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Six police forces in England are under special measures, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) said. The Metropolitan Police, the UK's largest police force, was placed under special measures this week after a series of failures. The watchdog said there are now six police forces in special measures. The forces are the Met, Greater Manchester, Cleveland, Gloucestershire, Staffordshire and Wiltshire. Inspectors have raised "systemic concerns" about the Met, including its substandard response to emergency calls, "barely adequate" crime recording and a backlog of child abuse referrals. A watchdog letter to the Met said failures have been exacerbated by the number of young and inexperienced recruits brought in as part of the national drive to replace thousands of officers cut during austerity measures. Matt Parr, from HMICFRS, wrote to acting Met Commissioner Sir Stephen House, saying the organisation has had "substantial and persistent concerns" about the force "for a considerable time". These included the findings of a damning report in March which said the force's approach to tackling corruption was "fundamentally flawed" and "not fit for purpose". Wiltshire Police was the latest to confirm it will move into special measures. PCC Philip Wilkinson told BBC Radio Wiltshire's Dan O'Brien that a report into the force, due to be released next week, will show the change. He said: "My role as PCC is clear: to be the public's voice on policing, to scrutinise, challenge and support Wiltshire Police to provide an effective, efficient, policing service which meets the needs of its communities and to hold Wiltshire Police to account for the service it provides to the public. "I am aware of, and welcome, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) intention to provide closer scrutiny to Wiltshire Police further to their recent PEEL (Police Efficiency, Effectiveness and Legitimacy) inspection, and their intention to move Wiltshire Police to the 'engage' phase of scrutiny. "We remain in close contact with the Inspectorate and I will be able to make a more detailed statement once the inspection report has been published in full." https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-61993621

Greater Manchester Police have been put into special measures after inspectors revealed the force had failed to record 80,000 crimes. Date - 18th December 2020 By - Chris Smith HM Inspectorate has escalated the force to national oversight after reviewing its response to a critical report that concluded the force is failing vulnerable people. Leadership will effectively be taken over by the Home Office, National Police Chiefs’ Council, the College of Policing and HMI. But the force will be led through the process by someone other than the Chief Constable as Ian Hopkins has announced he is stepping aside to be treated for labyrinthisis – an inner ear infection. Pressure had already been increased by the Home Secretary who had written to CC Hopkins last week telling him to send her a 'recovery plan' following a highly critical HMIC report into crime recording and treatment of victims. The review that found 80,000 crimes had not been dealt with . HM Inspectorate said in a statement: “The level of scrutiny on Greater Manchester Police has been raised and the force has been placed in the Engage stage of the HMICFRS monitoring process. "This is due to the causes of concern raised in HMICFRS’s recent reports which have highlighted the poor service the force provides to many victims of crime. “In the Engage stage, a force is required to develop an improvement plan to address the specific causes of concern that have led to it being placed in the advanced phase of the monitoring process. "The process is intended to provide support to the force from external organisations including the Home Office, College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs Council to assist in achieving the required improvements.” In a statement provided on Wednesday, Mr Hopkins revealed he had been ill since the end of October. “I continued to work throughout with the support of the rest of my Chief Officers team until Sunday 13 December, despite feeling very ill,” he added. “I finally made the decision over last weekend that in the interests of my health I needed to take a break and recover properly so I can return and lead GMP with the same passion and strength of character that I have always demonstrated. “Despite feeling ill I remain in contact daily with members of my Chief Officers team.” The move came at the same time as Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and his team had set out with HMI how the force would improve. Mr Burnham and Bev Hughes, Greater Manchester’s Deputy Mayor for Policing, Crime and Criminal Justice, had announced a series of actions in response. This included the creation of a Gold Group that is meeting every day to review progress against an improvement plan. Mr Burnham has been clear the force has problems but has challenged the HMI findings. The Mayor said: "The report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) raised extremely serious issues with implications for the quality of services to victims that have been on-going for a number of years. “More progress should have been made since the previous HMICFRS reports that highlighted this particular area of concern. Now that it has been made clear by HMICFRS, we are putting in place the necessary actions to improve standards of service to victims of crime in Greater Manchester.” But he also argued that the force has been making improvements while struggling with the impact of significant cuts made during the austerity era. "It is also worth setting out the context within which Greater Manchester Police (GMP) was already trying to implement significant organisational changes to improve performance in this area. The period of the inspection, April to June 2020, was difficult and GMP had to contend with a number of significant issues, including responding to newly-introduced COVID legislation including implementing and training across the whole organisation;significant loss of capacity due to illness, self-isolation and shielding; reduced capacity in the Crime Recording and Resolution Unit and District Crime Progression Teams;significantly increased demand relating to COVID-19 legislation. "It is not true to say that, whilst long-standing issues remained, there had been no improvement in crime recording since 2016. In 2018, HMICFRS carried out a Crime data integrity Inspection within GMP. Although areas for continued improvement were identified, HMICFRS documented that "The Force was found to have made several improvements". He added: "In 2018, HMICFRS upgraded GMP from inadequate to requires improvement. There were areas for further progress identified however the outcomes above show improvements had been made. But he also made clear that the force was in trouble: "This said, it is recognised that the latest HMICFRS report has identified unacceptable service levels, which in turn has affected public confidence, and that is why the Mayor and Deputy Mayor have initiated a number of immediate actions to rebuild trust and confidence." View On Police Oracle

