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THIS is the moment an elderly driver lost control at the wheel and crashed SIX times in one minute - hitting at least three cars and a number of walls. https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/uknews/13191500/driver-crashes-car-six-times-vehicles-walls/

Police are investigating after an officer appeared ‘to flip the bird’ at an illegal biker who was laughing in the face of the law. Full Story - Birmingham Mail This story is absurd on so many levels i don't know where to start, however good to see the officer getting support from his CC, instead of a witchhunt being launched because of a video on social media.

Police were attcked as masked bikers went on a violent Haloween rampage on the streets of Birmingham and Solihull last night. Full Story - Birmingham Mail Seems like mob masked biker rule is spreading throughout the Ciuntry.

Source.

This is the police community support officer who was sacked after admitting faking her job application CV. Samantha Skinner, 24, changed her NVQ qualification to a higher grade while applying to join the regular police force. http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/police-community-support-officer-sacked-11044272

Source - BBC

Man found with 38 phones arrested at Libertines gig Thursday 28 January 2016 - Updated: Friday 29 January 2016 A man was arrested at a gig in Birmingham city centre last night (27 January) after 38 mobile phones were found stuffed inside his trousers. He was spotted acting suspiciously by police at the Libertines concert at the Barclaycard Arena, along with another man who tried to get inside the venue. Both of them had their trousers taped closed at the bottom of the legs. The men, aged 30, remain in custody today (28 January) on suspicion of theft, where they continue to be questioned. The arrests formed part of a proactive operation led by Birmingham Police, set up after intelligence suggested gig-goers had been targeted at another of the band’s performances in Manchester. Inspector Gareth Morris, who oversees local policing in the city, said: “It’s an unfortunately reality that large crowds at concerts such as this make rich pickings for career criminals. “We’re hot on the heels of these offenders but you can also reduce your chances of falling victim to such crimes by remaining extra vigilant when attending busy events. “If you think you had your phone taken last night, please get in touch with us and we can check whether or not we have been able to recover it.” People are urged to record details of their mobile phones and other valuables on the national property register at www.immobilise.com, which can help police reunite stolen items with owners. Anyone with information about theft in Birmingham should call police on 101 or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. https://www.west-midlands.police.uk/latest-news/news2.aspx?id=4084 A great find especially as phones have gone missing in large numbers at multiple gigs of the same artist. I wonder if door staff should be made aware of this. Would they have the power to stop someone with bulging trousers whilst exiting?

A Birmingham teenager, who hid in a train toilet because he had not purchased a ticket, broke a police officer’s ribs and left him with a collapsed lung when he tried to escape arrest Birmingham Mail - Full Story What a scumbag, the worst part is he gets 45 weeks in a youth offender’s centre!

A Birmingham police officer has been sacked after he went AWOL after lying his mother was sick - sparking a massive four-day search Full Story - Birmingham Mail

A police sergeant has been accused of kicking a handcuffed man in the face “like a football” at a misconduct hearing in Birmingham. Full Story - Birmingham Mail

West Midlands Police also twice as likely to use force when not wearing body CCTV equipment, chiefs told Full Story - Birmingham Mail

PCs Christopher Guest and Cavan O'Connell given written warnings after Alex Faragher labelled 'bitch' and 'slag' Full Story - Birmingham Mail

A policeman has been found guilty of gross misconduct for making an “appalling” comment about rape as he led a Taser training course. Full Story - Birmingham Mail

A policeman surprised shoppers when he took some time out of his city patrol to play a rousing tune on a set of saucepans Full Story - Daily Mail

