Please click on the 'SECURIZINE ISSUE X' link to view the whole issue, or on [More on this Story] just to see that particular story:

SECURIZINE ISSUE 19  25th January 2006

Stratchclyde Opts For Face Masks and Straight Batons
Offenders in Strathclyde could be made to wear surgical face masks to stop them spitting at police officers. The masks which come into force next month, will be kept in police vehicles for officers to use if they believe a detainee is likely to spit at them.
[More on this Story]

Intellect Voices Concern over IMPACT Progress
Concerns over the lack of progress of the Home Office's IMPACT programme have been voiced by industry insiders. Intellect, the hi-tech industry's trade association, said that the Home Office had yet to make contact with UK suppliers of intelligence software.
[More on this Story]

What is IMPACT?
At present, most information is stored in local police force's own IT systems. Once completed, the IMPACT programme will create a national infrastructure that will enable forces to share access to the data in these systems.
[More Here]

Trust Damaged by Breach of Confidentiality says Professor Sir Desmond Rea
The chairman of the Northern Ireland Policing Board says he regrets the damage caused by a breach in confidentiality during an Organised Crime Taskforce briefing.
[More on this Story]

As Authentic as an Eleven
Eleven-pound notes have been given to every constable in West Midlands Police to remind them to look out for false reports. The £11 notes are part of a force wide internal 'Spot the Fake' campaign, which also includes doctored posters of the Mona Lisa.
[More on this Story]

Atkins Awarded £15.4m MPA Contract
The Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) has awarded Atkins a £15.4m contract to develop a Facilities Management Information Centre (FMIC) to help manage its 1700 London properties. The FMIC will include a help desk and contact centre. It will also support disaster and contingency planning information across the facilities management supply chain.
[More on this Story]

ACPO Backs Government Rejection of Prostitution Tolerance Zones
Chief officers have backed the Government's decision not to create prostitution tolerance zones. Dr Tim Brain, ACPO spokesperson on prostitution and chief constable of Gloucestershire, was speaking after the launch of the Home Office's Co-ordinated Prostitution Strategy.
[More on this Story]

ACPO Determined to Cut Cannabis Supply
The decision not to upgrade Cannabis from a Class C drug has reinforced the need to cut off supply, the Association of Chief Police Officers has said. Andy Hayman, ACPO lead on drugs and Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said: 'Dealing at a serious and organised crime level will be targeted.
[More on this Story]

Gender Split Survey Produces Positive Results
A scene from the hit cop drama 'Life on Mars' set in 1973 shows a senior male CID officer telling a uniformed WPC to fetch teas for his lads. In another scene, a WPC is tasked with clearing up vomit from the cells. For female officers in 2006 this may well sound like a different planet, because, according to Surrey university researchers, in today's police service gender has little to do with deciding who does what.
[More on this Story]

TASER Used More Often than Conventional Firearms
TASER is used by police more often than conventional firearms, according to Home Office figures on police use of firearms. Statistics show that firearms were authorised 15,981 times, compared to 16,657 in the year before.
[More on this Story]

Deaths Connected to Northern Ireland Troubles to be Re-examined
The Police Service of Northern Ireland will re-examine thousands of deaths connected to the province's troubles in a bid to bring resolution to the families of victims. The Historical Enquiries Team will help victims' families in 3268 cases with any unanswered questions they may have.
[More on this Story]

RIG Police Recruit Branches Out
RIG Police Recruit is branching out into the private sector, Securizine has learnt. RIG Investigator and Security Careers Ltd, a sister company, has been set up to provide investigators to the commercial sector. The move follows research by the company last year which identified a clear gap in the market.
[More on this Story]

South Yorkshire Police Renews Aerial Imagery License
South Yorkshire Police has renewed its license to use aerial photographs.
The GeoInformation Group, publishers of Cities Revealed aerial photography, confirmed that South Yorkshire has renewed its license for aerial imagery at 12.5 cm to cover the entire force area.
[More on this Story]

