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A serving Metropolitan Police officer will appear in court charged with rape. https://news.met.police.uk/news/serving-officer-to-appear-in-court-charged-with-rape-467318

A group of men who committed a series of terrifying knifepoint robberies in South West London have been convicted. The group, including three teenagers, used a stolen BWV on false plates to carry out their crimes, in each case threatening the victims with a large knife or machete before stealing items including watches and bags. None of the property stolen has ever been recovered. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/london-crime-brazen-gang-of-thugs-rob-terrified-victims-at-knifepoint-on-busy-west-london-streets/ar-AA17rjRs?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=aeeca2110b7b4bea9e6148400c86ec61

Aman has received jail time after 'violently and aggressively' reversing into a Met Police officer while pulled over on the side of the road before speeding off. Joseph Ward, 24, had been pulled over in his car by Inspector Tony McGovern, who was on a motorcycle, when he reversed and rammed into him to avoid being arrested. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/london-crime-man-reversed-into-police-officer-in-violent-assault-to-avoid-being-arrested/ar-AA171dIH?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=308a1e3ca25c49b89ca56c7950b72ae1

The Met Police has called into question a court's decision to let a man who threw scalding hot water over a police officer's face during a racist attack avoid jail. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11580291/Met-Police-fury-man-avoids-jail-throwing-boiling-water-officers-face-racial-attack.html what is wrong with this judge he should have sent him to prison .

A car that police officers tried to stop in the early hours of this morning was involved in a horror Christmas Day crash that killed a 22-year-old woman https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11573193/Woman-22-died-Christmas-Day-horror-crash-shortly-police-tried-stop-one-cars.html

Britain's biggest police force has been plunged into a new racism row after at least three Muslim officers made a formal complaint against their bosses. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10531585/Met-Police-chiefs-plunged-new-racism-row-Muslim-officers-mocked-taking-prayer-breaks.html

In a surprising turn of events, HM Inspectorate of Constabularies report backs officer's actions on the ground. It also rebukes the uninformed comments by senior figures, shortly after the protest, for "undermining confidence in policing". A report actually standing up for officers on the ground, and acknowledging the difficulties they faced, rather than throwing them under the proverbial bus. Source: https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/met-police-officers-sarah-everard-vigil-review-thomas-winsor-b927006.html

A Met Police officer was knocked unconscious and another suffered a suspected hand fracture while trying to break up a 'hostile' lockdown-breaching party of 30. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9333713/Police-bust-illegal-lockdown-party-30-revellers-pelted-officers-drinks.html

Five officers were punched and bitten while arresting a drink-drive suspect fleeing a crash scene, police have said. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/police-racially-abused-bitten-arrest-bromley-a4527316.html

Met Police officers have been accused of brutality after video emerged of the arrest of a man who had parked on a single yellow line. https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/police-accused-brutality-arrest-tower-hamlets/ This video is circulating on social media with various news outlets picking up on it, why is their such an outrage, reading the statement below, the chap was asked “17 times to either produce his driving licence or move his vehicle. He does not do so” Why be so awkward? Detailed account below http://lovewapping.org/2019/07/arrest-of-a-male-in-aberfeldy-9th-july-statement-by-mps-tower-hamlets/

Met Police chief Cressida Dick has admitted her force was not prepared for climate change demonstrations which brought parts of Londonto a standstill in April. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7027037/Met-Police-chief-Cressida-Dick-admits-force-wasnt-ready-Extinction-Rebellion-protests.html

