Proposed amendment to the Police Complaints Authority Act

"Police have noted the Government’s intention to amend the secrecy provisions of the Police Complaints Authority Act 1988 and look forward to seeing the Select Committee’s report," says Assistant Commissioner Howard Broad.

The proposed amendment would see files generated by Police on behalf of the PCA provided to the Commission of Inquiry into Police conduct.

At present, secrecy provisions within the Police Complaints Authority’s governing statute (section 32) prevent the Commission of Inquiry from accessing some material relevant to its review of Police investigations conducted on behalf of the PCA.

"The proposed amendment will be further reviewed by Police to assess its impact, and any comment we have will be provided through the normal channels," says Assistant Commissioner Broad.

"In keeping with our intention to co-operate fully with the Commission of Inquiry and the need for openness and transparency, we understand that the Commission’s activities should not be hampered by an inability to access material which the Commission considers vital to its operation."

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>