LEGAL

Many examples might be given to possession of drunken women and vaga­ evidence of other kinds. That suggestion, illustrate this conservatism but two will bonds’. I believe, cannot be proved to be well suffice. Until 1898 in England, and much based. Cynics also assert that it seems later elsewhere, a person charged with an Need to caution contrary to human nature that alleged offence was incompetent to give evidence I do not expect that the suggestion that offenders should freely confess their in his own defence. This rule, which now this so-called right to silence should be crimes to the police, but the fact remains seems to us utterly unfair and archaic, done away with will be greeted in Austra­ that not a few do so. There is therefore was strongly defended by some members lia with universal approbation, but it every reason why the law should properly of the legal profession and the public, seems to me that the adoption of the regulate the circumstances in which con­ who considered that it was advantageous suggestion would be rational in principle fessions are obtained. Proper regulation to the accused to be incompetent as a and beneficial in practice, and that it of the kind that I have suggested should witness. It was only over the strong would not operate unfairly towards per­ not only assist the police, but reduce the opposition of a number of eminent sons accused of crimes, provided that the temptation to fabricate confessions. lawyers that the law was changed to allow safeguards which I have already men­ The object of this article has been to the prisoner to give evidence. A second tioned are made available to every point to an area of the law, of practical example was provided when it was first arrested person. If the rule were abo­ significance, where the rules of the com­ proposed to establish an organised police lished it would of course be necessary to mon law clearly seem to require to be force; the cries that this would be a cease to give a caution in its present supplemented, or supplanted, by statu­ serious invasion of liberty prompted form. tory provision. Opinions may well differ Robert Peel to reply: T want to teach It is sometimes suggested that the as to the manner in which any change in people that liberty does not consist in tendency of the police to rely on confes­ the law may be effected. I have attemp­ having your house robbed by organised sional evidence is unhealthy, and that ted no more than to give, in outline, the gangs of thieves and in leaving the they ought to sharpen their methods of suggestions which I presently favour. principal streets of in the nightly investigation and endeavour to obtain Others may have other views.

of the 1880s and 1890s, the Right and Left Wing factions of the early 20th Century and the more recent multina­ Living in an age of tional operations. He identifies the de­ velopments in the last decade and analy­ ses the development and growth of the World Terrorism phenomena, State-sponsored terrorism and narcoterrorism and the reasons for the entirely disproportionate attention paid to the exploiters and perpetrators of terrorist acts in the world beset by truly Book Review by Brigadier M.H. MacKenzie-Orr, OBE, GM* important problems of our time — the danger of modern technology (Cher­ * Brigadier M.H. MacKenzie-Orr is Head of the Protective Services nobyl), Third World debt, famine and Co-Ordination Centre over-population, new and incurable dis­ eases. He identifies the impotence of major professor in the Department of Govern­ C r | ’'HE Age of Terrorism’ is an update military powers in the face of the terrorist A of Profesor Walter Laqueur’s ment at Georgetown University and the sponsored activities of strutting bemedal- classic ‘Terrorism’ which first appeared a editor of the prestigious ‘Journal of led military despots who never saw a shot decade ago and whose latest text is likely Contemporary History’. fired in anger until a totally frustrated to take a similar place in the bibliography As one would expect from a disting­ America mounted a raid on his home of terrorism — one of the most widely- uished historian the evaluation of a base — with dubious effects on the discussed issues of the past ten years. shocking and fascinating phenomenon is resolution of the problem it sought to The second prompts me to wonder if undertaken in a dispassionate and analyt­ attack. the dozens of field agents, assessors and ical manner. The simplifiers and gener­ analysts beavering away at their difficult alises who produce theories to account Sociology and dangerous intelligence tasks around for such disparate acts as the bombing of He examines the sociology of terror­ the world have the sort of insight with the rail centre at Bologna with the deaths ism, its funding intelligence gathering the pages of Amir Taheri’s seminal work of 80 innocent victims or the recent weapons and tactics, informers and coun­ ‘Holy Terror — The Inside Story of shooting of a French passenger on the ter measures and the crucial role of the ’ are illuminated. With hijacked Air Afrique airliner by a lone media which must soon get around to the Party of Allah encouraging the faith­ Lebanese former inmate of an Israeli producing annual awards for the most ful to export the war against the ‘Great prison camp are despatched with spectacular act of terrorism brought to Satan’ (the USA) to Mecca itself, the unassailable logic. the living rooms of millions in the Irangate revelations of the US-Iranian increasing search for greater stimulation arms for hostages deals and the despatch Political terror of senses dulled by unending chapters in of seven groups of Imams to Islamic In his introduction Professor Laqueur the saga of mass inhumanity. countries around the world, Taheri’s identifies and demolishes the contempor­ As a former bomb disposer and practi­ book could not have been better timed. ary erroneous beliefs propounded by the tioner of operational counter-terrorism, I Walter Laqueur is Chairman of the mass of terrorist commentators in mod­ found Professor Laqueur’s book both International Research Council of the ern times. The initial chapters chart the highly readable and stimulating. Centre for Strategic and International development of political terror from 19th While we in Australia are far removed Studies in Washington DC, a university Century through