UK Policing News

Traditional notebooks used by police officers are being replaced with electronic pads in an attempt to save time and cut down on paperwork. Durham Police has set aside £160,000 to spend on the new mobile computers for its officers in Darlington. Officers will be able to take down witness statements and accident reports on the hi-tech pads, which will then be downloaded onto a computer. Initially, 12 officers will use the new gadgets during the trial. If successful, a total of 140 officers in the town will also be issued with the pads. The devices will also allow officers on the street to run identification checks and look up "mug shots" through the force's loca…

A BOY aged just EIGHT caused havoc in town by stealing a dumper truck, it was revealed yesterday. The tiny tearaway took the massive vehicle for a joyride after finding it with the keys left in, parked outside a house undergoing building work. Neighbours saw him driving it away and he was later caught by police in Chorley, Lancs. Shock ... MP Nigel Evans But they could not prosecute him because he was two years under the legal minimum age – so he got away with just a ticking-off in front of his parents. Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans said: “Eight-year-olds should be playing with Corgi cars, not stealing real cars.†And Michelle Elliott of children’s charit…

Drivers in Dorset and Hampshire are being warned to expect delays when they have to pull over and fill in a form. A total of 60 locations across Poole, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Ringwood will be randomly manned starting from Tuesday until 5 June. Drivers will be forced to pull over but can refuse to answer the questions, which cover topics about the purpose of their journey and their destination. The study forms part of a £2m scheme to determine transport needs in the area. Drivers will not be informed in advance of the surveys as organisers wanted "people to go about their usual business". It is hoped the responses will help build an accurate picture of tr…

Funding has been provided by central government and national justice agencies... The contract has been awarded to build an innovative new justice centre in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. This unique centre will be built on the existing site of the old Magistrates' Courts and Jephson House in Newbold Terrace. The new building will then link together with the existing police premises in Hamilton Terrace, providing over 16,500 square metres of space. The contract costing £26.3M for the development has been awarded to Galliford Try Construction Limited, based in Wolvey, Leicestershire. Funding has been provided by central government and national justice agencies. The c…

The majority of drivers would welcome a toughening up of the drink-drive limit, according to new research. Two-thirds of those questioned by the AA said they backed a reduction in the current limit of 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood. Women were more keen than men for a change in the rules, with 75% in favour of a lower limit compared with 62% of men. Only 42% of younger drivers aged 18-24 wanted a lower limit, compared with 50% of those aged 35-54. As many as 30% of those who took part in the survey opted for a zero limit, but almost the same amount - 28% - were happy with the current limit. There has been some support for a move to lower the UK limit from 80mg to…

Clare Fitzsimmons 21 April 2008 A MAN who drove his high-powered BMW at 145mph on a south Warwickshire dual carriageway has been told he may be facing a prison sentence. James Higgins denied a charge of dangerous driving, claiming he was acting under ‘duress of circumstance’ because he was being tailgated by another car on the A46 near Bidford. But a jury at Warwick Crown Court took just 40 minutes to reject that and find Higgins, 59, of Doynton, near Bristol, guilty of the charge. PC Geoff Bell had told the court he was on duty in his unmarked Subaru Impreza, when he came to the island at the junction of the A46 and A435 near Alcester. He saw two BMWs come into…

Police officers in England and Wales have launched a legal attack over the Government's "morale-hitting" refusal to pay in full the expected 2.5% pay award for the current year. Home Secretary Jacqui Smith erred in law when she "shaved off" three-months-worth of the recommended increase to comply with a "Treasury dictat", police lawyers argued at the High Court in London. Gavin Millar QC, appearing for the Police Federation, said Ms Smith had approached the whole question of police pay "with a closed mind", and her decision could not stand. It would cause police officers in England and Wales - but not Scotland - to lose £200 on average in pay in the current pay year, …

Routine journeys carried out by millions of British motorists can be monitored by authorities in the United States and other enforcement agencies across the world under anti-terrorism rules introduced discreetly by Jacqui Smith. The discovery that images of cars captured on road-side cameras, and "personal data" derived from them, including number plates, can be sent overseas, has angered MPs and civil liberties groups concerned by the increasing use of "Big Brother" surveillance tactics. Images captured by road-side cameras will be made available to foreign authorities Images of private cars, as well as registration numbers, could be sent outside to countries s…

FIREFIGHTERS stumbled across a cannabis farm while tackling a blaze at a house – just 400 yards from a POLICE station. Neighbours in the smart suburb had no idea the Victorian townhouse was being used to grow 17,500 plants worth £2million. Heating and lighting equipment was powered from the basement, where the fire started. Insp Gareth Woods said: “There could have been a major explosion if the fire service hadn’t got there in time.†The plants were later destroyed. Cops suspect two immigrants, possibly Vietnamese, ran the farm in Macclesfield, Cheshire. CHRISTOPHER Wilkins, 63, faces court today after cops found £1million of cannabis and a gun at his home …

Undercover investigators got counterfeit UK passport, National Insurance cards, driving licence and utility bills from crook Stephen Mapiye. They would allow terrorists to simply disappear in Britain. And the papers are all fraudsters need to claim benefits, open bank accounts and work illegally. Mapiye, originally from Zimbabwe, operates outside Luton rail station. He claimed he could also provide false degree, A-level and GCSE certificates plus MOT and tax discs. He bragged: “I can reinvent you and make you into whoever you want. Just tell me the name you want and I’ll tell you the price.†Posing as illegal immigrants, our team also bought a Zimbabwe passpor…

POLICE are hunting a gang of youths who threw a rock from a bridge on the A1, smashing through a car's windscreen. The driver was shocked by the sudden collision and splintering glass, but managed to keep control of the car. He was travelling at between 50 and 60mph at the time of the impact and the rock missed him and his passenger by inches. Both were unhurt in the incident. The rock was thrown from the bridge near the Bankton Junction at 8.50pm on Thursday as the car headed from East Lothian towards Edinburgh. Police chiefs today said it was "miraculous" that the attack did not lead to a fatality or serious injury. Inspector Dougie Kirkham, from the force's road p…

The first Chief Constable of Avon & Somerset, Kenneth Steele CBE KPM, has died at the age of 93... Avon and Somerset Constabulary is sad to announce the death of its first Chief Constable, Kenneth Steele CBE KPM, at the age of 93. Kenneth Steele was Chief Constable between 1974-1979 and was the first police chief of the amalgamated forces that became Avon and Somerset Constabulary. At that time he was the only serving police officer to hold the King's Police Medal. The force had been made by combining Bristol City Constabulary, Somerset and Bath Constabulary and the Southern Division of the Gloucestershire Constabulary. Chief Constable Colin Port said: "Kennet…