiopian Prime Minster Abiy Ahmed is pressing ahead with a military campaign he announced on Wednesday against the northern region of Tigray. The International community is calling for dialogue between the Federal Government of Ethiopia and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).
On Friday the Prime Minister vowed air strikes in Tigray would continue. The initial strikes targeted arms depots and military sites.
About 600,000 people in Tigray depend on food aid to survive, while another 1 million receive other forms of support, all of which have been disrupted, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a report released Saturday.
Clashes between federal troops and Tigrayan forces had broken out in eight locations in the region, according to the report.
Six combatants were killed and more than 60 wounded in fighting near the border between the Tigray and Amhara regions, a humanitarian source told Reuters on Sunday. Both sides suffered casualties and some of the wounded were brought to hospitals in and near the town of Gondar, the source said.
Efforts to combat a locust infestation also jeopardised
A desert locust infestation in East Africa has hit Tigray particularly hard and efforts to combat the insect swarms are feared to have stopped because of the conflict, risking further damage to crops, the U.N. report read.
Abiy said on Twitter on Saturday that his military campaign “aims to end the impunity that has prevailed for far too long,” he said.
Animosity between Abiy and his former allies has grown steadily since 2018. Tigrayans complain of persecution under Abiy, an ethnic Oromo, who ordered the arrest of dozens of former senior military and political officials from the TPLF in a crackdown on corruption. Last year, Abiy reorganised the ruling coalition into a single party that the TPLF refused to join.
Mediation offers
Experts and diplomats are sounding alarms of a potential civil war that could destabilise the country of 110 million people in the strategic Horn of Africa region.
The federal military’s biggest command, and the majority of its heavy weapons, are stationed in Tigray. One of the biggest risks is that the army could plit along ethnic lines, with Tigrayans defecting to their region’s own force.
Tigrayan forces number up to 250,000 men and have their own significant stocks of military hardware, experts say.
“The fragmentation of Ethiopia would be the largest state collapse in modern history,” a group of former United States diplomats said in a statement published by the U.S. Institute of Peace on Thursday. The escalation of the conflict would also kill remaining hope for the democratic reforms Abiy has promised, the statement read.
Abiy spoke on Saturday with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who “offered his good offices.” The U.N. chief also spoke on Saturday to the African Union’s Commission Chairperson, Moussa Faki Mahamat and to Sudanese Primes Minster Abdalla Hamdok in his capacity as chair of the regional Africa group IGAD,.
<span>Today, the European Union (EU) informed the Government of Armenia about the disbursement of € 35.6 million in grants to support Armenia in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The EU's decision follows a positive assessment on progress in selected sector reform areas, macroeconomic stability, public financial management and state budget transparency. </span>
It is part of the EU € 92 million assistance package for Armenia announced last April, which included restructured and new funds to support Armenia in its fight against the COVID-19 crisis, in order to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on the Armenian people.
This direct financial contribution recognizes and supports the Government commendable efforts to preserve jobs and support SMEs, as well as to ensure basic health and social services for those most affected by COVID-19. This assistance announced today is complementary to other instruments of support with CSOs and European financial institutions to assist vulnerable households and businesses.
H.E. Mher Grigoryan, Deputy Prime Minister, said: “As the world faces a multi-layered crisis caused by COVID-19 pandemic, we highly appreciate the EU’s support to tackle the socio-economic consequences of the pandemic in Armenia. This timely allocation is the manifestation of our productive cooperation with the European Union and I’m sure that our joint efforts will result in increased COVID-19 crisis resilience of Armenia.”
H.E. Andrea Wiktorin, EU Head of Delegation, said: “This direct budget support disbursement is once again a very tangible demonstration of the EU and its citizens’ strong commitment to fight the COVID-19 pandemic in Armenia. The European Union and its Member States are contributing to strengthen the health systems and meet the urgent human & economic implications of COVID-19 in Armenia.We share the challenge and we can only succeed together”.
The EU’s response follows a Team Europe approach, aimed at saving lives by providing quick and targeted support to our partners to face this pandemic. It combines resources from the EU, its Member States and European financial institutions to support partner countries and address their short-term needs, as well as the longer-term structural impacts on societies and the economy.
A diabetes monitoring earring; an Underground air pollution solution; an alternative to Styrofoam made of food waste; a Sudden Infant Death Syndrome prevention device; a skin patch that monitors nutrition data and superworms that convert plastic into organic matter.
