UK Policing News

Monster indeed. Clearly in cases like these life should mean life. As for the threat to kill the judge, I would take that threat very seriously. For such an offence to be committed the victim would have to genuinly be in fear of his or her life, and I would be taking into account Breaks' history.

Leicestershire police have agreed to release files on the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann to her parents. The release of evidence to Kate and Gerry McCann comes after the couple dropped a High Court bid to force it. Leicestershire police stressed the pieces of information released did not represent fresh lines of inquiry. Madeleine, of Rothley, Leics, went missing in Praia da Luz, Portugal, on 3 May 2007. She was three at the time. The police decision to release the information comes after Portuguese media reported last week that the investigation would be closed because of a lack of evidence. Legal challenge The McCanns' lawyer, Tim Scott Q…

A postcard featuring a cute puppy sitting in a policeman's hat advertising a Scottish police force's new telephone number has sparked outrage from Muslims. Tayside Police's new non-emergency phone number has prompted complaints from members of the Islamic community. The choice of image on the Tayside Police cards - a black dog sitting in a police officer's hat - has now been raised with Chief Constable John Vine. Tayside Police caused uproar in the Muslim community after they released this advertisement featuring police puppy Rebel sitting in a hat The advert has upset Muslims because dogs are considered ritually unclean and has sparked such anger that some shopkee…

Parking attendants get ready to shore up the thin blue line ON LOOKOUT: Parking attendants are part of the operation Published Date: 07 July 2008 By GARETH ROSE Edinburgh Evening News A BLITZ on alcohol-fuelled city centre crime is being launched today with parking attendants and council wardens drafted in as extra eyes and ears. The summer crackdown will see police, council wardens and parking attendants target hot-spots in teams. High-visibility patrols will target city-centre buses, trains and licenced premises to stop people becoming drunk and abusive. Police will be tapping into the knowledge of the city council's environmental wardens. They will also seek …

Hospitals could be asked to release figures on people treated for stab wounds in order to gauge the true extent of knife crime. Home Office minister Tony McNulty said discussions with health ministers were taking place. He also warned carrying knives was "in youngsters' DNA". Currently gunshot wounds are reported to police but stab wounds are not. An Independent on Sunday investigation suggested that almost 14,000 people a year are injured in knife attacks. 'Appalling' tragedies Policing minister Mr McNulty told the Adam Boulton show on Sky News: "I know again there is a balance between an individual's privacy in terms of turning up at a casualty and the national he…

I bet that ruined the rest of his day ARMED police swooped on a passenger from a Southampton train as he arrived at a south coast train station - but they got the wrong man. The rail passenger was ordered to lie face down on the platform at gunpoint after leaving the Southampton train at Bournemouth station. Armed officers from Dorset descended on the station after receiving a tip-off from Hampshire police following an earlier armed incident which is thought to have happened in the Basingstoke area. Terrified on-lookers described how exits at the station were all blocked off and the 21-year-old man was forced to the ground as 10 armed officers arrested the 21-year-o…

Beeb A stripogram in a police uniform, who was cleared by a sheriff of having an offensive weapon in a public place, was arrested again on Saturday. Stuart Kennedy, 24, who is known as Sergeant Eros, was detained in Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire. It is thought the student was charged with obstructing a police officer. Previous charges were dropped when appeal judges backed a sheriff's ruling that stripogram work amounted to a reasonable excuse to carry a truncheon. Mr Kennedy, from Aberdeen, was originally questioned and later charged by Grampian Police after performing at a bar in the city last year. Legal loophole He went on trial at Aberdeen Sheriff Court acc…

Recorded coverage of the introduction of a Ten Minute Rule Bill on the DNA Database in the House of Commons, from Wednesday 11th June. iPLAYER LINK - HERE What are your views regarding this Bill. Personally, I am totally against it!

£275-a-head cost of crime Press association The cost of tackling recorded crime is £15 billion a year or £275 per person, according to a new report. The Taxpayers' Alliance said the cost of crimes reported to police in England, Wales and Northern Ireland was highest in Nottinghamshire at £390 a head, £2 higher than in London. However, the total was far lower than a previous estimate compiled by the Home Office, which put the cost of all crime at an annual £60 billion. The campaign group said violent crime including murder and serious assaults led to the highest cost, at £155 per person on average based on 2007 figures. It called for police bureaucracy to be…

Strathclyde Police is the first force in Scotland to win a prestigious award for business excellence. The Force’s Ayrshire division has scooped a top award at The Scottish Awards for Business Excellence 2007-08 following a ceremony on Tuesday 17 June 2008 at St Andrews Square, Glasgow. The awards, the most rigorous annual awards process in Scotland, establish an organisation’s current level of performance and assess their strengths and areas for improvement. The Business Excellence Award for Strathclyde Police recognises our commitment to quality and our drive to continuously improve the front line policing service in Ayrshire to the public. A range of perso…

Police 'shortage' for 2012 Games A lack of security staff for London's Olympics means veteran police officers must be brought out of retirement, a senior police figure has said. More than 1,500 officers will also have to be brought to London from other parts of the UK to guard the Games. Cuts to police dogs and horses will now have to be reversed to provide the level of protection required, Assistant Met Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur said. Organisers and ministers will receive a full report on security on Thursday. Officials and senior police officers have been meeting to discuss arrangements for the Olympics, when a huge security operation will be required. E…

Sorry, you're not allowed Radio 1 in the staff room. Story here and here.

Story here. How much longer is this going to go on for?

The Archbishop of Canterbury says the adoption of certain aspects of Sharia law in the UK "seems unavoidable". Dr Rowan Williams told Radio 4's World at One that the UK has to "face up to the fact" that some of its citizens do not relate to the British legal system. Dr Williams argues that adopting parts of Islamic Sharia law would help maintain social cohesion. For example, Muslims could choose to have marital disputes or financial matters dealt with in a Sharia court. He says Muslims should not have to choose between "the stark alternatives of cultural loyalty or state loyalty". 'Sensational reporting' In an exclusive interview with BBC correspondent Christo…