Encouraging results from initial few months of force scheme to develop its own fingerprint scanner. The INK scanner Date - 29th December 2018 By - Nick Hudson - Police Oracle More than 6,000 officers are set to have access to a policing first within weeks as Britain’s biggest force has given the thumbs up to initial trial findings of new technology that identifies suspects inside a minute. Four months after the Met Police became the inaugural force to develop its own mobile fingerprint scanner, officers claim the device is already saving time as well as public money. INK Biometrics, short for Identity Not Known, is reportedly meeting expectations and identifying prime suspects wanted for serious crimes. Used more than 8,500 times already, INK has led to more than 3,000 identifications on London’s streets – saving trips back to police stations to identify people. Officers are able to confirm the identities of suspects at the roadside within 60 seconds if they have a criminal record, are wanted or are known to immigration enforcement. Fingerprints are only taken where there is legal cause under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act. But since officers have had access to INK, the easy-to-use kit allows faster apprehension of wanted offenders – keeping officers out on the streets for longer and freeing up limited custody space. The average time spent in custody is 14 hours, with each hour costing approximately £30. Met officers and staff developed their own product and software when they realised it could significantly increase the number of devices at a much reduced cost. Some 400 officers are using the devices on a day-to-day basis. That number will rise to more than 6,000 by February 2019. The Met’s mobile biometrics service manager, Sergeant Paul Knight, said: “With permission, officers can use INK to search the PNC, preventing the need to use the radio to check on an individual’s status and whether they are wanted or not. “The general consensus from officers is that the INK devices are easy to use, giving officers a quick responses on a subject’s identity. “There have been many cases over the past months where INK has provided crucial support in identifying a suspect which has led to arrest and charges.” INK project leader, Superintendent Adrian Hutchinson, said: “I am very proud we have become the first British police force to develop our own device. “With the money we are saving, we are now able to provide more devices to more officers than ever before, saving them the time and inconvenience of either waiting for a biometric device to arrive or taking the suspect into custody." Met Commissioner Cressida Dick said she had always been clear in her ambition to make the “best possible use” of technology to fight crime, adding: “The speed of analysis of information that this device will offer, will drive effectiveness and efficiency and allow officers to spend more time in our communities and fighting crime. “This new technology was developed from the ground up with the full involvement of our officers.” In a recent case study, officers from the Met’s Child Abuse and Sexual Offences Command were out on an operation in Ilford to tackle and disrupt the major issue of child sexual exploitation in the area. While patrolling, police spotted and stopped a 21-year-old man whom they believed was wanted for a sexual assault on a child. The suspect refused to give any identification details and after initial questioning, officers took the decision to scan his fingerprints there and then. The INK device rapidly identified that the suspect was the man wanted for the offence and he was arrested and charged. Meanwhile, the Met’s first central London trial of live facial recognition technology has led to four arrests. Two were the direct result of the technology identifying individuals wanted in connection with violent offences. A third suspect was held for failing to comply with a notification under the Sexual Offences Act and the fourth for drugs offences by officers who had been deployed to support the facial recognition trial. Last week, last-minute Christmas shoppers on the UK’s busiest streets were targeted as policing attempts to give live facial recognition technology credence despite a critical press. The Met saw it put to use in Soho, Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square for eight hours each on two separate days. Britain's Information Commissioner has launched an investigation following "significant concerns" over the technology's legality and effectiveness. Last month a study concluded "considerable investment" was needed to deliver consistent results after South Wales Police reported crashing computer systems and poor quality images during its trials. The rollout of trials across London’s West End comes at the end of the Met’s ten technology pilots which will now involve a “full evaluation”, according to Scotland Yard’s strategic lead for live facial recognition, Commander Ivan Balhatchet. View On Police Oracle

A riot squad chief inspector has won a landmark sexism case against a female boss who objected to beers being in the work fridge and male officers walking around in towels. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5760163/Met-police-chief-inspector-wins-sexism-case-against-female-senior-colleague.html

Metropolitan Police officers are four times more likely to use force against black people compared with the white population, new figures suggest. The Met used force 62,000 times in 2017-18 with more than a third of incidents involving black people. Techniques such as verbal instructions and using firearms were recorded. The Met Police said: "The proportionate use of force is essential in some circumstances to protect the public and often themselves from violence." Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott said the "disproportionate use of force is discriminatory". Full Story

Ex-Met officer tells Police Oracle why he 'couldn't make it to the end', including grievances with former commissioner. �There once was a job, it was the greatest one on earth..." A Metropolitan Police officer “absolutely fed up” with the job has taken to his piano and social media to perform a humorous, yet blunt, song about the state of policing - a month after leaving. Ashley Webber, a former response officer in Hillingdon, joined the force ten years ago and has begun a five-year career break - but admitts he doubts he will be returning. The 32-year-old’s catchy ditty focuses on budget cuts, 12-hour shifts, crime awareness groups – which he labels as “self-entitled middle-class buffoons”- and issues with former Met Commissioner Lord Bernard Hogan-Howe. -Contains strong language “Life’s too short my friends, couldn’t see it to the end,” belts out the cop-turned-musician. Speaking to Police Oracle, Mr Webber says he was driven to leave the force mainly due to “ludicrously high” expectations from officers – exacerbated by Lord Hogan-Howe’s unattainable initiatives. “We are stripped of limited resources, yet we were being dispatched to everything. “His promise was ‘you will see a cop regardless of the problem’ – yet a peelian principal states ‘you will not pander to the public’- the irony. That is one thing I can’t stand.” Serving the force also began to take its toll on his wife and his four-year-old son with Ashley finding himself returning home every day feeling angry and stressed. “I just don’t enjoy helping the public anymore. In the end I thought 'I have got to get out'.” He is now pursuing his life-long dream of becoming a musician after becoming side-tracked in the past, dropping out of university and falling into a policing role when he realised it may be difficult to make it in the competitive industry. A PCSO for 18 months before becoming a Met PC, Mr Webber reflects back and realises he was “too young” at the time. “My heart wasn’t 100 per cent in it, but it felt like the right thing to do.” His love of music stems from listening to Capital Gold at his parent’s house as a child and his impressive piano skills were learnt from the age of 12. When asked where he sees the force in five years’ time he said: “Some things will go full circle and safer neighbourhood teams will go back to how it was. I also think they will realise the new borough mergers will not work. “The last nail in the coffin for me is when they introduced iPads - how many stabbings will an iPad prevent?” View On Police Oracle

