UK Policing News

The very sad news of the death of a serving Avon and Somerset Officer on Thursday 14 August 2014, of Police Constable Katherine Maria (Katie) LAMMERS, nee Pearce, 33 years, who lived at Stoke Gifford. Katie served at Southmead Road and was on maternity leave at the time of her death. She leaves a widower, Tim and their daughter, Megan, who was born on Wednesday 6 August 2014. Condolences to Tim, Megan, friends and colleagues. Particularly cruel when she had only been with Megan for a week, if there is such a person as God he sure works in some peculiar ways.

Source: BBC News

A retired Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officer has been jailed for 17 years after being found guilty of rape. John Travis of Turf Lane, Royton, was handed the substantial prison term at Minshull Street Crown Court after being found guilty of rape, indecent assault and indecency with a child. Travis (63), who was a serving officer at the time the offences took place, first started to abuse his 11-year-old victim in the early 1980s. When she was 14, Travis raped her for the first time, and the abuse continued on a regular basis until she was 19 in 1989. The victim then contacted the police in December 2012 and an investigation was immediately launched. Travis …

This picture with armed officers attending a routine disturbance sparked controversy In a little-noticed move, a small number of police officers are now routinely carrying sidearms while on patrol in parts of the mainland UK. How did this come about, and does it alter the relationship between the constabulary and the public? Saturday night in Inverness. Outside a McDonald's restaurant, a scuffle between two men breaks out. Three police officers arrive to intervene. So far, so mundane. Except that strapped around the hips of each of the policemen approaching the brawl is a holstered Glock 17 semi-automatic pistol. It's a sight that once would have been unthinkable. …

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2723472/Democracy-No-Britain-s-judicial-dictatorship-s-time-revolution-writes-RICHARD-LITTLEJOHN.html I am not a fan of Mr Littlejohn but he makes some interesting points - not least that subjugating UK to European Human Rights Law was claimed by the Bliar person to be his greatest achievement and that his unpleasant & grasping wife and her colleagues immediately set up the Matrix Chambers to cash-in on the EUHR work that would follow-on from its adoption in UK.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-28785929 This, on the face of it, seems more a case of a "gross over-reaction" on the part of the force than "gross misconduct". One can only presume Mr Mason, the ACC in question, has never made a mistake or an error in his life. Talk about wielding a sledgehammer to crack a nut. I'm not suggesting the Officer shouldn't have been reprimanded - but this seems a hugely disproportionate response to a failure by the Officer. Particular as the fault was seemingly identified and there was no adverse outcome - despite what is now claimed might possibly, maybe, could have happened but didn't! Essex sounds a wonderful place to wo…

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2723703/The-dawn-new-era-begun-ISIS-supporters-hand-leaflets-Oxford-Street-encouraging-people-newly-proclaimed-Islamic-State.html It seems ridiculous to me that this sort of event can take place in Oxford Street - one of the busiest streets in London - and Police only find out through social media. In the "old days" there would have been uniform foot patrols and most likely a couple of crime squad T/DC looking for likely targets and so there would have been no need to explore whether these individuals are committing an offence, they'd have been nicked (as a last resort under the Marylebone Ways & Means Act 1829 or more likel…

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-28763766 If somebody wants to post the full story feel free. (not sure how to do it)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2718792/Man-24-fined-pretending-GHOST-making-woooooooh-noises-waving-arms-cemetery.html

Sky News are reporting that IPCC have served Sir Peter Fahy and ACC Sweeney with criminal and misconduct investigation notices in respect of their conducting connection with an investigation into a sexual offender and the disposal of some of the remains of Harold Shipman's victims. Instituting criminal and misconduct investigations seems a way of ensuring they get some positive outcome - or maybe I'm being cynical?

A police sergeant who stamped on a mentally ill prisoner’s foot during a strip search and told him 'Welcome to Hackney’ has walked free from court. Sgt Charles Pilbeam, 30, forced Somalia-born Abdi Ali-Ahmed to pick up scraps of paper in an interview room after twisting his ear and dragging him to the floor, St Albans Magistrates' Court heard. The officer then tried to initiate a cover-up of his brutal treatment, telling trainee constable Cordelle Sailsman not to report the incident, which occurred at Shoreditch Police Station on March 2 last year. Two fully-qualified PCs, Brian Sharkey and Rob Baker, were also in the room when the incident occurred but gave statements …

...silly me I meant that they've expanded the HOL whilst their plans for reducing the size of the Commons got no where. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-28703150 Apparently the HOL now has more members than the Chinese national assemble and a suspiciously large number of the new peers are either Tory or Labour party donors. Whilst the rest of the country is still suffering job cuts and wage freezes the number of politicians employed in government of all types continues to expand. If you truly want to get into a recession proof industry with a gold plated pension and other perks then consider the HOL or HOC. They are really the last unreformed public …

Opps!! A police officer has apologised after reversing a police van into a car parked in a Hampshire street. CCTV footage posted on Facebook by the car's owner, Andy Garrad, showed the officer reversing the van into his Fiat 500, seemingly without looking. Mr Garrad said he was "fuming" after the crash, which happened outside his house in Basingstoke on Monday. Ch Insp Simon Dodds said the officer was "mortified" and had taken full responsibility for the shunt. He said a roads policing officer had been sent to the scene and the CCTV footage would assist in their investigation. Mr Garrad said he was "really annoyed and quite frustrated" at how the van had been driven…

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-28755375

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2694706/Cyclist-spotted-waving-gun-arrested-police-use-4x4-vehicle-knock-bike.html Picture from The Star: