Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-09-07-Speech-3-017"
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"en.20050907.2.3-017"2
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"Mr President, I would like to thank the United Kingdom Presidency for coming here to make this important statement.
Terrorists constantly seek to undermine our way of life, believing that we are weak and lack the strength to defend our democratic values, and we must always prove them wrong. But it is vital that we prove the terrorists wrong by our actions, not just our words. In this respect, is there not a salutary lesson to those of us who debate and legislate here? We need to review the delicate balance of civil rights, – and I agree with that – but it is very important that those who go about their normal lives – their normal, innocent and lawful lives – should be protected.
I deprecate the sanctimonious twaddle of Mr Watson, representing the Liberals. Of course each terrorist deserves justice; justice has to determine innocence and guilt. But I believe that we have to understand that the nature of justice, as it is meted out to terrorists, and the standard of justice that is available to protect the innocent, must be of a different level. I hope he understands that; hopefully, this House believes that – I and my colleagues certainly do.
On the actions that we need to take, it is of paramount importance that the law enforcement authorities be given the tools necessary to defend us, without being hamstrung by too much bureaucracy. Flexibility and adaptability are vital in the face of mutating threats. The terror threat is not new, nor does it recur in the same way each time. Over the last three decades, we have seen Black September, the IRA, the Red Brigades, ETA, Bader Meinhof, animal liberationists, bombs on the Paris Metro, American Embassy bombings in Africa, then the attacks in New York and Washington in 2001, Madrid in March 2004 and, of course, in London in July this year. Those are just some of them, there are others. We have seen some successes, as targeted measures against some of these organisations have brought results. Only recently, several members of ETA were arrested on the basis of a joint operation between French and Spanish authorities.
When I hear remarks like those from UKIP, it worries me. Yes, some of us argue against harmonisation, but we also argue for cooperation between law enforcement authorities. Without that, in an international setting, we cannot detain some of the worst criminal elements that go around the world. I was proud to be the rapporteur for this House on joint investigation teams, as I know the Presidency-in-Office is aware, in 2001. They are a good example of targeted, effective, cooperative effort across the EU, without excessive bureaucracy, and we must be prepared to develop this level of cooperation, particularly now that we have the advantages of technology.
President-in-Office, you mentioned the issue of data retention. Since the advent of DNA testing and mobile communications of a world nature, we have available to us tools for good and for bad. They can be used by criminals as well as to the advantage of a great number of people who want to pursue their business and private interests. We must make sure that where criminality is involved, we use the new technologies to the greatest advantage.
One of my last jobs in the Home Office in the 1990s was to set up the Criminal Cases Review Commission. Prior to that, I and colleagues had the onerous task of determining whether a case should be referred back to the High Court because of an alleged miscarriage of justice. It was an onerous task, but one which I was prepared to undertake whilst I had the powers to do it. I did refer cases back where I believed people might be innocent, where new technology – DNA particularly – was coming in to give extra evidence.
We should always remember that in the modern circumstances criminality does not stand still either. We may have the technology now, and we must use it because if we do not use it, with the proper safeguards, then the criminal element will be ahead of us in that game, as they have been ahead of us in violence, in their lack of respect for democracy and in actions which are completely abhorrent and unacceptable – or should be – to all of us in this House.
Thank you for coming, President-in-Office. We will support you."@en1
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