Strathclyde Police to Pilot Violence Reduction Scheme with Hospital
Strathclyde Police is to pilot a scheme with a Glasgow hospital to encourage more victims to report incidents of violence. Doctors at Glasgow Royal Infirmary's A and E Department will carry out injury surveillance, which will provide vital information to analysts within the Force's Violence Reduction Unit (VRU).
[More on this Story]

SECURIZINE ISSUE 18  18th January 2006

PIPS Technology Wins Devon and Cornwall Contract
Devon and Cornwall Police Authority has awarded PIPS Technology a four-year open framework contract for the supply of ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) equipment to six forces in the south west and Wales.
[More on this Story]

ZyIMAGE Conquers PFNI Paper Mountain
A nine-storey high paper mountain accumulated by the Police Federation of Northern Ireland has been recycled into egg boxes following the introduction of a new software system. ZyIMAGE, made by Zylab, allows the Federation to electronically store, archive and retrieve an extensive array of records relating to its 30,000-plus members.
[More on this Story]

ACPO Welcomes HMIC’s Professional Standards Assessment
The Association of Chief Police Officers has welcomed the publication of HMIC's assessment of Forces professional standards. David Lindley, Vice Chair of the Professional Standards Committee and Deputy Chief Constable of Leicestershire Constabulary said:
[More on this Story]

CD Tribute to PCs Ian Broadhurst and Sharon Beshenivsky
A CD in honour of fallen West Yorkshire officers, PCs Ian Broadhurst and Sharon Beshenivsky has gone on sale in shops in West Yorkshire. Kirklees Traffic Officers PC Paul Feather and PC Richard Hopper recorded REM's 'Everybody Hurts' as a tribute to PC Broadhurst who was shot dead in Leeds on Boxing Day 2003 and PC Beshenivsky who was murdered in Bradford on November 18th 2005.
[More on this Story]

North Yorkshire Police Seeks Public Opinion on Council Tax Increases
North Yorkshire police are to ask the public for their views on a proposed 2 per cent council tax increase to pay for a £1.4 million shortfall. The money will help fund an extra 53 neighbourhood police officers currently being recruited.
[More on this Story]

Staffordshire Police 'Most Gay-Friendly Employer' in the UK
Staffordshire Police is the UK's 'most gay-friendly employer', according to the gay equality organisation Stonewall. The force scooped the title after scoring highly against Stonewall's stringent assessment criteria which include issues such as recruitment and retention of gay staff.
[More on this Story]

New Hope for Gloucestershire Constabulary Force Merger Plans
Gloucestershire constabulary has been offered a 'chink of light' following a meeting between the chief constable and the Home Office minister. Dr Tim Brain and local MPs met Hazel Blears last week to discuss force merger plans.
[More on this Story]

Complaints about Northamptonshire Police Down
Complaints to the Northamptonshire force communications centre about the force fell in December last year. Just nine calls from unhappy members of the public were received by the FCC last month, five fewer than for the preceding December.
[More on this Story]

Strathclyde Police to Launch VIPER
Strathclyde police has announced that it is launching Video Identification Parade Electronic Recording (VIPER) at its Ayrshire division at a cost of £200,000.
[More on this Story]

400 Submissions Made to Hertfordshire Police Under FOI Act
Fifteen per cent of requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act from Hertfordshire police last year related to speed cameras, according to force figures.
[More on this Story]

Thames Valley Officer Sets Up Tsunami Charity
A Thames Valley officer has set up her own charity to raise £50,000 for children orphaned by the Tsunami after witnessing first hand the aftermath of the disaster that struck South East Asian coastlines in 2004.
[More on this Story]

'Police at Work' Course Launched in Dorset
People in Dorset are being asked to pay £15 for an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at police work.The force has developed an eight week course entitled 'Police at Work' for anyone wanting to know more about how the police operate.
[More on this Story]

ANPR Working Well in Northamptonshire
ANPR figures for Northamptonshire police revealed that 800 people were arrested and stolen property worth more than £200,000 was seized in an eight month period, according to force figures.
[More Details]

