UK Policing News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8638255.stm The threat from dissident republicans in Northern Ireland is higher than at any time since the Omagh bomb almost 12 years ago, according to police. Senior police officers believe rival factions in the Real IRA and Continuity IRA have increased co-operation and stepped up recruitment. There is concern that they may try to disrupt the election campaign. Security sources have told the BBC the dissident situation has "deteriorated significantly". The threat posed by dissidents has been officially classified as "severe" for the past 14 months. The assessment was increased from "substantial" last February. This means th…

Dashing out of a shop after buying a newspaper, Andy Berry's only concern was catching his bus. But that worry was soon forgotten when he was confronted by five police officers carrying Heckler& Koch machine guns. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1267808/Armed-police-surround-man-shotgun--walking-stick.html#ixzz0lpWZjzjP Glad he saw the funny side of this incident, and he is not running off to court.

link A Surrey Police officer has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving after a collision on the A244 Esher Road, Hersham in November 2008. 39-year-old John Wright, a Police Constable on the North Surrey Targeted Patrol Team based at Esher police station, was charged at Slough police station this afternoon (Wednesday 29 April). He will appear at Reading magistrates court on Tuesday 5 May. The collision occurred at 6:55pm on Tuesday 4 November when a marked Ford Mondeo police car, responding to an emergency call and driven by PC Wright, collided with a pedestrian on Esher Road close to Ramornie Close. The pedestrian, Archibald McIlveen, aged 75 from Islin…

Thousands of paedophiles and rapists could have their names wiped from the Sex Offenders' Register after two convicts won a landmark human rights case yesterday. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1267756/Sex-offenders-win-right-challenge-length-time-remain-register.html#ixzz0lpYjVPks This comes as no surprise, what is surprising thou, is that a court can still jail anyone who they think should be in jail. Sooner or later a jail term will be considered to breach human rights. The fact the Police are still allowed to arrest is a surprise to, as sooner or later this will also be deemed as contrevining human rights. It takes time, will need someone of gre…

Tens of thousands of nightclub bouncers and private security guards could be given sweeping police-style powers. Senior police officers have ordered a dramatic expansion of a controversial scheme that allows authorised civilians to issue fines for littering and other minor offences. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1267378/Police-power-given-nightclub-bouncers-security-guards.html#ixzz0ld4Pgga2 Few seem to give the Police the respect they deserve, i cannot see this lot getting it. "'Instead of relying on club doormen to fight crime and anti-social behaviour, we should be putting 3,000 more police out on the beat.'" Sounds about right!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8632038.stm A comedian who was illegally stopped and searched after a demonstration in east London has won compensation from the Metropolitan Police (Met). If you not know him (unsurprisingly because he is not funny) They`re must be more then what is written in this story, if not, this would mean Stop and search would be banned.

A bid to smuggle £500,000 of mephedrone derivative into Scotland has been foiled by police and customs officials. Parcels containing 50kg of the compound 3-Fluoromethcathinone were intercepted at Glasgow Airport last week by UK Border Agency officials. A 21-year-old man was later charged with illegally importing the substance. Mephedrone, also known as M-CAT and Meow Meow, was formerly considered a "legal high". It was categorised as an illegal Class B drug last week. The parcels which were uncovered at Glasgow Airport were destined for addresses in Ayrshire. Three properties in Stevenston were searched by officers from the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency (S…

The ex-boss of a Liverpool children's charity has been jailed indefinitely after admitting the "sadistic torture" of women in a string of sex attacks. Matthew Byrne took prostitutes to his home in Wirral where he tied them up, beat them with a cane and suffocated them, Liverpool Crown Court heard. Byrne, of Tollemache Street, Wallasey, Wirral, pleaded guilty to five counts of sexual assault in March. He must serve at least three-and-a-half years before being eligible for parole. Judge John Phipps imposed an indeterminate sentence for the public's protection. He told him: "You subjected your victims to sadistic attacks of the most extreme kind. "One of them said …

Workington's new road bridge opened to reunite town The two sides of Workington were finally reunited by road this morning when the town's temporary bridge opened The town has been split in two after last year's catastrophic floods caused the Northside bridge to collapse and the Calva bridge to close. But contractors Morgan Est pulled out all the stops to build the vital temporary road bridge in record time over the River Derwent. Since November residents living in Northside, Seaton and Barepot have been faced with hour-long detours taking them through Dovenby to get from one side of the river to the other. Many residents say they have been living a nightmare and ha…

For anyone who has never heard of Mark Thomas, watch this YouTube vid! A comedian who was illegally stopped and searched after a demonstration in east London has won compensation from the Metropolitan Police . Mark Thomas has received £1,200 and a "full apology" for having his wallet and shoulder bag searched by two police officers in September 2007. One officer recorded in writing that he was suspicious of Mr Thomas because of his "over-confident attitude". A Met spokesman said the force admitted the illegal search and questioning. The officer who conducted the search, a member of the force's territorial support group, has received "formal words of advice", a Met…

Motorists have been hit with speeding tickets worth almost £1billion under Labour, a report shows. But receipts have fallen since police were stopped from keeping part of the money raised from speed cameras. It suggests that the explosion in the number of cameras was used as a 'cash cow' and that forces no longer have an incentive to install them. Drivers were clobbered with 1.23million tickets in 2008, of which 1.03million were issued by speed cameras, the Home Office report revealed. The tickets raised more than £73million for the Treasury that year, or £200,000 a day. In total, 16million tickets have been issued since 1997, raising £913million. In 2006, 1…

April 20, 2010 A father-of-one has been stabbed to death after a fight outside a flat. Anthony Kershaw, 25, was killed after a row with a householder, who had apparently called police because of nuisance behaviour outside his ground-floor flat on Great Howarth, Smallbridge, Rochdale. The householder, a 52-year-old man, reported someone had urinated against his door. He was arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm with intent by police following the attack on Mr Kershaw. Police were first alerted just after midnight and paramedics took Mr Kershaw to hospital but he died at 10.50am today. Locals said Mr Kershaw, the father of a 14-month-old son, was out o…

A mystery man dubbed the 'good Samaritan' risked his life to rescue a toddler from a burning car. The man saved the life of a three-year-old boy, who was injured in a fatal road traffic collision. Two vehicles were involved in the head-on crash just after 5.30pm last night in the Bedfordshire village of Heath and Reach. The driver of a dark blue Vauxhall Astra was pronounced dead at the scene while the toddler, who was a passenger in the same car, was taken to Luton and Dunstable Hospital. Saved: A toddler saved by a mystery man is now in Luton and Dunstable Hospital The driver of the other vehicle, a white Volkswagen van, was seriously injured and was airlifted t…