Scotland Yard is listing thousands of children and young men on a “racially discriminatory” database that is failing to tackle rising violence in London, a new report has found. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/police-gangs-database-matrix-met-scotland-yard-london-racist-amnesty-report-a8342171.html MPS response to Amnesty Report into Gang Matrix http://news.met.police.uk/news/mps-response-to-amnesty-report-into-gang-matrix-305755

A youth worker and leading police adviser on stop-and-search has been charged with assaulting a police officer who was using the tactic. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/apr/27/police-adviser-assault-charge-entirely-false-ken-hinds https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/stop-and-search-adviser-ken-hinds-claims-wrongful-arrest-sj3d78vrh What qualifications are needed to become a police adviser on how to use stop and search?

'We welcome the considerable expertise City officers bring', force says. Scene of Thursday's attack in Mile End, east London. Photo: John Stillwell/PA Wire Detectives from City of London Police are aiding the Met as frequent violent attacks continue in the capital. On Thursday, six youths were attacked within a 90-minute period, including a 13-year-old boy who was seriously wounded after being set upon in Newham, east London. Around an hour earlier, two 15-year-olds were seriously hurt after being stabbed in Grove Road, Mile End, east London. More than 50 people have been killed in the metropolis since the start of the year, more than 30 of whom were fatally knifed. It was announced on Thursday that City of London Police are helping with the caseload. The force has taken on the investigation of a man killed at a bookmakers in Clapton, east London, on Wednesday. A statement from the Met said: “The investigation will be led by Superintendent Lee Presland, from City of London Police and a former Met officer. “The Met routinely works closely with other forces, especially its neighbouring forces - which include City of London Police - on a variety of crime prevention initiatives such as Operation Sceptre to tackle knife crime, and we welcome the considerable expertise City officers bring.” Victor Olisa, the Met's former head of diversity and head of policing in Tottenham told the Guardian: "It appears to people I have spoken to as though the police have lost control of public spaces and the streets. "The silence from senior officers in the Met is deafening." Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said the rising number of murders on the capital's streets was "heartbreaking" and criticised the government for cuts to the policing budget. He said: "Of course it concerns me, I think one murder is one too many. "Since 2014 we have seen an increase in violent crime in London and across the country. "Already in the last seven years we have lost £700 million from the policing budget. Over the next three years the government plans to cut another £300 million. That's a billion pounds worth of cuts. "So my message to the government is please work with us to solve this national problem." View On Police Oracle

The hunt for Madeleine McCann will continue after the Metropolitan Police Service was granted more funds to continue the 11-year-long search. Full Story - Daily Mail

The Met Police is to hold an "urgent" review of a rape case after being accused of failing to disclose vital evidence. Liam Allan, 22, was charged with 12 counts of rape and sexual assault but his trial collapsed after police were ordered to hand over phone records. A computer disk containing 40,000 messages revealed the alleged victim pestered Mr Allan for "casual sex". Prosecution barrister Jerry Hayes accused police of "pure incompetence". The charges against the criminology student were dropped three days into the trial at Croydon Crown Court when Mr Hayes took over the case. 'Villain to innocent' It is understood police had looked at thousands of phone messages when reviewing evidence in the case, but had failed to disclose to the prosecution and defence teams messages between the complainant and her friends which cast doubt on the allegations against Mr Allan. The CPS said it offered no evidence in the case on Thursday as there was "no longer a realistic prospect of conviction". Mr Allan told the BBC he was "overwhelmed" at the moment, adding: "It's a huge amount of confusion to go from being the villain to being innocent." He also told The Times he had suffered two years of "mental torture... I feel betrayed by the system which I had believed would do the right thing — the system I want to work in." Read Full Story