Kirk Van Niekerk who was found guilty at the region's first ever public police misconduct hearing of smoking drugs on duty, has broken his silence to tell The Sunday Mercury: “I’ve been hung out to dry.” The shamed cop found guilty of smoking drugs on duty at the region’s first ever public police misconduct hearing has broken his silence to tell The Sunday Mercury: “I’ve been hung out to dry.” And South African Kirk Van Niekerk - a leading light in the local Mormon Church - described the decision to place ticket allocation for his high-profile sacking in the hands of entertainments company, Eventbrite, as unforgivable. The firm, more accustomed to showbiz sales-pitches, welcomed those wishing to book a seat for Mr Van Niekerk’s public humiliation with a breezy: “We hope you enjoy West Midlands Misconduct Hearing - Pc Van Niekerk, Cheers!” The force has since admitted it “got it wrong” while furious frontline officers have dubbed the approach distasteful and akin to a public flogging. “It’s a joke,” said 32-year-old Mr Van Niekerk, “it really is a joke. They are making all these cuts and they are hiring a company to supply tickets with my name on them.” There was one key individual missing from last month’s hearing, where the officer faced charges of gross misconduct for breaching standards of professional behaviour of honesty, integrity, fitness for duty and discreditable conduct. The accused. Mr Van Niekerk, who moved here from his native South Africa in 2002, did not attend. “I was told by the police it was not going to be a good outcome,” he admitted, “so I moved on and spent £4,000 on a truckers’ licence.” We tracked the married father of a five-year-old girl to the Suffolk port of Felixstowe, where he has gained work as a lorry driver following the media frenzy over his case. He freely admits making mistakes, but says the national publicity generated by the landmark hearing has taken a terrible toll on his family. “I don’t feel they should be held publicly, I don’t think it should go all round the country - people’s names in the TV and the papers. I was even afraid to go to my daughter’s school to pick her up. “Am I angry? Towards (Home Secretary) Theresa May, yes.” Mr Van Niekerk’s respected, six year career with West Midlands Police was effectively destroyed on the night of November 18 last year. A fellow officer came across his marked car, parked-up at the entrance of Perry Barr’s Perry Park, and was alerted to the strong smell of cannabis inside the vehicle. A later drug test showed traces of cannabis in Mr Van Niekerk’s system three times the accepted cut-off for passive smoking. The Newtown-based former officer admits smoking the drug and admits lying to his employers’ when asked if he had used cannabis. But Mr Van Niekerk vehemently denies he enjoyed a “spliff” in his patrol car when he should have been searching for a missing person - details given at the hearing. “I was a missing persons officer, I was not looking for a missing person,” he said bitterly. “I am not a habitual user of cannabis, I don’t smoke cigarettes. Four days before, I smoked a joint at a party. That was a big no-no, that was a massive mistake, but I cannot pretend it didn’t happen. “I would not smoke a joint on duty, in uniform in a patrol car. I approached the officer, he didn’t approach me. I pulled my car up alongside.” The hearing was told Mr Van Niekerk nonchalantly informed the colleague, who remarked on the strong stench of weed: “It always smells like that.” He agrees. “Sometimes the cars do smell of cannabis for up to three days, that’s because we transport plants seized from cannabis farms. “When he told me the car smelt, I think I said ‘probably’.” Mr Van Niekerk was ordered to take a “with cause” drugs test days later. “I honestly thought it would be out of my system, but it wasn’t. I lied in interview and said I’d never used cannabis, that was a big mistake. Before the test came back, I felt I needed to come clean. I told my officer the test may come back positive. “Four or five days later they came back positive and I was suspended there and then. My wife was upset, my family were upset. “They called me back in, they interviewed me again, I gave them the full story and that was that. “My wife has been very supportive. I called her up and let her know it was probably not going to be good. I have explained myself to her, my family and my church.” Deputy chief constable Dave Thompson warned of more cuts ahead earlier this year. At the conclusion of the case, Deputy Chief Constable Dave Thompson delivered a withering condemnation of the former Pc’s conduct. He said: “We note that he is sorry, but we are not clear what element he is sorry for. “The whole interview demonstrates an officer who is a social smoker, It demonstrates behaviours that fall well below standards expected and indicates that he is a controlled drug user of cannabis. “These are incredibly important areas that lie at the heart of the role of being a police officer. “The public expect high standards from police officers. Pc Van Niekerk potentially put the public at risk and he lied in the subsequent investigation. “The decision of the panel is to dismiss him without notice. He does have the right to appeal to the police appeals panel.” Mr Van Niekerk has been stung by the comments, now placed firmly in the public domain. He said: “They hide the names of murderers and paedophiles, but they name me for something that isn’t criminal. “As an officer, I was liked - even by the people I arrested. I spoke to everyone respectfully.” And he delivered his own acid verdict on modern policing. “I enjoyed the job at the start, then the government started the cutbacks. I lost count of the numerous times I couldn’t go back to important jobs because there wasn’t enough officers. “I was never at home, never seeing my family. “Maybe that’s what led me to smoke that cannabis joint. “It was my one day off and I gave in, unfortunately.” Mr Van Niekerk does not miss being part of the thin blue line. He added: “I am earning more money - £300 more each month. It’s a no-brainer. In the force, it was non-stop confrontation all the time because I was on the frontline.” Highbury Hall Deputy Chief Constable Thompson has candidly admitted the first public misconduct hearing, staged at Moseley’s Highbury Hall, could have been better handled. Mr Thompson, who chaired the panel on the day, said: “Final comment. “Police misconducts in public is now the law. “We need to consider how we manage public access. “We got this wrong and will fix.” The decision to use the services of entertainments company Eventbrite caused anger among police ranks. West Midlands Police Federation chairman Ian Edwards Ian Edwards, chairman of the West Midlands Police Federation, condemned the move. He said: “We were very surprised and it did not sit well with us. “It is pretty insensitive and it will change – we hope to be a part of that process.” A force insider described the method used as “crass” and said the session, at Moseley’s Highbury Hall, had been turned into something akin to a “public flogging”. He added: “The tickets have been allocated by a supplier like they are tickets to a concert. “It feels more like entertainment for the public. I understand the argument that there should be transparency, but the way this has been done does not seem to reflect the seriousness of how the officers and the allegations against them should be dealt with. “This is making some officers very uneasy. On top of that we have the cost of hiring venues like this for the purpose of public hearings when the force is so short of cash.” New laws, which were introduced on May 1, mean all police forces have to hold misconduct and special case hearings in public. http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/shamed-west-midland-police-officer-9811139 ..

