UK Policing News

Paris shootings and explosions near Stade de France kill 18 At least 18 people have been killed in several shootings in the French capital, Paris, as well as explosions at the Stade de France. At least one man opened fire with an automatic gun at the Petit Cambodge restaurant in the 11th district. Liberation newspaper reports four deaths. It also reports shootings near the Bataclan arts centre. Three explosions are also reported outside a bar near the Stade de France, where France were hosting Germany. Reports say French President Francois Hollande was watching the match and has been moved to safety. A BBC journalist at the Petit Cambodge restaurant says he ca…

Police forces may lose dedicated firearms teams, says Theresa May Forces may need to share specialist teams to avoid duplication amid tightening budgets, says Home Secretary http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/11986491/Police-forces-may-lose-dedicated-firearms-teams-says-Theresa-May.html Theresa May, the Home Secretary Photo: GEOFF PUGH Police forces could be stripped of their own firearms and cyber crime teams, and forced to share them with neighbouring forces, the Home Secretary has signalled. Theresa May announced that major reforms of police manpower will be discussed at a high-level meeting in the next few days. She said the Government would …

If police have to make these cuts, what exactly should they stop doing? Polly Toynbee - The Guardian 17/11/2015 0600 How safe can we be? On the night of the Paris atrocity I was out with the Bedfordshire police, watching what they do and what they can no longer do. Blue lights flashing, dashing through the streets of Luton and Bedford in the patrol car, I talked about cuts with Olly Martins, the police and crime commissioner. As we spoke about the local Islamist terror threat we couldn’t know how much closer it was coming. Commissioners and chief constables are kicking off up and down the country, from London’s Met to Liverpool, with unprecedented protest at the …

Teenager arrested over Tower Hamlets police stabbing 2 hours ago From the section London Image copyright Google Image caption The officer was attacked near Bunsen House, Bow A 16-year-old has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a police officer was stabbed in the stomach in Tower Hamlets, east London. Two officers attended a car park near Bunsen House, Bow, at 23:30 GMT on Sunday after receiving reports of anti-social behaviour. A knife was recovered and the suspect was taken to an east London police station for questioning. The officer is in a "serious but stable condi…

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-34503004 His message to the good folk his force covers: http://www.lancashire.police.uk/campaigns/changes-to-police-funding/chief-constable-steve-finnigan-s-full-message-to-the-people-of-lancashire-about-the-proposed-cuts-and-what-they-will-mean-for-residents.aspx

With cutbacks clearly taking their toll on British policing, officers watched with empathy and concern as the drama unfolded and noted how the French authorities were able to rapidly pour formidable police resources in the form of hundreds of heavily armed police officers on to the streets of Paris and other major cities. http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/chris-hobbs/police-cuts_b_6454652.html

It seems simple to me. Cameron and the Tories cut funding to councils and police. Those organisations then cut staff, functions, buildings as a result. Constituents complain to Cameron as their local MP and he then complains to the council and police about the effects of cuts he instigated! Cameron asked the council to consider back office savings as a way of meeting the cuts but the council leader replied saying that those easy cuts had already been made meaning that future reductions would have to come from front line services. It looks like Cameron is out of touch and is unaware of what has been going on in order to meet government plans.

All officers 'should have degrees', says College of Policing http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34805856 All new police officers in England and Wales could require a degree in future, under plans proposed by the College of Policing. Currently there is no service-wide minimum qualification for new police officers, but the college says the job is now of "degree-level complexity". It is consulting on the plans, which if approved could run as a pilot in 2017 and be fully adopted by 2019. But the Police Federation said it fundamentally disagreed with the idea. The federation, which represents rank-and-file police officers, said the plans would exclude hard-to-reach groups and …

Stepbrother jailed for Watts murder [update] Nathan Matthews has been jailed for a minimum of 33 years for murdering his stepsister Becky Watts, 16, in a sexually motivated kidnap plot. His girlfriend Shauna Hoare, 21, has been sentenced to 17 years for manslaughter. At Bristol Crown Court, Judge Mr Justice Dingemans said he was sure on the evidence "that the planned kidnap of Becky was for a sexual purpose". Matthews suffocated his stepsister at her home in Bristol on 19 February. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-34812317