The Metropolitan Police has spent tens of thousands of pounds on fixing cars filled with the wrong fuel, new figures reveal. Full Story - Daily Mail

The Metropolitan police are to stop investigating many lower level crimes as a result of spending cuts, a senior police officer has said. Full Story - Guardian I know many commentators in the press and social media are lambasting this, however common sense says cutting spending will lead to less officers which will lead to more crimes not being investigated. Why are people surprised?

Officers who Tasered a man armed with two knives 11 times, hit him with a car and shot him used reasonable force, the police watchdog has found. Metropolitan Police officers fired on Joseph Hive several times with a stun gun in Brent, north-west London on 8 October 2015. When the Taser had no effect, they struck him with a patrol car before shooting him. Mr Hive, 30, was later taken to hospital with chest and arm injuries. The police had been called after Mr Hive had been seen wielding two blades in the street. Officers later reported that he had refused to drop the knives and was a danger to himself and others. 'Further force' Mr Hive was armed with two knives and a screwdriver and later convicted of possession of offensive weapons and common assault, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said. The IPCC's investigation found the officers had used "necessary and proportionate" force. IPCC commissioner Cindy Butts said: "Officers were faced with a man armed with knives who seemed intent on using his weapons on a public street. "They needed to stop him from causing serious injury or death to them, a member of the public, or himself. "Taser was fired a total of 11 times. The man was found to be wearing extra clothing, which we believe reduced the effectiveness of Taser on at least one occasion. "Yet he still posed a real danger to officers, leaving them with no option but to use further force." Source - BBC More detail here

Police will use facial recognition software to scan the faces of tens of thousands of revellers at this year’s Notting Hill carnival even though civil liberties groups believe such an action would be discriminatory. Full Story - Guardian " But critics say the use of real-time biometric tracking has no basis in law and that the plan to deploy it during the carnival is institutionally racist, as it targets Britain’s main annual African-Caribbean celebration" How is it racist? The police are trying to clamp down on the extreme large scale violence we get every year at this event, if large gangs of black youths were not causing issues every year there would never be any need for facial recognition software.

Image captionThere are currently 73 operational police station front counters, down from 136 since 2013 Half of London's police station front counters will close under new plans announced by the Mayor of London. Sadiq Kahn said budget constraints had left him "no choice". Scotland Yard estimates it will need to make £400m of savings by 2020 under current funding. Under proposals each of the Met's 32 boroughs will be left with one 24-hour counter. There are currently 73 working counters, down from 136 since 2013. Conservatives said the mayor was using government funding as a "scapegoat". London Assembly member Gareth Bacon said: ""The fact is the Met has found three quarters of the savings it requires and no announcement has yet been made about future funding." Mr Khan set out the new plans in a consultation document on public access and engagement published on Friday. City Hall says that closing "poorly used" front counters will save £10m each year - equivalent to the cost of 170 police constables. Since 2010, the Met has had to find £600m of savings. Image copyrightREUTERS Image captionSadiq Kahn said current funding left him "no choice" but to close half of London's police front counters Some 8% of crimes were reported at police front counters in 2016, down from 22% in 2006, according to official figures. About 70% of crimes are reported by phone. Under the plans, remaining police buildings will get upgraded IT services while frontline officers will be provided with tablet computers - in an an effort to boost the reporting of crime online. Mr Khan said: "The huge government cuts to the Metropolitan Police Service have left us with no choice but to take drastic action to protect the frontline of policing. "My top priority is keeping Londoners safe, and every pound saved by closing a front counter is a pound of savings that we do not have to find by reducing the frontline." Image captionSince 2010, the Met has had to find £600m of savings and estimate they will need to find another £400m in the next three years When former mayor Boris Johnson cut police station front counters in 2013, Mr Khan criticised the move, suggesting Londoners could be forced to report crime at police "contact points" in McDonald's restaurants. The Home Office said Scotland Yard has had a "broadly flat" budget since 2015. A spokesman said: "There is more money and more officers for each Londoner than anywhere else in the country. "This government will continue to ensure that the Metropolitan Police have the resources they need to cut crime and keep our communities safe." The public consultation is open until 6 October. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-40607533