A mob of 100 people reportedly 'pushed and kicked' at police officers as they attempted to arrest a drugs suspect in Manchester. View On Police Oracle

Allegations of misconduct against former Assistant Chief Constable, Steven Heywood, which began with an Independent Police Conduct Investigation (IOPC) in October 2017, were thrown out on the second day of the hearing. Steven Heywood Date - 2nd June 2020 By - Chloe Livadeas Greater Manchester Police, who offered no evidence against Mr Heywood, were accused by the panel’s chair of having “fundamental disregard” for everyone involved in the proceedings. It was alleged that Mr Heywood, while a serving officer, misled the Anthony Grainger Public Inquiry in 2017. Anthony Grainger was fatally shot by a GMP officer in March 2012. He was sat in a parked vehicle in Cheshire and was unarmed. In the weeks leading up to his death Mr Grainger had been the subject of a surveillance operation, approved by Mr Heywood. Mr Heywood’s log, which contained inaccurate information about Mr Grainger's previous convictions, was alleged to have been made to "retrospectively justify" his decision to authorise a firearms operation carried out in the days leading up to Mr Grainger's death. Mr Heywood admitted he did not initially tell the inquiry entries in his firearms log were made retrospectively. Gerry Boyle QC, representing GMP, said it would be "unfair" to continue as the hearing would not have access to redacted material, including evidence given during closed session at the public inquiry. Mr Boyle had initially asked for an adjournment in the case to see whether redactions could be lifted, something which the National Crime Agency had already refused to do. John Beggs QC, representing Mr Heywood, said it would not be possible for the redacted evidence to be heard and accused the force of an "omnishambles" for delays in the case. Mr Boyle said: "The appropriate authority has concluded that it cannot, in good conscience, seek to pursue these proceedings." Chair of the panel, Nahied Asjad, criticised the delay in the proceedings. She said: "We are deeply dissatisfied with what has been happening. "Mr Grainger's family, Mr Heywood and the public have been let down by the appropriate authority in this case and we note there was no contrition or apology to anyone in what was said on their behalf this morning." Mr Grainger's fiancé at the time of his death, Gail Hadfield Grainger, requested to make a submission to the hearing but was not allowed as she was not listed as an interested person. Speaking after the hearing, IOPC director of major investigations, Steve Noonan, said: "We are disappointed that, two years after our investigation concluded, GMP has decided to offer no evidence in this matter. "Anthony Grainger's family, and the wider public, deserved to hear the evidence and Mr Heywood account for his actions." View On Police Oracle

Hi all, hope everyone is safe and well during this time. I had applied to GMP as a special constable and had passed all of the assessments. Interview, situational judgement test, written exercise, fitness and medical. I was given an offer and a start date. Unfortunately I had moved to London by the time my start date was given as I had waited such a long time for a start. When I moved to London I attended an open day for the Met to ask a few questions regarding applications and if I would need to do everything from the start, assessments etc. I was told that because the specials assessment is the same across all UK forces, I would only have to do the medical and fitness this time around. Should I clarify this with the college of policing? I have applied to the Met as a special and have been given dates to go for assessments. I asked them the same questions just to be clear and they have said that I would have to do everything all over as they do not know how GMP carries out the assessments as it could be different to the met. I'm a bit confused after being told other information. Any information/input anyone could offer? I would be very grateful. Kind regards, Brian.

