Jon Bright (London, OK): A couple of news items on police technology caught the eye today. Following criticism in the Omagh Bomb trial, the BBC reports that a review undertaken on behalf of the home office has confirmed that "Low Copy Number" DNA testing is "scientifically sound" and can continue to be used in police investigations. And the Telegraph reveals that every Metropolitan police office will soon be fitted with an electronic "tag" which will allow their commanding office to pinpoint their location (overground or underground) anywhere with in London, ostensibly for the purposes of their protection.
OurKingdom has written a lot about the increased powers (both technological and constitutional) which are accruing to the police, and by extension the government, of population surveillance and control. It has been fascinating, and not a little worrying, to watch them stack up. I do not think for a second that we are living in a "police state" as the term is commonly understood. Nor do I think there is some kind of top level "conspiracy" to move us towards one. Rather, it seems to me the inexorable logic of technological advance, combined with a "war on terror" culture that worships safety and risk prevention above everything else, means small invasions of privacy or applications of new technology are always going to end up being applied, for the greater good.
