By Clare Jerrom and Reg McKay.
Cities condemn dumping of asylum-seekers in ‘slums’
Improvements must be made to the "shambolic" asylum dispersal system, according to cities in northern England.
Some councils have stopped providing homes, saying they can take no more families. They accuse the home office of paying unscrupulous private landlords to house thousands in slums.
Glasgow councillors fear further outbreaks of violence after an Iranian was stabbed on the same estate where a Kurdish asylum seeker was murdered. Davoud Rasul Naseri said that he "hated Glasgow", and wanted to leave because he did not feel safe.
An emergency meeting in Glasgow was held yesterday to discuss where to house the three busloads of asylum seekers that are being sent to the city every week.
But Liverpool Council decided to stop offering homes following months of negotiations, and Hull local leaders said they can take no more asylum seekers, until they can care for the 1,800 already there.
Source:- The Times Thursday 9 August page 1
Stabbed refugee seeks asylum from Glasgow
The latest victim of a racist attack on the Sighthill estate at Glasgow has said he wants to leave the city for his own safety.
Iranian Davoud Rasul Naseri, was stabbed in the back outside his front door by a gang who had shouted racist taunts.
Naseri who came to Britain 18 months ago said: "At first I was very happy that I was in a safe country, and I can live in comfort and safety."
"But it didn’t last long. I don’t feel safe any longer. I just feel that I hate Glasgow and I hate the people in Glasgow. With this situation I just want to stay in my country; it would be better to because I would be killed because of my aims, not because of nothing," he continued.
Ministers said last night that three Scottish councils were on the verge of agreeing to house asylum seekers to ease the burden on Glasgow.
Source:- The Times Thursday 9 August page 2
900 crime gangs thrive on drugs and migrants
Up to 900 criminal gangs in Britain are involved in drug trafficking, immigration rackets, fraud and money laundering, according to the National Criminal Intelligence Service.
The agency said that turnover from organised crime exceeded £8 billion, and could be as high as £50 billion.
Although gangs of Albanians, Lithuanians, Jamaicans, Chinese and Turks were operating in the south-east, the majority are thought to be British.
Source:- Daily Telegraph Thursday 9 August page 1
Privacy rule may hamper solving of Internet crime
A proposed European Union decision on privacy could threaten the police’s ability to combat internet paedophile rings and other cyber criminals, police warned yesterday.
Amendments to legislation have been discussed in Brussels that would mean internet companies deleted all traces of online activity immediately after the web session ends.
Police fear this could create a patchwork of legislation across 15 EU countries, and hamper the international fight against internet crime.
Operations such as the Wonderland Club, a huge child pornography gang, would be rendered virtually impossible if all records of internet usage were erased.
The home office said discussions were continuing between member states, the internet industry and law enforcement agencies.
Source:- Daily Telegraph Thursday 9 August page 7
Scottish newspapers
Glasgow to appoint race mediator
Glasgow Council is to appoint a high profile mediator to improve communication between asylum seekers, Sighthill residents and council departments.
The announcement followed a second serious assault on an asylum seeker in the city in three days. Davoud Naseri was stabbed in the back on Tuesday night, and the police are treating the attack as racially motivated. Following the murder of Firsat Yildiz at the weekend, civil demonstrations have erupted into sporadic violence.
Source:- The Herald Thursday 9 August page 1
70p care home rise an insult say owners
Residential and nursing home owners in Dundee have hit out at the city council for awarding them an annual increase in fees of 70p per resident per week.
The increase is part of the annual review of fees, but comes at a time of an escalating national dispute over payments to privately owned care units. The Scottish executive has offered £10 per person per week increase while the owners are seeking £50 per person per week increase. Home owners in Dundee described the increase as "derisory", and said many of them are on the brink of bankruptcy.
Source:- The Herald Thursday 9 August page 1
The man in the firing line
Charles Gordon, leader of Glasgow Council, talks about his most difficult week in politics. How can the local authority heal the trouble over asylum seekers, racial violence, and the growing hostility in the city?
Source:- The Herald Thursday 9 August page 14
