UK Policing News

Felicity Austin was the mother of three boys and a pre-school work A police officer is expected to face charges of causing death by dangerous driving after a fatal crash in Kent. Felicity Austin, 29, from Hadlow, was killed on the A21 near Tunbridge Wells on 5 May when her Renault Megane crashed with an unmarked police Skoda. It was being driven by Metropolitan Police constable Nigel Brown, 46. He is due before Sevenoaks magistrates on 16 March, when he is expected to be charged, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said. The IPCC managed an inquiry by Kent Police officers into the crash. Speaking shortly after the incident, an…

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/surrey/8557295.stm << Clicky

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wear/8557273.stm << Clicky

A baby boy who died after being left outside a mosque was not examined for 45 minutes after he was found, a member of the mosque has claimed. Staffordshire Police originally said a baby's body had been found outside Makki Masjid mosque in Shelton, Stoke-on-Trent, on Saturday morning. It later said the boy had been alive, but died later in hospital. Worshipper Navid Hussain said police had "assumed" the baby was dead. The force would not comment. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said the case had been referred to it by Staffordshire Police. A spokeswoman for the commission said it was looking into the initial police assessment of the scene to "deter…

A hit squad of senior police officers is expected to deliver a damning report this week on the performance of one of the country's worst-performing forces. The verdict by the team, made up of two chief constables and senior figures from local government and the private sector, could lead to Nottinghamshire police becoming the only force in the country to be "named and shamed" for failing to protect the public. The intervention of the team, which was sent in to Nottinghamshire on the orders of Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, was seen as the last attempt to avoid intervention by the Home Office. Ultimately the home secretary Alan Johnson has the power to repla…

Police forces have paid out hundreds of thousands of pounds for repairs to vehicles following crashes with parked cars, walls and trees, it has emerged. Figures for the past two years show only a minority of crashes were during 999 calls and few officers had been reprimanded, fined or suspended. Northern Constabulary said one officer caused £229 of damage by hitting an overhanging branch while reversing. The information was revealed following Freedom of Information requests. In the requests, forces were asked how many vehicles had been damaged in collisions that had not involved other vehicles or people since January 2008 and how much the repairs cost. Traffic un…

I assume there will be some disciplinary procedure to recover costs where the operator is proved to be at fault? http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/8554106.stm

A baby boy who died after being left outside a mosque was not examined for 45 minutes after he was found, a member of the mosque has claimed. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/staffordshire/8554133.stm "Officers later discovered the package was actually a baby placed inside a newsagent's carrier bag." Maybe, just maybe, instead of blaming the Police, they should have looked at this bag themselves. But placing the blame on the Police is so much easier.

A nationwide strike by civil servants brought chaos to key public services today - including 999 calls, passport offices and driving test centres. Up to 270,000 civil and public servants begin a 48-hour strike today over cuts to their redundancy payouts. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12...l#ixzz0hbHkn3lT So who picks up the 999 calls now? "Around 9,000 civilian staff at the Metropolitan Police will join the picket line." Must be something in keeping 999 calls out of civilians hands.

Staffordshire Police’s Special Constabulary has appointed a deputy chief constable. The new post has been created as the constabulary seeks to significantly swell its ranks from around 300 to 500 officers. http://www.staffordshire.police.uk/news/ne...ty_cc_specials/ looks good to me more police even if they are specials and a new man at the top

A £40,000 car which once belonged to criminals in Glasgow is now being used by the police in the fight against serious crime. The black AS7 Audi Quattro TDI SiLine was seized by officers from Strathclyde police during an operation against a criminal gang in the north of the city. The 4x4 car has now been emblazoned with the force's livery and will be used by the Gangs Task Force.This is the first time Strathclyde Police has used a confiscated vehicle. Assistant Chief Constable John Neilson said: "I would say to the criminals that what you have this week; your houses, your cars - you might not have next week. "The hard working, law abiding citizens need to know that w…

A gang of travellers thought to have been responsible for nearly half the country's caravan thefts over a three-year period were jailed today. Family members Charlie Ward, 28, Martin Ward, 21, John McDonagh, 31, and Martin McDonagh, 29, were found to be in possession of more than £700,000 in stolen caravans, cars and motorhomes, jewellery and cash when they were arrested in Wiltshire in 2007. After they were detained, thefts of caravans fell from 848 to 454 in a year. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12...l#ixzz0hbQBwmS3 as a mop reading this case the police have done a good job in getting this gang put away

Staffordshire Police's Special Constabulary has appointed a deputy chief constable. The new post has been created as the constabulary seeks to significantly swell its ranks from around 300 to 500 officers. Simon Anderson, previously Special Chief Inspector on Trent Valley Division, first became a Special Constable in Hertfordshire 21 years ago and transferred to Staffordshire 18 months later following a move in his day job. The 40-year-old from Burton-on-Trent, who is a technical architect for South Staffordshire and Shropshire Foundation Trust's Health Informatics Service, brings a wealth of experience to the post. Married, with two children,…