New material from public inquiry forms basis of three new investigations including retired ACC, a superintendent and chief inspector. Date - 12th March 2020 By - Gary Mason The IOPC has announced the start of three new investigations of GMP officers involved in the operation which led to the death of Anthony Grainger who was shot dead by a firearms officer in March 2012. The new investigations involving retired and serving officers, including retired ACC Terry Sweeney, follows the conclusion of a public inquiry into the police operation which ended in July last year. That inquiry made specific recommendations into police use of unauthorised CS canister rounds. The former IPCC and IOPC has already completed investigations in relation to the operation in 2013 and 2018. GMP made referrals to the IOPC following the end of the public inquiry in relation to conduct matters arising from Mr Justice Teague QC’s report. The IOPC says “a substantial amount of material” from GMP has been under review, alongside the inquiry report, since October 2019. The new investigations did not form part of the original investigations, as the material was presented as live evidence during the public inquiry. The new investigations relate to the conduct of six officers, as follows: Investigation 1: Former Assistant Chief Constable Terry Sweeney, former Superintendent Mark Granby and a former Chief Inspector are under investigation regarding their command and control of the policing operation, on 2 and 3 March 2012. This will include the evidence they provided to the IOPC and to the public inquiry. All three former officers are retired. They have been informed that they are under investigation for gross misconduct. Investigation 2: This will look at GMP’s acquisition of a CS dispersal canister which was not approved by the Home Office and was used during the policing operation in which Mr Grainger died. It will look specifically at the actions of a former Chief Inspector and a former Inspector (both retired). They have been informed that they are under investigation for gross misconduct. Investigation 3: This will look at the conduct of a serving GMP officer regarding their management of two firearms officers’ training records. Both officers (known as X7 and Z15 during the public inquiry) were present during the police operation in which Mr Grainger was shot. The officer has been informed they are under investigation regarding allegations of misconduct. IOPC Regional Director Amanda Rowe: “The public inquiry raised further questions about the conduct of some GMP officers before, during, and after the death of Mr Grainger. “Having these serious matters brought to our attention meant we had to fully consider both Mr Justice Teague QC’s report, and these referrals, before deciding what further actions we may need to take. “The inquiry heard live evidence, some of it new, and therefore not available to us for our original investigations. It is therefore important that these matters should be scrutinised by way of independent and impartial investigations. “GMP has cooperated fully with this process. We will consider publication of the reports relating to the death of Mr Grainger when all our work is completed.” An IOPC investigation which began in October 2017 looked at the evidence given by former GMP Assistant Chief Constable Steven Heywood, at the public inquiry, while he was still a serving officer. That investigation found there was an indication that he may have committed a criminal offence. The report, along with supporting evidence, was shared with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in May 2018 who decided not to charge Mr Heywood with any offence. The investigation also found that Mr Heywood has a case to answer for gross misconduct. GMP agreed with this in November 2018, but they have not set a date for a gross misconduct hearing. A second investigation linked to the inquiry looked at the conduct of Detective Chief Inspector Robert Cousen, who gave evidence because of his role as the senior investigating officer. This investigation was completed in May 2018 and it was agreed that DCI Cousen’s actions did not amount to misconduct, and this was a performance matter that should be dealt with by management action. The 2013 investigation was completed by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), which is now the IOPC. The 2018 investigation was started by the IPCC, and completed by the IOPC. View On Police Oracle

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/drifting-investigations-lost-safeguarding-cases-17128542 GMP are holding an urgent investigation into Computer failures creating a massive backlog of Crime reports and outstanding tasks. It is reported that there is a backlog of 42,000 Crime and other reports. They are holding the enquiry because of an HMIC's visit due in early November.