Today sees the unveiling of 100 ideas from over 40 countries that could change the way we live
• Global Grad Show, the world’s most diverse gathering of graduate ideas for social impact, unveils 5 trends that are the top-of-mind challenges according to graduates from 60 countries • A multi-media, interactive exhibition will showcase 100 projects that provide solutions to social and environmental challenges • 22 Asian universities were selected from 1,600 submissions from 270 universities, from the most established institutions in Western Europe, USA and Israel to universities in China, Philippines, India, Singapore, Thailand
South Korea, Hong Kong and Japan • Selected students will be invited to a new cohort of the entrepreneurship programme that accelerates the development of impact innovations
22 Asian entrants are among the 100 chosen submissions to be showcased in Global Grad Show, a virtual and interactive year-long exhibition, launched today. The ideas are the outcome of rigorous academic research conducted by graduates and their professors, reflecting areas of deepest environmental, social or economic concern, such as the world’s aging population, the number of people living with chronic illness, the radical approaches dealing with waste and the increasing number of communities vulnerable to emergencies.
India • An over jacket made up of bamboo fabric to protect waste collectors from disease whilst working, Bangalore University, India • A flood emergency design that creates safe movement for people getting from one place to another during flood like situations, Pearl Academy • A modular air purification system which is versatile and flexible enough to be deployed in multiple scenarios, IDC School of Design, IIT Bombay • A thin, non-intrusive dissolvable bandaid-like sticker that displays directions to guide you to your intended location, Indian School of Design & Innovation • A unique material that reduces mining for natural resources by 60% through recycling of post-industrial fired ceramic waste, National Institute of Design
Philippines • A smart solar street lighting system that provides internet connectivity, access to clean energy and better lighting, De La Salle University, Philippines • A device that allows users to track their electricity consumption and bill in real-time, Anteneo de Manila University, Philippines
Singapore • Using Durian fruit as an alternative to Styrofoam, National University of Singapore • A product that monitors the reproductive health stages for women, National University of Singapore • A vending machine that encourages citizens to give a second life to used plastic bags, Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD)
Thailand • A dog waste scooper made from fruit waste, Chiang Mai University, Thailand
South Korea • A pillow that prevents users from going on their phones before bed to get a better sleep, Samsung Art and Design Institute (SADI), South Korea
China • A renewable material folding hat that provides safety for children commuting between home and school in backward mountainous areas, Zhejiang University • A piece of technology that detects real time data in the environment and live performance is also carried out, Central Academy of Fine Arts • A sustainable looping product and system that provides a solution to air pollution caused by wheat straw incineration, Hunan University, China • A device that can recycle paper receipts and other wastes (coffee grounds, tea grounds etc.) onsite into useful paper cup sleeves, East China Normal University • An inhalation drug treatment that is designed to help patients achieve higher inhalation efficiency, Tongji University • A children’s family programming learning toolkit that contains scientific and technological inventions, Hunan University
Hong Kong • A future bus seat and interior design solution for the aging population in the future, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University School of Design
Indonesia • A low-cost portable water container that allows easy navigation, Pearl Academy • A project that utilizes the Papua Noken material for alternative products, Pelita Harapan University
Japan • Branding that is used to communicate relevant instructions to consumers that will contribute to solve a humanitarian issue, Keio University Graduate School of Media Design
The programme, now in its sixth year, and held in partnership with Dubai Culture and A.R.M Holding, saw entries rise by 30% and features ideas from leading institutions such as Imperial College and Harvard, alongside first-time representation from countries such as Indonesia, El Salvador and Oman.
The projects will be brought to life in an inaugural interactive digital exhibition on globalgradshow.com, giving a voice to the next generation of innovators and connecting the public and potential investors all over the world with ideas that have the potential to change lives. The virtual exhibition will showcase the graduates behind each one of ideas and will also see prototypes, films and original research material visually curated for online visitors to engage and interact with.
The chosen projects have been organised around five key emerging trends that were identified from the 1,600 applications from 270 universities in 60 countries. Those trends are: – Living with Illness & Disability – Coping in a Complex World – Saving and protecting vulnerable lives – Cleaning a Waste Filled Planet -Sustaining the Urban Experience
Tadeu Baldani Caravieri, Director, Global Grad Show comments: “Over the last six months we’ve been reminded just how vital good health, balanced natural ecosystems and well-equipped public services are to a happy, productive and future-ready society. Equally, we’ve paid more attention than ever to the power of new technologies in optimising resources, shortening distances and minimising collateral damage.”
