DON'T be.....er,....'spitful'?? Miaow Meg. Ask me a question, and I WILL answer...

"I'm still delighted Haneef will have some quality time with his family, aren't you?" (Quote:MM)

...............well? Yes.

The comment made by o sung wu says it all:

"Give your support to the coppers, they're doing their best, often under extraordinarily difficult conditions."

Damned by faint praise ... indeed.

I don't know whether Haneef is innocent or guilty, but the subtext here suggests that there is not a great deal of confidence in the AFP - or should it be ASIO. I agree.

The British do not fall into hysteria over potential terrorism. The British people have great respect for MI5 and MI6, who undeniably have extraordinary powers, and who are extremely efficient and quiet investigators. Despite the massive media machine in England, they are able to avoid such intrusions and the job done without great fanfare.

Unfortunately, the AFP seem inept by comparison. Haneef’s investigation was a media circus. The question of AFP’s level of competence is questionable; their investigation raises more questions than answers - in spite of the fact the public is not privy to all findings. I have no confidence in either the AFP or ASIO. They appear to have neither the experience nor training required for this work.

For any Australian security operative online - I would suggest that you don’t leave a mounting pile of breakfast, lunch and dinner wraps dropped outside your car when you have a suspect under close surveilance. This does tend to give you away. Whilst this occurred a few of years ago, the entire inhabitants of a certain block of flats remember this fondly.

I certainly hope such organisations are more efficient now. They need to be.

Hi Danielle,

It seems the AFP have more than one problem...surely the occupants of one car aren't all the surveilance staff of the AFP? Weren't they relieved of their duties at all during those days? The same car with a mounting pile of rubbish sounds quite unbelievable...are you sure they were AFP and not just a stalker on the loose?

One point you made about the British and their security forces was that they have great respect for them and treat them that way...the British are generally a fairly respectful people I guess. Perhaps Australians could take a leaf out of their book in that respect and try standing in the shoes of those security forces instead of tearing into them at every opportunity without knowing the facts.

Just a thought...

The AFP and ASIO are certainly not perfect however neither are any of us...I'd rather not be without them under the present circumstances.

...btw, I'm not an AFP or ASIO operative on line, they'll have to speak for themselves...

Danielle,

I think you should do some research before you go blindly making wild assertions.

The British equivalent of the AFP is NOT MI5 or MI6 it is SPECIAL BRANCH.

MI5 could broadly be described as ASIO’s equivalent with MI6 and ASIS sharing similar responsibilities.

I wonder whether you could provide us ANY evidence of ASIO mistakes in the Haneef case? I highly doubt it. Your confusion over the roles of the different arms of our intelligence/police services shows a complete lack of understanding of the issues. Clearly you have not delved below the surface and rely on tabloid newspapers for your opinions.

You said “the British don’t fall into hysteria over terrorism.” You can use all the highly emotive terms you like but it was the British who introduced Internment, Diplock courts, shoot to kill etc to deal with the IRA during the seventies and eighties. Look them up.

As for your brush with THE SPOOKS, for all you know they could have been absolutely anybody. But I’m sure with a little help from you and your obviously keen investigative skills you could whip these groups into shape in no time. Let her at ‘em.

Meg1 and Paul.L

I personally didn’t have the brush with spooks, but was told about it after a male was arrested in the block of flats in relation to importing drugs.

Meg1, You agreed with BOAS_David that we don’t know all the details.

I was also in Britain during the 1980’s and security was evident everywhere - not only were they concerned about the IRA, but also Animal Liberationists.

Paul.L. Thank you for the mini lesson on acronyms. I understood that a Security Service was set up in 1949, effectively taking over much of what the AFP did (and abysmally); and in 1950 expanded, becoming what is now known as ASIO.

Yes, I do know what security is. I lived in a terrorist society for seven years. We had friends who were killed; I stood in the aftermath of a cinema, packed full of locals, into which handgrenades had been lobbed. After this experience I developed a hatred of all terrorists whatever their ilk ... I similarly detest lynch mobs ...

But perhaps my experience, like that of Yvonne’s counts for nothing at all.

I concur that we have to have an efficient security in this country - not only to secure us from Islamo-fascists, but also from any “od bod” who has a grievance. Incidentally, I stand by my comments regarding ASIO and the AFP - "efficient" is the operative word.

'Meg1, You agreed with BOAS_David that we don’t know all the details.'

...and I reiterated the same sentiments in my last post...neither you, nor I...know all the facts.

There isn't much point pouting if someone disagrees with you...re: you and yvonne's experiences counting for nothing...no, the issue is that your experiences (or anyone elses) does not give you exclusivity in understanding the facts in this case...as was stated before. Your 'experiences' aren't the only criteria for deciding what is fact and what is fiction in this case...and you are not the only one with 'experiences' from terrorist events, don't assume you are...

Again, I'm pleased we have the security forces in place...imperfect though they are...that thin line of protection sure beats what many countries have around the world...some of us appreciate the work the try to do despite the knockers in this 'free' country.