UK Policing News

Shots were fired at unarmed police officers as they chased a man in an Essex town. No-one was injured and five men were later arrested after officers were called to the area of Arne Court and Vaughan Williams Road in Laindon. The alarm was raised shortly after 01:00 BST on Sunday when callers reported seeing a number of men with firearms. Three men were later arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. Two others were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to rob. Police have appealed for anyone with information about the incident to come forward. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-34565469 Stumbled across this news story obviously not that no…

News • Oct 16, 2015 12:00 BST Officers dismissed following special case PC Glen Gavin, 33, a police officer attached to Westminster and Trainee Detective Constable Osbert Rwamusy, 41, attached to Islington, have been dismissed without notice following special case hearings. The officers faced allegations that their conduct amounted to a breach of the standards of professional behaviour in respect of discreditable conduct. On Monday, 30 March, PC Gavin was subject to a 'with cause drugs test' which tested positive for cocaine. The officer also admitted to consuming cocaine on a number of unspecified occasions between mid-2014 and March 2015. On Thursday, 19 Febru…

Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said policing in London would become much more difficult if officer numbers are cut London will be put at risk by proposed police cuts that would see up to 8,000 officers axed, the Metropolitan Police's commissioner has warned. Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said it would be "a real challenge to keep people safe" if front-line officers are reduced. The Met believes it will face cuts of up to £1bn when a spending review looking at funding levels beyond 2015/16 is announced on 25 November. The Home Office said forces would still have the resources to do their work. London mayor Boris Johnson said policing in the capital would not see cuts "anything like t…

suspect e-fit Kent Police Yabba-dabba d'oh: Some social media users observed a resemblance between the suspect and the brow-beaten quarry worker Fred Flinstone A police force has been mocked for issuing the "worst e-fit ever" after the picture was likened to cartoon character Fred Flintstone. The suspect image, of a man wanted in connection with a robbery, was posted on Kent Police's Facebook page. But the "extra sideburn" and apparent resemblance to the Stone Age quarry worker attracted howls of derision rather than witness statements. The force declined to comment on the response. It issued the image in connection with a robbery of a 75-year-old man in Cliftonvil…

Thirty-four police stations and offices are scheduled to close in Devon and Cornwall in the next five years due to budget cuts, the BBC has learned. The stations include Okehampton, Heavitree Road in Exeter, St Ives and Bude. A senior officer told BBC News it was a "grave threat to community-based policing". The force's annual budget of £284m is expected to be cut by £54m over the next five years. The unnamed officer said: "This a grave threat to community-based policing that is bound to badly damage our engagement with neighbourhoods as we lose some of our most visible presence." Andrew White, chief executive for the police and crime commissioner, said: "Both the …

Some officers were sent an instruction not to wear the charity badge following the death of PC Dave Phillips, it is understood Met Police have been asked "not to wear a Union badge" in tribute to fallen colleagues because it breaches uniform policy, the police federation said. Some officers were sent an instruction not to wear the charity badge following the death of PC Dave Phillips on Monday, the federation's chairman said. PC Phillips died after being struck by a truck in Wallasey, Merseyside. A Met spokesman said the badge was not on the approved list but supervisors could allow it at their discretion. The grey Union Jack badge with a thin blue line running thro…

Nick Gargan was found to have breached data protection rules A suspended chief constable has quit his job three months after being found guilty of eight counts of misconduct. Avon and Somerset's Nick Gargan was found to have "breached data protection" rules and stored "intimate" material on his police-issue phone. The BBC's Steve Brodie said Mr Gargan quit under "intense pressure" from Crime Commissioner Sue Mountstevens. She had begun proceedings to force him to step down, a move backed by the chief inspector of constabulary. Ms Mountstevens said Mr Gargan had "abused his position" while 24 out of 25 senior officers, had also passed a vote of no confidence in him. …

A Surrey police officer has been banned from driving for 18 months after she drove to work in Guildford while twice the drink-drive limit. PC Nicola Townsend, 30, of The Alders, Billingshurst, West Sussex, pleaded guilty at Basingstoke Magistrates' Court to the offence of drink-driving. The court heard how she had drunk three glasses of vodka the evening before the offence on 29 September. She was also fined £550 and told to pay £235 costs and a £55 victim surcharge. Ms Townsend said she would attend a drink-drivers' course, after which the length of her disqualification would be cut by 25%. Employment terminated Keith Ballinger, prosecuting, told the court she had …

Soaring crime to leave Theresa May’s defence of police budget cuts in tatters More than 17,000 officers have been axed since the Tory Home Secretary took over in 2010 and insiders say the latest figures will be a blow to the Government Theresa May is to face humiliation when official stats show crime has soared under her watch. The national crime survey will include cases of fraud and cyber-crime for the first time, adding millions of extra crimes to official stats. It will shred the Tory Home Secretary’s claims to have cut crime every year while also slashing police budgets. Labour’s shadow police minister Jack Dromey blasted: “Labour have long said that crime is n…

A driver has been caught on camera racing at almost twice the speed limit on the M11. The car was travelling at 134mph while a second car was so close to it that its number plate could not been recorded on camera. The cars were spotted by officers carrying out a safe driving campaign near Stansted Airport on Wednesday. Police have since described the incident as an "appalling example of dangerous driving". A total of 127 drivers were detected speeding on the M11, including nine travelling at more than 100mph during the day of checks. Offenders were identified by officers patrolling in cars or on motorcycles or through automatic number plate recognition technology a…

'PC Nicola Townsend drove a 45-minute journey to work having drunk three glasses of vodka the previous evening' http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/ashamed-drink-drive-police-officer-10268192 Pretty standard response from the force as expected.

Just breaking on Twitter reported to be a firearms incident with Met PC transported to hospital with gunshot wound Met statement to follow