Local Indian CT force severely short-staffed

In the state of Maharashtra, India, counterterrorism forces are struggling with severe staffing shortages particularly in its lower and middle ranked officers, the core of its investigative staff; 89 percent of the agency’s sub-inspector posts were vacant as of September 1, and overall, 238 out of the squad’s 732 posts were unfilled; the state government said that it is working to quickly fill vacant positions and address the problem; “We are aware of the staff shortage. The problem should be resolved by March next year,” said additional chief secretary Umesh Chandra Sarangi

U.K. introduces harsher sentences for serious crimes

Kenneth Clarke, the U.K.’s justice secretary, is introducing harsh new prison sentences for individuals convicted of serious crimes as part of a broader shift to stricter penalties; changes include a new mandatory life sentence for individuals convicted on their second serious sexual or violent crime; a mandatory minimum four-month prison sentence for juveniles convicted of aggravated knife offenses; the move signals a shift to a harsher U.S.-style of law with minimum mandatory sentences; the decision was reportedly highly controversial and resulted in fierce internal disputes with home secretary Theresa May

Sector Report for Wednesday, 26 October 2011: Disasters & Emergencies

This report contains the following stories.

Plus 1 additional story.

Jersey first responders learn to rescue large animals

Last weekend first responders from Green Village, New Jersey and nearby New Vernon and Madison gained a unique set of skills — rescuing large animals

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DC officials receive priority disaster phone access

During major disasters or a terrorist attack, phone lines quickly become inundated with traffic which makes it nearly impossible for residents to make calls or send texts; to ensure that local officials have the ability to communicate during disasters, DHS recently issued special calling cards to members of the Washington, D.C. City Council that allow their calls to take priority during moments of heavy phone traffic

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India urges UN to adopt anti-terror convention

Last week, India urged the United Nations to adopt the Comprehensive Convention against International Terrorism; speaking to the UN General Assembly, India’s deputy chairman Rahman Khan argued that the UN’s global counterterrorism strategy would be incomplete if it did not pass the convention; “India believes that adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) would provide a solid legal basis for the fight against terrorism. In our view the UN global counter-terrorism strategy is incomplete in the absence of such a comprehensive convention,” Khan said.

U.K. debuts new "passenger friendly" airport checkpoint at Gatwick

On Tuesday, the U.K.’s aviation minister said that due to the “real and ongoing threat of terrorism” airport security must remain at elevated levels; speaking at Gatwick airport during the unveiling of a new security checkpoint, Theresa Villiers noted that while security levels must remain high, it must also be done in a “more passenger-friendly way”; “It’s entirely possible to do two things at once - maintain the highest levels of security and deliver them in a passenger-friendly way,” she said; Gatwick’s new security checkpoint area features nineteen passenger lanes that can process almost 5,000 people an hour with each passenger taking less than five minutes to be searched