What global issue does this image relate to?
Civil obedience
Policing
Impact of terrorism
Information:
Civil obedience
Laws are systems of rules that a particular country or community recognizes as regulating the actions of its members and may enforce by the imposition of penalties. Laws help shape the politics, economy and social relationships within a country (sovereign state). Civil obedience is a term used to indicate compliance to the law. An institution such as a government usually determines the laws of a country. In democratic countries, the three main branches of government; the judiciary (courts), democratic legislature and the executive, are responsible for creating and implementing laws. Enforcement of laws usually involves a government bureaucracy, the police and in some cases the military.
Countries may also be signatories to international laws and agreements. Part of the 1948 International Bill of Rights, for example, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, recognises “the inherent dignity and equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family as the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world”.
Policing
Countries typically empower police forces and related services to enforce laws and provide security for their citizens. In some cases there may be multiple police forces operating in the same area however they may have responsibility for different areas. In Australia, each state and territory has a police force responsible for enforcing state laws within their state. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) is responsible for investigating offences against federal laws, including drug trafficking, illegal immigration, crimes against national security and crimes against the environment.
There are international agencies that facilitate international police cooperation. The largest of these is INTERPOL, with 188 members. Created in 1923, it “facilitates cross-border police co-operation, and supports and assists all organizations, authorities and services whose mission is to prevent or combat international crime.” Source: http://www.interpol.int/ public/icpo/default.asp.
Impact of terrorism
Terrorist attacks, particularly since the events of September 11, 2001, have resulted in many countries introducing anti-terrorism legislation designed to combat terrorist activity. Heightened security measures have included increased police and security presence at major airports, city centres, and transportation networks to prevent further terrorist attacks. Australia’s response to the threat of terrorism involves all levels of government. Strategies include: the implementation of effective laws, intelligence gathering, law enforcement, aviation and maritime security, border control, protective security, preventative health measures, emergency response and consequence managing, the protection of public and private infrastructure, planning and testing responses and enhancing national and international co-operation. Source: http://www.ag.gov.au/www/agd/agd.nsf/Page/National_security.
Useful links:
Civil obedience
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/
Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade. Information about Australia’s legal system
http://www.dfat.gov.au/facts/legal_system.html
Policing
Interpol website
http://www.interpol.int/
Impact of terrorism
United Nations action to counter terrorism
http://www.un.org/terrorism/
Australian Government Attorney-General’s Department national security and counter-terrorism
http://www.ag.gov.au/www/agd/agd.nsf/Page/National_security