“Thankfully, a significant number of the innovations that tackle head-first big social and environmental challenges of our time are under way. Often unbeknownst to the general public, researchers inside universities are developing a myriad of solutions for complex issues of today and tomorrow. From medical engineering to architecture and data science, young graduates are at the forefront of complex problem-solving, working on technologies for the greater good.”
“As evidenced by the +1,600 entries we reviewed for Global Grad Show 2020, many of these are looking for more efficient, equitable and humane healthcare systems, for patients and medical staff. This is more crucial now than ever before.”
“By offering these graduates a development programme, we hope to accelerate the creation of solutions to communities around the world. We do that by bringing together know-how and key private and public stakeholders, together creating collaboration and funding opportunities to our community.”
Global entries include: • A fluorescent hat for commuting children walking in the dark, Zhejiang University, China • An autonomous weeding robot for small-scale urban farmers, Lund University School of Industrial Design, Sweden • Using Durian fruit as an alternative to Styrofoam, National University of Singapore • A temperature regulating curtain, University of Arts, Berlin • A device which replaces clinical sounds with colour during chemotherapy treatment, RMIT, Australia • A CO2 eliminator using green bacterial technology, Unaula University, Colombia • A fire fighting light aircraft with a targeted foam firing bionic arm, Universidad Privada del Norte, Peru • An airbag belt to cushion the elderly from falls, University of Limerick, Ireland • Low cost shoes made from recycled bottle plastics for school-girls walking lengthy distances, Mackerere University, Uganda
A year-round activation, Global Grad Show entrepreneurship programme supports innovators to materialize their real-world impact. Through training, mentorship, connections with the industry and funding opportunities, it accelerates the process of bringing graduate projects to life. The focus is to develop business skills and offer structured startup-building route to participants. Last year, A.R.M. Holding pledged over £2 million (AED 10 million) for a 10-year fund to help talents from Global Grad Show entrepreneurship programme to advance towards market launch, having already supported eight projects.
Global Grad Show’s Covid-19 initiative, one of the first international open calls to innovators addressing Covid-19 challenges, has four projects currently undergoing entrepreneurship training, with one advancing to pilot stage:
• Foresight: an AI system which processes clinical information of patients in intensive care units, capable of predicting and alerting patient heath deterioration, up to 48hrs earlier than current diagnosis alternatives. The system was designed to be easily integrated into hospitals, using data already commonly collected by intensive care units, being capable of streamlining patient care around the world. The founder is Sam Tukra, currently undertaking a PhD at Imperial College London in AI and Advanced Machine Vision. ENDS
Further Information – Global Grad Show Global Grad Show, an initiative by the Art Dubai Group, is a year-round programme for graduates and universities working on Social Impact Innovation projects in the fields of design, science, technology and engineering. It aims to promote graduates on an international stage providing them with development opportunities through its Entrepreneurship Programme which helps innovators to accelerate projects towards market implementation.
Besides being a platform for promotion and discovery, over the last five years 700 innovative projects, selected from over 5,000 applications, have taken part in the programme, the only one of its kind, helping to drive the development of innovations created by graduates from over 20 countries, through the Progress Prize, which awards and celebrates the next generation of innovators. In 2019, A.R.M. Holding pledged an AED 10 million (£2.1 million) 10-year fund to help talents from Global Grad Show to develop their business models and go to market, having already supported 8 projects so far.
This year Global Grad Show participants will be invited to apply to the new cohort of the Entrepreneurship Programme, which to date has supported 30 projects, in fields ranging from medical to waste management and from mental health to migrating communities.
All participating students will go through month-long entrepreneurial training including business advice sessions and mentorship support before being shortlisted to present. All shortlisted students then participate in two months of tailored acceleration hot housing with venture capital experts ahead of displaying their demos to A.R.M, in the hope of receiving funding.
Two projects from Global Grad Show 2019 Entrepreneurship Programme are the first recipients of seed capital from the A.R.M. Holding Fund – SpectrumLab, a reflective paint that changes its colour based on temperature developed by graduates from the Politecnico di Torino and Collège des Ingénieurs and Safe Cooking, a portable stove for communities without access to clean and safe cooking methods, developed by a graduate from the University of Karachi.
