UK Policing News

http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30100-1305026,00.html

A one billion dollar lawsuit against YouTube threatens internet freedom, according to its owner Google. Google's claim follows Viacom's move to sue the video sharing service for its inability to keep copyrighted material off its site. Viacom says it has identified 150,000 unauthorised clips on YouTube. In court documents Google's lawyers say the action "threatens the way hundreds of millions of people legitimately exchange information" over the web. The search giant's legal team also maintained that YouTube had been faithful to the requirements of the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act and that they responded properly to claims of infringement. In papers subm…

I heard on the news at 1.am 27/may/2008. Truckers this morning will be on a go slow into London, has anyone heard anything about this? I cannot find the news story anywhere. Edited. Found it. Fuel Rises Drive Hauliers' Protest Alistair Bunkall Sky News reporter Updated:00:21, Tuesday May 27, 2008 Up to 1,000 lorries are expected to make a special journey to central London today to protest against the rising cost of fuel. It is likely to be the largest protest of its kind in the capital. There will be representatives from all parts of the UK with hauliers expected to travel to London from the South West, Kent, Newcastle, Manchester and South Wales. They are dem…

bank holiday weekend toll of young victims of violence stood at two dead and one on the critical list in an east London hospital last night. Now 28 teenagers have died in knife attacks this year - young men (and a few young women) whose lives had hardly begun. Each crime triggers new demands for longer prison sentences and stronger police powers. It would be a brave politician who admitted that there is little hard evidence about the underlying causes and scale of knife crime and that the most effective course of action would be to do some decent research. The impression that knife crime is out of control is now so overwhelming that it has become almost impossible to co…

A Mother-of-three who suffers from a disease which causes balance problems was thrown into cells - because police mistakenly thought she was drunk. Lorraine Parkin, 37, who is teetotal, was just leaving a supermarket when an officer ordered her to stop her car. Mrs Parkin was approached by a female officer who asked her whether she had been drinking. The officer asked her to step out of her car and several police officers who had been nearby arrived an confiscated her car keys. Despite explaining she suffered from Huntington's Disease, showing her medication and even offering to take a breath test, Mrs Parkin had her car keys confiscated. She claims that at one stage…

A major new documentary series will give people an exclusive look behind the scenes of Greater Manchester Police Mounted Unit. If you have ever wondered what it takes to keep officers in the saddle and patrolling the streets of Greater Manchester the 13 part series will give the answers. After 18 months of filming, ‘Mounted Branch’ will be screened exclusively on Animal Planet channel (Sky 525) from 10 June. The series follows the fortunes of the unit’s officers, grooms and most importantly horses as they work to keep Greater Manchester safe. Chief Inspector Lynn Roby, head of the Mounted Unit, said: “We wanted to give people a chance to see something only a s…

Police have launched an investigation after Labour MP Anne Moffat was attacked, BBC Scotland has learned. Ms Moffat said she was mugged by a gang of drunken youths and left with broken ribs while jogging near her home, in Cockenzie, East Lothian. The East Lothian MP was knocked unconscious and her watch and jewellery taken by her attackers. She was treated in hospital in Edinburgh after the incident on Friday and branded her attackers "scum". Police said they were looking for up to six young men between 18 and 20-years-old. Ms Moffat, 50, who has been recovering at home after also suffering cuts and bruises, told BBC Scotland the attack happened in the evening, …

Police marksmen 'may put down guns' Armed officers may put down their weapons if changes to rules governing investigations into police shootings are forced through. One watchdog wants to end the practice of allowing police marksmen to work together on statements prepared in the hours after a shooting. But the Police Federation said any change to established procedures could leave armed officers "vulnerable" and make it harder to find out what happened. Jan Berry, chairman of the Police Federation, said any change would leave a "question mark" over firearms operations. Speaking as the annual Police Federation conference gets under way in Bournemouth, she said officer…

New measures to tackle knife crime could alienate young people, the Children's Commissioner for England has warned. Officers are using powers under Section 60 of the Public Order Act which allow them to search people for knives and guns without reasonable suspicion they may be carrying a weapon. The police said the move, which follows a spate of knife killings in London, is intended to keep young people safe not victimise them. But Sir Al Aynsley-Green said more stopping and searching of young people could create hostility and called for more research into the effects of the increased powers. He told the BBC: "There is a balance here. On the one hand for young people t…

Young thugs who breach an Asbo should be spared jail in virtually all cases, sentencing experts said yesterday. Punishments should be reduced further if young offenders are led astray by 'peer pressure' or if they suffer from 'a lack of parental support'. The proposals from the Sentencing Guidelines Council mean youngsters from more troubled backgrounds, or those who hang around with other young offenders, can expect more lenient treatment for ignoring Anti-Social Behaviour Orders. Critics poured scorn on the plans, claiming the Asbo policy - once the flagship of Tony Blair's law-and-order strategy - was in disarray and Labour's Respect Agenda to stamp out yobbish b…

COPS in riot gear baton-charged hundreds of bottle-throwing Chelsea supporters as fighting broke out outside the club’s Stamford Bridge ground after the match. The trouble flared up near a pub where Prince Harry had been watching the Blues lose a dramatic penalty shootout in the Champions League final to rivals Manchester United. Five police officers were left injured in the violence. A barman who saw the violence outside Fulham Broadway Tube station said: "About 50 people attacked the cop car. They tried to rip the lights off and get inside. Then it all kicked off into a riot. "There were about 800 fans and only about 50 police. They were desperately trying to …

At a meeting today of the national Joint Central Committee of the Police Federation of England and Wales, the following were elected: Chairman - Paul McKeever General Secretary - Ian Rennie Treasurer - David Moore Vice-Chairman - Simon Reed Deputy General Secretary - Steve Smith Deputy Treasurer - Martyn Mordecai Upon being elected as Chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, Paul McKeever, a Metropolitan Police Sergeant, said: “It is a great honour to be elected Chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales and a great privilege to follow in the footsteps of such an influential predecessor as Jan Berry. I will help move the Federation p…