UK Policing News

Following a report in today's Evening Standard we wish to make it clear that MPS Commissioner Sir Ian Blair has neither recommended nor approved a plan to hand over any part of London's Olympic security to other countries. Approval for foreign police officers to carry firearms in the UK is a ministerial one through the Home Office and at this time no decision has been reached on these matters. As part of the proper planning process to assess the armed capability requirement in 2012 the Commissioner raised the issue last June with the Metropolitan Police Authority and made it clear that the over-riding principle was that the Met 'did not want armed foreign police'. H…

Nine police officers are going to live with families in Poland in order to "immerse" themselves in the culture. The officers from Avon & Somerset Constabulary will spend two weeks with families in Krakow as part of a project to improve community relations. Insp Mark Evans, who is leading the group, said: "We hope this will enhance our working relationship with Poles in our force area." Police estimate that there are about 50,000 Poles in the region. The officers have been taking Polish lessons in preparation for their visit. Insp Mark Evans added: "The number of Poles coming in to Avon & Somerset has increased in the last few years. "It is important th…

A mother and daughter have been named as victims of an horrific road accident that killed four people. Agnes Graham, 52, died along with her daughter, Kathryn Graham, 22, and her sister, Mary Kennedy, 53, Cumbria Police said. A fourth 21-year-old woman, a cousin of Kathryn Graham, the driver, is fighting for her life in hospital. All four were in a red Ford Fiesta which came off the road and burst into flames after a crash involving two other cars on the A595 in Moota, near Cockermouth, Cumbria. Andrew Pattison, 23, from Whitehaven, driving a blue Vauxhall Astra, was also killed. Two men, also local to the area, escaped with minor injuries, after their car, a Chrysle…

A council has used powers intended for anti-terrorism surveillance to spy on a family who were wrongly accused of lying on a school application form. Have you say: Are these tactics justified? For two weeks the middle-class family was followed by council officials who wanted to establish whether they had given a false address within the catchment area of an oversubscribed school to secure a place for their three-year-old. The council logged the family's actions in detail- click to enlarge The "spies" made copious notes on the movements of the mother and her three children, who they referred to as "targets" as they were trailed on school runs. The snoopers even watched…

BBC News Prisons drug trade 'worth £100m' The government is conducting an inquiry into drug supply in prisons An estimated £100m worth of drugs are being traded in prisons each year, an ex-prison service worker has said. Former National Offender Management Service drug treatment head Huseyin Djemil said the Prison Service had no idea of the size of the drugs market. He told BBC Radio 4's The Investigation the service needed to "get smarter" if it wanted to reduce drugs in prisons. The government said the number of prisoners testing positive for drugs had fallen from 25% to 9% since 1997. Regular users Mr Djemil estimated a worst case scenario of 20kg o…

This is from my local newspaper. http://www.adver.co.uk/mostpopular.var.218...o_her_death.php Might not be amazing, but all credit to the guy!

Police in Wigan made some significant crime reductions during the last financial year. When the period 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008 was compared against the same period in 2006-2007, there were 484 fewer victims of crime overall. Vehicle crime was reduced by 16.5 per cent, meaning 850 fewer victims, and high-visibility patrols led to 676 fewer incidents of criminal damage, a reduction of 9.1 per cent. In addition, police recorded 159 fewer incidents of anti-social behaviour. Chief Superintendent Lee Bruckshaw, Divisional Commander for Wigan, said: “We are committed to keeping crime down in Wigan, and I am delighted that latest figures show we’ve achieved consider…

Police seized nearly 37,000 pints of beer and cider from children during a two-week crackdown earlier this year, it has been revealed. Officers also confiscated 1,165 litres of wine, 1,027 litres of spirits and 1,255 litres of alcopops from underage drinkers in the campaign, which took place during a half-term break. The figures will be seized upon by some commentators who claim underage drinking has been allowed to spiral out of control. But Government ministers hailed the results of the £760,000 campaign - staged by 39 police forces in England and Wales - as a success. Of the 5,143 youngsters who surrendered alcohol to the police, 25% said they were aged 15 or under…

A man was beaten unconscious when he stood up to a gang of youths attacking a fellow train passenger. British Transport Police (BTP) said the "vicious assault" happened at Wimbledon, south-west London, on a Waterloo to Guildford train. The youths threw food, drink and a traffic cone, injuring a woman. When a passenger confronted the group he was kicked unconscious, police said. The victim suffered a broken collar bone, two broken teeth and broken ribs. Police have issued CCTV images of 10 suspects they want to speak to about the assault. 'Vicious assault' Officers said the same group that took part in the assault on 15 March had abused station staff minutes ea…

Singer Doherty is sent to prison Pete Doherty has been forced to postpone a show in April Babyshambles frontman Pete Doherty has been jailed for 14 weeks for violating his probation and for using drugs. Judge Davinder Lachar handed the musician the sentence at a court hearing in west London. Doherty had been given a suspended jail sentence for possession of drugs and driving illegally in October last year. His supervision order required him to make regular visits to court for progress reports, as well as take part in a drug rehabilitation programme. The BBC's David Sillito said the singer had missed one appointment with his probation team and been late for an…

Article 6 of the Human Rights Act comes to the rescue of Abu Qatada to refuse permission to deport him to Jordan to face terrorist charges - Home Office says it will appeal. BBC