Blinded to its own shortcomings, TFU ignored the Home Office to deploy 'chemical weapon' in pre-planned operation, report concludes. Anthony Grainger: Inquiry blames Greater Manchester's tactical firearms unit for his death Date - 11th July 2019 By - Nick Hudson - Police Oracle A rule-breaking force’s tactical firearms unit has shown so much “arrogant disdain” it may not be able to "successfully renew itself from within" in the wake of the fatal shooting of an unarmed man. The chairman of the Anthony Grainger Inquiry took a sledgehammer to the “deep-seated ethos of departmental exceptionalism” he believes exists within the Greater Manchester Police department. In his published report into the death of 36-year-old Mr Grainger, who was shot by a firearms officer known only as Q9, Judge Thomas Teague QC concluded the “prevailing culture of complacency” blinded the unit – and its “lack of effective leadership” – to its own shortcomings. He said that attitude helped explain the unit's unilateral decision to introduce and deploy, without Home Office approval, a CS dispersal canister – a chemical weapon – which went off in the stolen Audi driven by Mr Grainger in Culcheth, Cheshire, on the evening of March 3, 2012. Mr Grainger and one of his two passengers, David Totton, had for some weeks been the subject of Operation Shire, which was investigating their suspected involvement in commercial robberies. No other law enforcement agency in the country had identified any operational need for CS dispersal canisters and the unit had persisted with the enterprise "in the teeth of cogent criticism from the National Police Improvement Agency", the judge said. He said it would be an "exaggeration" to describe the tactical firearms unit as a "dysfunctional department" and he had no reason to doubt it conducted many similar operations in a satisfactory manner. But he added: "It did not, however, sustain the consistently high level of professionalism that the public is entitled to expect from a specialised armed unit. "It was neither as good as it should have been nor as good as some of its commanders thought it was. “Over the years covered by my investigation, the prevailing culture of complacency blinded the unit to its own shortcomings with the result that its highest aspiration became its own mediocrity and its loftiest ideal the status quo. "The corporate failures reflect a lack of effective leadership with the TFU. “It is the senior commanders who set the tone of a specialised firearms department. “With few exceptions, those from whom I heard evidence during the present inquiry seemed to me to lack the necessary degree of critical insight into their own professional shortcomings or the collective deficiencies of the department they were supposed to lead. "Without a concerted willingness to admit and confront past mistakes, a professed desire to 'learn lessons' is little more than hot air. "I have to say I doubt whether the TFU as presently constituted is capable of successfully renewing itself from within. “It is unlikely to implement the radical changes that are required as long as its leadership continues to lack the collective will or critical objectivity necessary to undertake them." The judge argued that the unit’s most pernicious effect at the heart of any approach to scrutiny was “to cause a progressive atrophy of the department's capacity to confront and learn from its own mistakes”. He said: "It was an ethos rooted in complacency and it manifested itself in a profound and sometimes arrogant disdain for the views of others. “Unfortunately there are indications that it persists to the present day." The Greater Manchester force was quick to accept the judge’s “wide-ranging criticisms” of the operation’s planning and preparation. But it said it “never set out” on any operation – as a force, commanders or officers – with the intention of firearms being discharged. And it promised to consider “each and every one of the chairman’s findings and criticisms with the utmost care, attention and reflection”. Competent organisation of a firearms deployment by senior commanders might have spared the life of an unarmed man who was shot dead by police, the inquiry findings revealed. A Greater Manchester officer killed father-of-two Mr Grainger in the “honest belief” he was reaching for a gun to shoot firearms’ colleagues. Tactical use of disruption, as opposed to direction intervention, could have avoided fatal consequences, Judge Teague decided in his report – which took nearly 18 months to be published. Mr Grainger, from Bolton, was behind the wheel of the stolen Audi when the officer, fired his Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine gun in a pre-planned operation. During 15 weeks of evidence in 2017, Q9 told Liverpool Crown Court from behind a screen that he believed Mr Grainger had reached down as if to grab a firearm. But the inquiry heard that no firearms were found on Mr Grainger or in the stationary vehicle in a public car park. A statement from, the force read: “We fully understand the heart-breaking effect that Anthony Grainger’s death has had on his family and loved ones. “We also fully understand that the public inquiry will have been very difficult for them. On behalf of Greater Manchester Police, we offer our condolences to Anthony Grainger’s family and to his loved ones. “In his report, the chairman has made a number of findings which are critical of GMP. “The criticisms are wide-ranging and include criticisms of aspects of the planning and preparation of the firearms operation during which Anthony Grainger lost his life. “The force, our commanders, and our officers do not set out on any policing operation with the intention of firearms being discharged. “This case was no different and the safety of the public, the subjects of police operations and our officers is, and remains, our absolute priority. “That being said, we undertake to consider each and every one of the chairman’s findings and criticisms with the utmost care, attention and reflection. “It is what the public would expect GMP to do in circumstances where criticisms have been made of the planning and preparation of a police operation in which a young man lost his life. It is what GMP will do. “Working alongside our regional and national partners, we will consider all of the chairman’s recommendations to assess what more can be done now, and in the future, to further improve the safety of police firearms operations. “Many changes have already been made locally, regionally and nationally since the death of Anthony Grainger in 2012, most recently following an independent review conducted by the College of Policing. We will continue to strive to maximise the safety of all policing operations. “We will not comment any further until we have had an opportunity to read the chairman’s report in more detail.” Tony Murphy, solicitor to Mr Grainger's partner, Gail Hadfield-Grainger, described the findings as a “landmark report for armed policing in this country”. He said the “scale of institutional incompetence” uncovered by the inquiry within the Greater Manchester force revealed evidence of corporate manslaughter in relation to the fatal police shooting and called on Director of Public Prosecutions Max Hill to urgently review the evidence with a view to instituting criminal proceedings View On Police Oracle

