Bishop Hill Police are climate change experts
Jan 12, 2010 Climate: CRU The BBC has picked up on the Domestic Extremist angle to Climategate in an article posted in the regional news section of their website.
A police unit set up to support forces dealing with extremism in the UK is helping investigate the leaking of climate change data in Norfolk.
A spokesman for the unit said: "At present we have two police officers assisting Norfolk with their investigation, and we have also provided computer forensic expertise.
"While this is not strictly a domestic extremism matter, as a national police unit we had the expertise and resource to assist with this investigation, as well as good background knowledge of climate change issues in relation to criminal investigations."
Read that last sentence again. Can they really mean that? The National Domestic Extremist Team has background knowledge of climate change issues?
Reader Comments (20)
You can't ask them no FOI requests allowed.
"Now it has been revealed the force is getting help from the National Domestic Extremism Unit"
And how was it revealed unto them pray? Divine revelation, or simply by reading yor Lordship's illustrious communications perhaps.
Their background knowledge is not just in 'climate change' but in 'climate change issues in relation to criminal investigations' which is even more deeply mysterious. So, not necessarily scientific in nature, but around the issues involved. Perhaps some of the police team were assigned to the Kingsnorth protests or similar?
Pleased to see, at least, that it is now acknowledged as 'leaking' rather than 'hacking'. Of course, the leaking is so much more important than the information/lies/deceit revealed!
Anyone remember Katherine Gunn and GCHQ?
I'm with Cumbrian Lad, although my roots are in Lancashire.
NDET probably looked at the climate activists attempting to block Heathrow's runway expansion, Kingsnorth and more recently occupying power stations at Didcot and Nottingham. Usually attempts to attack and disrupt UK energy production would be considered terrorism, but because these were nice middle-class activists encouraged by Gore and Hansen they got off lightly.
Everyone's an expert these days in climate change issues. Even Gord and Ed! They've said so.
@Atomic: Part of Cumbria was of course in Lancashire until they messed with the boundaries :-)
(The bit where my parents were born, as it happens).
That's a classic. Perhaps someone should ask them to describe some of their previous successes in this area; someone perhaps with a bit of media profile ... Your Grace...?
Or, are they simply referring to their "expertise" in being able to track down networks? Sounds to me they are still putting forth the theory that it was an outside hack, at least in press releases. Everything points to an inside job, and from the above article about Mosher, sounds like the leaker covered his/her tracks rather well. It should not be a surprse if the final verdict by the police is that a hacker is responsible and they are unable to track back to the hacker's location.
Bishop:
"Read that last sentence again. Can they really mean that? The National Domestic Extremist Team has background knowledge of climate change issues? "
No, that's not what they said.
they said: " ....as well as good background knowledge of climate change issues in relation to criminal investigations."
Which is even weirder. How many climate-related criminal investigations can there have been?
This is typical BBC sloppiness: publishing direct quotes without analysing them, questioning them or making any attempt to examine the absurdities of the police statement. This is classic PR fluff, no doubt produced by some PR nitwit who is not a policeman but whose job it is to pull out of the air any old jargon-spin that pretends to say something but actually says nothing.
The statement is not clever enough to be dishonest. It is simply meaningless drivel, and the BBC needs proper JOURNALISTS who are capable of recognising drivel when they read it.
Here is a picture of the crack team, hard at it
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/gallery/2010/jan/05/snow-freezing-weather-uk
@ Phillip Bratby: Everyone's an expert these days in climate change issues. Even Gord and Ed! They've said so.
And Ed has even reaffirmed '...the science is settled...' So there!
HotRod:
'climate change issues in relation to criminal investigations.' may possibly mean that they are involved in the carbon trading fraud which has been uncovered in Belgium, seeing that a couple of Brits were allegedly happy participators.
See here: http://wattsupwiththat.com/2010/01/12/carbon-trading-fraud-in-belgium-up-to-90-of-the-whole-market-volume-was-caused-by-fraudulent-activities
"The National Domestic Extremist Team has background knowledge of climate change issues? "
There was Kingsnorth and there have been various attempts to disrupt coal supplies to power stations. It's reasonable that such a police team would take an interest in those likely to be involved. Were it hacking, the Climategate material is unlikely to have been released by greenies, but it's all sort of Climate Change stuff.
I'd guess someone had to churn out a press release and finding a way to shove in "climate change issues", is a way to sound up-to-date and topical.
Bishop,
"Police are climate change experts"
Not knowing the first thing about the topic hasn't stopped a million rightworld asshats thinking they know better than the real experts, why should it stop the police?
One would think that the police have better things to go than chase "climate hacker" criminals -- for example, keeping underwear bombers off of airplanes and little old ladies jay waking.
At least little old ladies jay waking -- they are a real threat to society. Really, they are, disregarding the rights of others by crossing in the middle of the block.
Now if there has ever been National Domestic Extremist Threat, it is my grannie doing just that!
I have a background in daily respiratory issues. :)
"...We had the expertise and resource to assist with this investigation, as well as good background knowledge of climate change issues in relation to criminal investigations."
Obviously, they know how to use a magnifying glass to look for carbon footprints.
"the real experts"
Like Phil Jones, Michael Mann and Keith Briffa, you mean? With friends like that...
If I was a citizen of the UK, I would be raising all sorts of protests about the inappropriate use of police powers.
Climategate is many things.
One thing it is not is 'extremism' (terrorism).
People of the UK had best pay close attention. Stopping this sort fo abuse early and firmly is the only way to prevent its cancer like spread.
Re: "climate change issues, in relation to criminal investigations."
This may mean that the authorities have been watching the hackers for some time.