Officers confronted by metal plate wired into mains electricity during raid at house in Windmill Street, Wednesbury https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPJ1Hch7L78]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPJ1Hch7L78 Police in the Black Country have released dramatic footage of the moment they broke down the booby-trapped door of a suspected drug dealer. Officers were faced with a metal plate with a live electrical current going through it from the mains supply during the raid at the house in Windmill Street, Wednesbury, this morning (April 23). The raid, where police used an enforcer to get into the property, was one of eight warrants executed in dawn searches across the area. White powder – suspected to be crack cocaine – and a cannabis set-up were then found inside the property. A man at the address was arrested on suspicion of plotting to supply crack cocaine to Sandwell drug users. The booby-trapped house in Windmill Street, Wednesbury Eight other people were also arrested as part of the operation, with drugs and thousands of pounds in cash being seized from the properties searched. Police said the intelligence-led strike - codenamed Spring Safer Six - was sparked by public concerns about crime fuelled by drug addiction across the Black Country borough. Chief Inspector Jane Parry, from Sandwell Police, said: “We are determined to crack down on drug dealing in our communities, which brings untold misery through associated crime, creating victims and ruining the lives of addicts and their families. “This determination is demonstrated by our officers, who often put themselves at great risk by going into the homes of those willing to go to dangerous lengths to protect their drugs stash. “Unfortunately, we always have to be prepared for such tactics and I am thankful nobody was injured on entering the Wednesbury property today. “We will continue to carry out similar raids over the coming weeks in a bid to clean up the borough and along with our partners, we will be working in the area to support residents and make their community an even safer place to live and work.” Safer Six is a long-running Sandwell based operation which has helped drive down crime levels across the borough to an all-time low. All those arrested in today’s raids were detained on suspicion of conspiracy to supply crack-cocaine: * A 24-year-old man was arrested from a property in Wedgbury Close, Wednesbury. 20 oz of cannabis and £2k+ in cash were found at the address. * A 31-year-old man was arrested from a house in Pavillion Avenue, Smethwick. White powder, suspected to be a legal high, and a number of mobile phones, were seized. * A 26-year-old man was arrested from a property in Dale Street, Wednesbury. A single piece of ammunition, phones and a small bag of cannabis were recovered. Police arrest a suspect at the booby-trapped house in Windmill Street, Wednesbury * A 51-year-old man was arrested from a house in Windmill Street, Wednesbury. White powder, suspected to be crack cocaine with a street value of £1,000, and four cannabis plants in a hydroponics set-up were seized. * A 40-year-old man was arrested from a property in Langdon Gardens Oldbury. Phones and a small amount of unidentified pills were recovered. * A 31-year-old man and a 48-year-old woman were arrested from a house in Willows Close, Cradley Heath. A single piece of ammunition, five cannabis plants, six bags of cannabis, scales, bags and phones were seized. * A 24-year-old man was arrested from a property in Westminster Road, Handsworth. £2.5k in cash and six wraps of heroin were recovered. * A 22-year-old man was arrested from a house in Primrose Lane, The Scotlands. A quantity of white powder, suspected to be Class A drugs, and £1k+ in cash were found. http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/watch-police-break-down-booby-trapped-9103688?ICID=FB-Birm-main