Global Grad Show also engages its community through knowledge exchange opportunities, where academics and industry professionals share their experiences and insights about innovation and solutions for a better future. Recently named as one of the key initiatives under the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority’s plan to realize its vision of evolving Dubai into a global hub for culture and innovation, Global Grad Show has built a community of over 260 universities across the world that includes the world’s leading institutions alongside those from developing countries.
This year’s initiative will also be added to with the launch of a MENA show specifically to support regional talent. The programme, which received more than 200 submissions from 35 universities based on the Middle East and North Africa will inaugurate a physical exhibition focusing on talent from the region, as part of Dubai Design Week. Visit www.globalgradshow.com for further information.
COMMENT | The latest horrifying episode of religious terrorism in France has, unfortunately, put Malaysia in the international limelight with the former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, adding fuel to the religious fires and hatred.
Many that have followed Mahathir’s career during the past 70 years will not be surprised by his extremist response.
Unfortunately too, we have not seen the last of such fire and brimstone practitioners. They follow a well-trodden pattern going back thousands of years.
Perhaps the only way to get out of this cycle of religious violence and terrorism is for the leaders of religious institutions to also teach about the history of the estimated 6,000 religions of the world, the differences, commonalities and patterns, and associations with cultural and political features.
Using scientific evidence, logic and rationality, such courses can help put into proper perspective the so-called universal truths and answers peddled by the religious books and scriptures of the Abrahamic religions as well as…
The EU-funded European Investment Bank has been using taxpayer cash to support infrastructure projects linked to alleged human rights violations, an investigation by NGOs shows.
The report – led by campaign groups Counter Balance and the CEE Bankwatch Network – has accused the EIB of a lack of transparency and a failure to properly assess the impact of its funding as it extends its role beyond Europe to former Soviet republics, Africa and Asia.
Campaigners have grown increasingly concerned by the EIB’s relationships with developing countries, urged policymakers to restrict further investments until the organisation undergoes “fundamental reforms”.
Britain, which is expected to fall off the EIB’s list of possible client countries following the end of the Brexit transition deal on 1 January, has benefited from £120bn worth of funding over the last 40 years, including for the area around London’s Canary Wharf and the redevelopment of Cardiff’s docks.
The investigation pointed to the EIB’s involvement in controversial projects, including in Nepal and Georgia, where there has been alleged harm to local and indigenous communities.
The report condemned the EIB’s financial backing in Georgia of the Nenskra dam, which is set to be one of country’s largest hydropower plants in the country’s Upper Svaneti region. The report said that on top of biodiversity and natural disaster threats linked to the dam, the EIB failed to apply its own standards that protect the rights of indigenous peoples.
It claims the EIB failed to recognise the Svan population as an indigenous people, ignoring their their right to take part in the decision making about projects based on their traditional lands.
The report said the EIB funded the construction of a road between Mombasa and Nairobi in Kenya, resulting in the forced eviction of more than 100 people by armed police. The report says more than 500 people have lodged complaints against the EIB as a result of that project.
Meanwhile, in Nepal, the Marsyangdi Corridor – an EIB-financed electricity transmission line – is allegedly moving ahead without the “free, prior and informed consent” of affected indigenous people “even though the project will heavily impact their forests and livelihoods,” the report claimed.
“Without fundamental reforms, the EIB should not be awarded the ‘EU Development Bank’ label,” the report, spearheaded by Counter Balance, said. Counter Balance is a coalition of nine NGOs, including Germany’s Urgewald, the Corner House and Bretton Woods Project based in the UK, and Both ENDS in the Netherlands.
“It pays too limited attention to the development impacts of its operations and does not have enough expertise or sufficient presence on the ground to provide genuine added-value outside of Europe … Its operations outside Europe tend to favour an outdated and problematic development model which ultimately exacerbates inequalities rather than alleviates them,” the document said.
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A spokesman for the EIB said the report contained “several inaccurate and misleading statements” and that its lending mandates and investments have been “consistently assessed” by independent evaluators. The EIB said it had a strong track record delivering on policy objectives set by the European commission, the European parliament, and EU member states.
“The EIB shares several of your concerns regarding the challenges of development finance, and is constantly improving and further developing its approach to essential issues such as human rights, environmental and social impacts, the fight against fraud and corruption, as well as compliance and tax related matters,” it said.
“We note that several of these issues are or have been discussed with Counter Balance or CEE Bankwatch Network as part of our ongoing dialogue, or are planned to be further discussed as part of upcoming public consultations.”
Kaelyn Clementz has written the book “Jocelyn’s Cloud” with the help of her grandmother. It’s available to purchase on Amazon.