the anarchists from those parts of the world in which 22 Platypus 18, September 1987 PEOPLE terrorism appears to be endemic and do not have the ethnic, religious or material AFP disparities in our society in which terror­ ism seems to flourish we are not un­ touched by international terrorism. The OFFICER TO members of our society, police, security services, defence force and political lead­ ers could all profit form a study of the BRAMSHILL careful analysis and thoughtful com­ ments of Professor Laqueur. Terrorism Detective Chief Superintendent is not new — but it is dynamic and Arthur Brown will this month take up a Profesor Laqueur has produced a worthy two year posting on the directing staff at update to his classic work ‘Terrorism’ of the Police Staff College, Bramshill, when a decade ago. he replaces Chief Superintendent Bill Antill who has completed two years there. Journalist Chief Superintendent Peter Dawson Amir Theri was the editor-in-chief of was the first AFP officer to be invited to ‘Kayghan’ ’s largest selling daily the directing staff in 1984 and the newspaper between 1973 and 1977 — attachments have become regular since. before the Party of Allah staged its revolution and terminated the Pavlavi Detective Chief Superintendent dynasty to the considerable surprise of Brown said that the attachment was most of the free world — but not, I Detective Chief Superintendent extremely important as it affords the suspect, to Amir Taheri. He worked for Arthur Brown AFP the opportunity to study and under­ between 1980 and stand policing not only in the UK but 1984 and contributed to a number of Europe and with the many visitors who heavy dailies and weeklies, basing his come there from all over the world. articles and research for his book on He said it would be an opportunity to interviews with many of the world’s compare the standards of Australian leading statesmen and women and five Mr Taheri’s book is fascinating. He policing with those of other police forces years of research, case studies and field traces the many strands of the Islamic reports from Iran, Turkey, Egypt, the faith from the 7th Century to the visit by and to hopefully identify innovations Lebanon, Morocco, the Gulf States and Robert McFarlane and Ollie North to which could be used for Australians the Western nations directly threatened Teheran in 1986. He identifies the lead­ policing. by the ‘Holy terrorists’. ers who have arisen as disciples of the It would also be valuable in the context true faith, flourished, trod their time that the AFP was becoming increasingly upon the boards and then perished. involved in international policing efforts Revolution The history is replete with leaders torn particularly drug trafficking, organised The number of followers of Islam in down by their erstwhile followers, crime and complex fraud, and to see the world is estimated at between 800 seduced from the city of faith by the city these policing efforts from a global view­ million and one billion. Of that number, of war, whose blood was declared worth­ some 250,000 live in Australia and of point. less and whose lives therefore became them 150,000 in New South Wales. Because of his level within the AFP he forfeit. To a Westerner, it is a doom and also considered it would be very useful to ‘Day and night I beg Allah to hasten gloom laden faith. Contrast the declar­ comprehend and implement modern the moment promised to me when I shall ation ‘his blood is worthless’ with the administrative practices in contemporary become a complete human being, one optimistic Australian expression ‘his chosen by Allah and then Iran to kill for blood is worth bottling’. policing. It was important for any mod­ the glory of Islam.’ ern police force to have an administrative The book is well structured. It discus­ These words from a graduate of an structure and system which was keeping ses the training and motivation of the Iranian ‘School of Martyrs’ expresses the up with the operational demands. soldiers of Islam; how they plan their feelings of thousands of the children of It will also be an opportunity to visit missions, how the interplay of religious the revolution determined to use force to and economic imperatives force leaders the land of his childhood of Scotland in raise the banner of Islam in every capital occasionally to stray from the shining 1946. He migrated to Australia in 1954 of the world. path and how any accommodation sought with his parents and was educated in The focus of world attention on terror­ by representatives of the Great Satan are Canberra. He joined the former ACT ism is the . To understand doomed to failure. Police Force in 1965 and spent much of Islamic terror and its manifestations is A chilling book but compulsory read­ his detective working life in the CIB and one of the most urgent needs for main­ fraud. At the amalgamation he was taining ing to anyone engaged in the preservation an ever more fragile world peace. designated Chief Inspector and was most How significant that at a time when the of society from the effects of the holy major powers are moving towards an terrors. recently the Commander of the Fraud and General Crime Division in Canberra. agreement on a strategic arms limitations Both books have very extensive foot­ treaty in Geneva, their deliberations notes and a comprehensive index. It is should be relegated to the inside pages by significant that the two books should • ‘The Age of Terrorism’, by Walter the Iranian inspired riots in Mecca emerge in the same period — one by a Laqueur, Weindenfeld and Nicholson, against the ‘Great Satan’. man who has established himself as a London. Price: UK Pounds 17.95. Has the nuclear guarantor of world giant among contemporary writers on the • ‘Holy Terror — The Inside Story of peace begun to take back seat in interna­ subject of terrorism, the second by a Islamic Terrorism’, by Amir Taheri, tional debate to the activities of relatively journalist who has produced a book Century Ltd. Price: UK few individuals with poisoned daggers, which will take its place among the pounds 12.95. bombs, guns, and a willingness to die for standard works as a major contribution (Reprinted by kind permission of the the cause of Islam — and its manipula­ to understanding the more recent phe­ ABC ‘First Edition’). tors? nomenon of holy terror. Platypus 18, September 1987 23