Public fed up of waiting for someone to answer'. Confusing picture: Callers having to wait switch from 101 to 999 Date - 3rd May 2019 By - Nick Hudson - Police Oracle Non-emergency callers to the police increasingly fed-up of waiting for someone to answer are dialling 999 instead as they “lose confidence” in the 101 system, a report has warned. Minor offences are being reported on the main emergency number as calls to 101 dipped by almost 675,000 in one year – down three per cent. Figures published by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services show that in 2018 calls had fallen to just over 22 million while at the same time, calls to 999 increased by almost half a million – up five per cent. HM Inspector of Constabulary Matt Parr said the figures suggested people were "losing confidence" in the 101 system – with a decrease in the proportion of respondents who think the police are easy to get hold of in an emergency. He said: "We do our own survey of public perceptions and we think the reason 101 calls have been going down is because the public are getting fed up waiting for someone to answer it and so they call 999 instead, which they have more confidence in." Findings from the HMICFRS inspection came just 24 hours after outgoing Victims' Commissioner said the “failing” 101 service should be overhauled. She set out a blueprint for improving the long waits and charging system causing many people to “give up” on the non-emergency number – demanding those repeatedly affected by anti-social behaviour be given the same entitlement to support as other crime victims. Scathing in her assessment of how the problem was being dealt with by police forces and local councils, she said people are left to "suffer in silence" amid shortcomings in the response by partner agencies and "depressingly little" had changed since her husband Garry was kicked to death by vandals outside their home in 2007. The new HMICFRS inspection covered 14 force areas, with contrasting performances in maintaining confidence in the 101 system. In the West Midlands area, Britain’s largest regional force, calls to 101 were rose almost 8,000 year on year. There was a similar pattern in Greater Manchester with non-emergency calls down almost 100,000 and 999 ones up more than 42,000. Baroness Newlove said the HMICFRS findings “very much echoes what I have been hearing from victims when I have been travelling around the country” of victims hanging on for 40 minutes or longer before they get a response. She added: “Others have just given up or, out of frustration, they escalate to 999. "Victims also tell me they use the line to report issues and then nothing happens. "I want to see the line properly resourced to offer a swift response, to be free of charge and that victims see follow up action. Anything less and it is just window dressing." Former minister Tim Loughton believesthe government should take advantage of Brexit to abolish the charges including the 20 per cent VAT that was collected on 101 calls, arguing that "law-abiding citizens should be encouraged to report crime not penalised financially for it”. View On Police Oracle

Officers from British Transport Police were called to the station just before 9pm as a man wielding a knife stabbed members of the public. https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/manchester-victoria-knife-attack-station-15615253 Not a great start to the new year celebrations, I hope those injured are not serious and recover quickly.

People he arrested ended up in hospital. An officer has appeared in court charged with GBH after complaints about the way he used his police dog. Greater Manchester Police PC Paul Jackson is charged with five counts of wounding/causing grievous bodily harm with intent. He was investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) after complained were made about excessive use of force during separate incidents between May 2015-September 2016. Some of those arrested sustained such serious incidents they needed hospital treatment. Another GMP officer, PC Paul Lockett, was also in court. He is charged with aiding and abetting in relation to one of the Section 18 wounding charges. An IOPC spokesman said: “We provided evidence from our investigations to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), who made the decision to charge the officers. "Both officers made their first appearance before Preston Magistrates Court on Wednesday. They are due before Preston Crown Court on July 3." In 2010 GMP was told by IOPC’s predecessor Independent Police Complaints Commission to retrain all of its staff after a man lost an eye and suffered a broken leg while being arrested. View On Police Oracle

Full story Ok, so not a mainstream source and most definitely a site with a particular angle to push but the video does make for a bad public image. Whether the threats are real or not is one thing but insinuating they brought it on themselves is a problem.