CLOVERDALE — Kaelyn Clementz, a 12-year-old from Cloverdale who attends the seventh grade at Continental schools, is a published author.
Clementz has written the children’s book “Jocelyn’s Cloud,” now available through Amazon.
Clementz has been working on the book for the past year and a half.
She received a lot of help from her grandmother Patricia Clementz.
“She taught me different clouds’ names, like if they’re flat and if they’re regular in the sky. She also told me about the silver lining (i.e. every cloud has a silver lining),” Clementz said.
According to information on the back cover of her book, “In this imaginative and fun story, author Kaelyn Clementz invites you to look to the skies and see a bright new world in the clouds. It all started when she and her grandmother Patricia started looking at the clouds and playing ‘I Spy.’”
Kaelyn’s father originally wanted to name her Jocelyn when she was born, and that’s how the title “Jocelyn’s Cloud” came to be.
The book is illustrated by Tia Caffee.
She says so far she’s sold over 100 books but she said it doesn’t matter whether she sells one or 1,000 books.
“I think it turned out very well. I feel pretty good about it,” she said.
Clementz says she enjoys going to school at Continental.
“My favorite subjects in school are probably reading and language,” she said.
Clementz says she likes going outdoors and sometimes dabbles in crafts.
She has three cats and a dog and hopes to one day become a veterinarian.
“Because I care a lot about animals, and I like helping them,” she said.
Kaelyn Clementz
Kaelyn Clementz has written the book “Jocelyn’s Cloud” with the help of her grandmother. It’s available to purchase on Amazon.
The European Union (EU) on Friday renewed its call for a census in Polisario-administered camps in Tindouf, southern Algeria, Morocco’s state media MAP reported.
Christoph Heusgen, Germana’ys permanent representative at the UN, made the statement on behalf of EU member countries.
Speaking before the 4th Committee of the UN General Assembly, the German diplomat said that the EU remains “concerned” about the repercussions of the Sahara conflict on security and stability in the region.
Heusgen also noted the worsening conditions in the camps, underlining that the international community needs to go beyond providing humanitarian assistance for distressed Sahrawis in the camps.
Invoking the latest UN report and Security Council resolution on the Western Sahara territorial dispute, the EU representative argued that a census by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) would confer more effectiveness to any UN efforts or and monioring initiatives in the camps.
The statement comes as the Polisario Front, the militant front calling for independence in Western Sahara, faces a persistent torrent of accusations and reports on mismanagement, embezzlement, and “extrajudicial executions” in the Tindouf camps.
Meanwhile, the recent months have also seen Morocco’s position take the upper hand in the UN-moderated political process to end the decades-long dispute.
Late last month, both the Security Council and the UN Secretary-General commenced Morocco’s commitment to the political process while urging Polisario to show similar commitment to the pragmatism and compromise spirit of the UN agenda for a lasting and politically negotiated resolution.
Referring to these recent developments, Heusgen said that Brussels is determined to accompany “the commitment of the UN Secretary General to relaunch negotiations.”
According to the German diplomat, the goal is to sustain the “new momentum and a new spirit leading to the resumption of the political process, with the objective of achieving a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution.”
As the international community grapples with seemingly escalating tensions in the buffer zone, Heusgen noted, the EU wishes to “encourage the parties to show political will and work in an atmosphere that is conducive… to a new phase of negotiations in good faith and without preconditions and taking note of the efforts made and developments since 2006.”
The German diplomat’s reference to post-2006 developments in the territorial conflict is an apparent nod to Morocco’s widely applauded Autonomy Plan.
Morocco submitted its resolution plan to the UN in 2007, proposing local autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty. The idea is for the region’s inhabitants to have full control over the management of their social, economic, and political development plans while Morocco handles defense and diplomacy.
In recent years, Morocco’s plan has received plaudits from many observers and diplomats, including from permanent members — most notably France and the US — of the UN Security Council.
Most observers have described the Moroccan plan as a “credible” and viable path to a lasting resolution of the dispute.
Belgian minister of state and former president of the Belgian House of Representatives Andre Flahaut said in a recent interview that Morocco’s “balanced” and “common-sense” autonomy plan is “the only possible way” out of the enduring Sahara crisis.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson delivers a speech at Exeter College Construction Centre, part of Exeter College in Exeter September 29, 2020. — Reuters pic
LONDON, Nov 8 — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said today a trade deal with the European Union was “there to be done”, with its broad outline already “pretty clear”.
