UK Policing News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/7623999.stm

I know we have had our fair share of Taser roll-out stories, but this one is pretty specific. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/c...amp;attr=797084

As parents, we should know if our kids are likely to come into contact with a Paedophile, however, on the opposite side of the coin, this could drive those are well managed already, into hiding thus frustrating any subsequent investigations, or monitoring of Paedophiles. From Police Oracle Parents in some areas will be able to ask police if anyone with access to their child is a convicted paedophile. Details about child sex convictions will be revealed under a Home Office pilot scheme if police think a child may be in danger. Twelve-month trials are being held in Cambridgeshire, Hampshire, Stockton in Cleveland and Warwickshire and could be extended across the count…

The start of a slippery slope methinks...

Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne has set out his vision for tackling crime, calling for better policing rather than tougher sentences. At the party conference he attacked both Labour and the Conservatives for what he called "punishment posturing". He said people should not be sent to jail for minor offences when other punishments would be more effective. Resources must be directed towards more effective policing and detection rather than more prisons, Mr Huhne added. 'Tough choices' In his speech, he said the crime debate "was totally removed from reality" and accused Labour of creating 3,600 new offences since 1997 - a form of "legislative diarrho…

Here is the synopsis - out 2nd September 08. Welcome to Modern Britain - a country where you can be arrested for pinching a few crisps from a schoolfriend, throwing cream cakes or denying the existence of Santa Claus - while burglars, muggers and drug dealers go about their business unmolested by the forces of law and order. Two years on from the ground-breaking 'Wasting Police Time' and 'Diary of an On Call Girl', the trilogy is complete - as the most senior police officer to date breaks ranks to tell the shocking truth about the collapse of the country's criminal justice system. 'Inspector Gadget' - writing anonymously for fear of the sack - tells how things have go…

News article from local paper ##################### BNP in talks with police Thursday, September 04, 2008, 11:30 BRITISH National Party members will meet police today to finalise arrangements for a rally. Local party representatives believe that the event, to be held in the city later this month, could be the biggest ever staged by the BNP. Hundreds of members, including national party leader Nick Griffin, are expected to travel from across the UK on Saturday, September 20. They will distribute 50,000 leaflets to homes around the city. Councillor Alby Walker, BNP group leader on Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said that talks were under way with police and he was con…

I think no matter how much we all try to emotionally detach ourselves from a job, there comes a time, where even the most seasoned officers have their limit. From Police Oracle A 26-year-old man with 104,523 indecent images of children on his computer wanted children of his own so he could "have some fun," a court has heard. Some photos and videos were so shocking a police computer expert was moved to tears for the first time in her career. Aled Owen Matthews, of Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, was jailed at Carmarthen Crown Court for four years after pleading guilty to 33 charges. Some images were of children as young as one, and "truly shocking." The court heard t…

I was wondering what forum members may think of this incident reported here... http://new.edp24.co.uk/content/news/story....3A41%3A56%3A117 A quick summary - A 64 year old builder with no previous convictions is en-route between jobs and stops at a court building to pay a speeding fine. On entering the building, he realises he has a lock knife in his overalls that he uses daily for work, so he voluntarily hands it over to security for safe keeping. Security inform him he is carrying an illegal knife and call over a cop. The cop arrests him under section 139 and he's processed and offered a caution. The old fella didn't realise he was breaking the law and is pleased to b…

A former Metropolitan Police officer has been charged over a robbery at a betting shop in east London. Gary Griffiths, 38, of no fixed address, was charged with two counts of robbery at Ladbroke Bookmakers and possession of an offensive weapon. Mr Griffiths was held after two men robbed hundreds of pounds during a raid in North Road in Ilford. A staff member was also threatened with a gun. Bradley Donovan, 25, faces the same charges as Mr Griffiths. Both men will appear before Redbridge magistrates on Tuesday. Mr Griffiths left the police force earlier this year. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7618482.stm

From http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7618237.stm Confidence in police is 'fragile' Public confidence in the police is "fragile" and "declining", the head of the Police Superintendents' Association has told the BBC. Speaking ahead of the body's annual conference, Ian Johnston said there was a feeling that quality of service came second to "chasing targets". And he said many people were left feeling dissatisfied with the way they were treated after reporting a crime. Home Secretary Jacqui Smith will also speak at the conference in Cheshire. She will be joined by Helen Newlove whose husband Garry was kicked to death outside his home in Warrington by a gang of youths.…

A 15-year-old moped rider died after coming off his bike while being chased by police. Police were pursuing the teenager in a marked car after he drove on when officers attempted to stop him in West Norwood, south-east London. After about five minutes into the pursuit the youth came off his moped. He was given first aid at the scene by police but he was taken to hospital where he was later pronounced dead. A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said the boy had not yet been formally identified, but next of kin had been informed. The Directorate of Professional Standards has launched an inquiry into his death and the Independent Police Complaints Commission ar…

A woman dialled 999 because a rabbit she bought via a newspaper advert did not have floppy ears, Central Scotland Police have said. The force is urging the public not to dial 999 unless they are faced with a genuine emergency. The reminder comes after operators, who receive 34,000 999 calls a year, said the number was being dialled for "wholly inappropriate reasons". One call was from a woman splashed by a car which drove through a puddle. The force said staff were verbally abused after challenging her for using the emergency line for her complaint. Another man dialled 999 to ask call centre staff for the postcode to Grangemouth police station. 'Public safety' Ch I…

How peculiar - I wonder why he resigned a month ago? I bet there's more to this...

Privacy campaigners are fearful about a police database which will be used to monitor the movements of millions of motorists. A national network of automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras will be able to 'read' and store 50 million licence plates a day and store information for up to five years, The Guardian has learned. An Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) ANPR strategy document, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, envisages that the database will be used at all levels of policing. The document, which sets policy until 2010, states that police forces should "fully and strategically exploit" the database during investigations, which is alr…