'There were simply no officers available', watchdog finds. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) says a lack of resources at Greater Manchester Police helped delay the search for an 18-year-old who was later found murdered. The watchdog investigated the force over the case of Ellen Higginbottom who was reported missing in June last year, and found dead a few hours later. Mark Buckley, 51, was jailed for life for her murder last September. She had died before being reported missing, but delays in dispatching officers to look for her were investigated by the watchdog. The call reporting her missing at 7pm was graded correctly but the IOPC found that dispatching officers to the incident was delayed 13 times due to a lack of available patrols. All others were all dealing with priority incidents. The report was escalated once, and there was an attempt to find officers from another division but none were available. Shortly after 11.30pm, following a call to GMP from Ellen’s father requesting an update, officers became available and were dispatched to Ellen’s home to begin searching for her. The watchdog says radio operators should have escalated the search further and said their performance was unsatisfactory, but found no misconduct could be proved. IOPC Regional Director for the North West, Amanda Rowe, said: “It is difficult to draw definitive conclusions to this case. There were significant delays in dispatching officers, and clear evidence that there were simply no officers available. “While we believe there were errors in following force policy, delays may still have been inevitable given the number of high priority incidents that day.” She added that escalation is still necessary so the public are reassured every effort is being made to find a missing person. GMP Federation chairman Ian Hanson told Police Oracle: “Against the backdrop of such a tragedy the reality is that police officers and call handlers are every day trying to meet overwhelming demand with minimal resources. “The government deceives the public by telling them frontline policing has been protected but that quite simply is not true and the reality is people are having to make judgement calls which can turn into life or death decisions. It’s a national scandal.” View On Police Oracle

Daniel Aimson, who joined GMP in 2002, was jailed for six years and four months Full Story - MEN

A woman's body found in a lake is believed to be that of a serving officer with Greater Manchester Police, investigators have said. Full Story - Telegraph

Half of house burglaries are not investigated by two of Britain’s biggest police forces under a policy which sees a third of a million crime reports shelved every year, it emerged yesterday. Full Story - Daily Mail Maybe people should be a bit more responsible and invest in CCTV for their homes? The hot weather is upon us no doubt people leaving their windows open will lead to an increase in burglaries. The DM comment section is amusing though, blame the police for not working hard enough, police cuts are just an excuse for lazy policing!

I've been thoroughly enjoying watching episodes of X cars from around 1997 on youtube, such as this: Quite incredible how different car crime is now, who remembers ringing? I haven't heard that term for years! The numbers of cars being stolen in Manchester at that time are utterly staggering. I guess modern immobilisers have slowly killed off kids nicking cars for a laugh. Love the patrol cars, Cavalier SRIs, Escort and Sierra Cosworths. Does any force drive anything remotely like that now?

Shame it's only current PC's "Greater Manchester Police start first recruitment drive http://bit.ly/1WRKRNx"

GMP deliver welfare hampers to elderly and vulnerable in the region. Nice to see the Police doing something like this! http://manchestergazette.co.uk/police-deliver-welfare-hampers-for-manchesters-most-vulnerable-277/

Police in Manchester have sent hundreds of criminals a Christmas card featuring an image of prison food served with a sprig of holly and a cracker as a reminder to stay out of trouble over the festive period Full Story - Guardian

Trailer in the link: http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/watch-documentary-the-force-manchester-9872615 Thought this will be of great interest to some people on here, starts tonight! With the new forum system, there doesn't seem to be a place to post general TV stuff like this. I believe a new subforum will be created soon though.

Sky have commissioned a new 20x60minute series following the work of Greater Manchester Police. http://manchestergazette.co.uk/2015/07/30/sky-commission-fly-on-the-wall-documentary-following-gmp/

Has anyone else watched the first episode of The Detectives? What did you think of it? For those who haven't it is a 3 part series that follows the Serious Sexual Offences Unit of GMP I might be a little biased but I thought it was a really good programme and I have noticed a lot of positive support for it. Lee