“I’ve always been a great enthusiast for a trade deal with our European friends and partners,” Johnson told reporters.
“I think it’s there to be done, the broad outlines are pretty clear. We just need to get on and do it if we can. And I said that to (European Commission President) Ursula Von der Leyen just yesterday. And she totally agrees with me.” — Reuters
Police are heading into the “unknown” with Brexit with Britain’s departure from the European Union under two months away, a senior officer has said.
Forces still do not know whether they will keep access to European mechanisms and databases, or have to fall back on contingency plans.
Theresa May recently lambasted the government for claiming the UK “can co-operate more effectively to safeguard” British people outside the EU.
The president of the Police Superintendents’ Association told The Independent that if a security deal is not struck, information sharing will be less effective, and warned that officers will also have to copy with the impact of no-deal on borders and ports.
“We have been working on this since 2016 so there’s a degree of preparedness, but what is unknown is if there will be a deal and what the consequences could be,” Chief Superintendent Paul Griffiths said.
“There is concern about the implications on policing and security, and with how it’s all collided together with a global pandemic it’s a really challenging time for all agencies.”
The security minister admitted this week that a deal has not been struck with the EU and said negotiations were at a “sensitive point”.
Responding to concerns about information sharing on potential terrorists, James Brokenshire told MPs: “If negotiations do not conclude successfully, we will move back to pre-existing tools and powers.”
Ch Supt Griffiths said police would put themselves in the “best position possible”, but warned of “challenges and unintended consequences” of any change.
“In theory, we should be able to exchange information with EU partners fairly quickly because we’ve all got a vested interest in the safety of citizens,” he added.
“But how to do that is the challenge – the efficiency and effectiveness of the systems.
“I’m not sure we fully understand the consequences in terms of information transfer from other countries in Europe.”
Ch Supt Griffiths said that crime, particularly the most serious forms of organised criminality, was becoming more “trans-national”.
Police scrambling to save suspects’ details for fear of no-deal Brexit
He suggested that the current model of having 43 operationally independent regional forces in England and Wales should be reformed.
“Some of serious and organised crime is global and we can’t escape that,” he added.
“The boundaries we have adhered to for decades are fruitless now relating to some of the criminality going on that can originate abroad and hit your local neighbourhood.”
But the main database used to access intelligence on convicted extremists and other criminals, the Schengen Information System (SIS II) is among those that the UK faces losing access to.
British police officers checked it 539 million times in 2017 alone, and their equipment currently searches SIS II and the Police National Computer simultaneously.
Britain will also be cut out of the European Arrest Warrant system, which allows wanted suspects to be extradited to Britain, and for those on UK soil to be arrested and ejected from the country.
The law would have to be changed to allow the alternative Interpol red notices to be used to detain suspects without going to court for a warrant.
Also at stake is Britain’s membership of Europol, a pan-EU policing body used to conduct joint operations against international extremist and organised crime groups, and pool intelligence.
Access to the European Criminal Records Information System (ECRIS) could be axed and agreements on the sharing of passenger name records, and DNA, fingerprint and vehicle registration data must also be reached.
Brexit billboards: Campaigners remind MPs of past promises
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Last month, cabinet minister Michael Gove suggested that the government would not accept a deal where the UK had to “accept the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice”, even if it meant losing SIS II and other tools.
As Ms May, the former prime minister and home secretary, mouthed “what” and shook her head, he claimed: “When it comes to everything – security and other matters -no deal is better than a bad deal.”
The former head of MI5 previously said there was no “security upside” to Brexit and the best the government can hope to do is minimise its negative impact.
Lord Jonathan Evans warned that although intelligence sharing would be largely unaffected by Brexit because of long-standing bilateral relationships, that was “only a small part of the overall picture”.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council announced that preparations for the potential loss of EU tools and powers were complete last October.
At the time, its lead for Brexit warned that the contingencies developed were not “like-for-like replacements”.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Richard Martin added: “In all cases the replacements are slower, less effective, and more bureaucratic for officers than our existing setup.
“Existing EU tools allow us to respond quickly and intelligently to crime and terrorism impacting the UK and the EU – they make us better at protecting the public. We want to avoid leaving without a deal because that would see us lose access to those important tools.”
Police have also planned responses to worst-case scenarios including mass protests, disorder and chaos at ports, and many forces have banned annual leave over the Brexit period.