SECURIZINE ISSUE 17  11th January 2006

Chair of Cleveland Police Authority Welcomes Calls for Referendum
Calls for the Government to hold a referendum on the future of policing in the North East have been welcomed by the Chair of Cleveland Police Authority as 'a sensible and constructive way of ensuring that the people of the Tees Valley and the rest of the region get the kind of police service they really want.'
[More on this Story]

Highways Agency Traffic Officers on Patrol
Teams of Highways Agency Traffic Officers have begun working alongside police officers patrolling some of the country's busiest road networks in Hertfordshire.
[More on this Story]

Global Armour Acquires Highmark Manufacturing
Global Armour will acquire the trade and assets of Highmark Manufacturing Company Limited, the Northern Ireland based manufacturer of bullet and stab resistant body armour.
[More on this Story]

Officers Required for Home Office Airwaves Study
Researchers at Kings College are looking for officers to take part in a Home Office study into the health effects of Airwave. The study will examine suggestions that the radios cause short term symptoms such as headaches, dizziness and confusion.
[More on this Story]

Northants ‘Planning Out Crime’ Partnership Awarded Commendation
A partnership approach to cut crime in Northamptonshire has earned the county's Police Force and local authorities recognition at a regional awards ceremony.
[More on this Story]

HOSDB Open Day on 26th January
Less-lethal weapons, explosive detection equipment and advances in fingerprinting will all be demonstrated when the Home Office Scientific Development Branch throws open its doors later this month.
[More on this Story]

TPXi Portable X-ray Units to be Used by British Transport Police
The British Transport Police is to introduce X-Ray machines after Image Scan Holdings plc confirmed that its wholly owned subsidiary, 3DX-Ray Limited, has secured orders valued in excess of £170,000 for its new portable x-ray unit, the TPXi.
[More on this Story]

Initial Fire and Security Wins BSIA Training Award
The British Security Industry Associations (BSIA) Chairman's Award for Contribution to Training has gone to Initial Fire and Security.
[More on this Story]

Eleventh Lawsuit Against TASER Dismissed
The eleventh Lawsuit against TASER International has been dismissed by a court in Michigan, the company has revealed.
[More on this Story]

SECURIZINE ISSUE 16  4th January 2006

Force Merger Deadline Not Met
Police authorities have failed to meet the Government's deadline for voluntary force mergers despite the offer of cash incentives, the Association of Police Authorities has revealed. Bob Jones, APA chairman, said: ‘No police authorities have submitted full business cases to the Home Office'.
[More on this Story]

January 1st Introducton of Bureaucracy Cutting Measures
Multi-premises warrants allowing access to premises owned or occupied by a suspect is just one of a range of bureaucracy cutting measures which came into force this week. The changes, contained in the Serious and Organised Crime and Police Act 2005, also mean police can apply for repeated entry warrants and extend their use from one to three months.
[More on this Story]

Surrey Calls for More Cash
Surrey Police and Surrey Police Authority are calling on the Government to end the historically poor funding settlements for South East forces, including Surrey. Analysis by carried out by Surrey Police and Surrey Police Authority in response to the Home Secretary's merger request has shown that a lack of resilience in police service delivery in the South East is caused by an accumulating deficit in funding.
[More on this Story]

Exempt Police from Compensation Scheme Changes says APA
Officers should be exempt from proposed changes to the Criminal Injuries Compensation scheme, according to the Association of Police Authorities.
The Government Green Paper 'Rebuilding Lives - Supporting Victims of Crime', released last month proposes removing all cases where someone is injured whilst at work from the criminal injuries scheme
[More on this Story]

6,497 ASBOs Issued Since 1999
Nearly 6500 ASBOs have been issued since 1999, almost half of them to juveniles, according to Hazel Blears, the minister for Policing, Security and Community Safety. The figures, announced in Parliament, show that for the period between April 1999 and June 2005 the total number of ASBOs issued was 6,497.
[More on this Story]

New Police Station Planned for Lewes
Plans to build a new police station on a former car park have been submitted by Sussex police authority to the local council. The site in Lewes has already been acquired by the authority and, subject to planning permission, is expected to open next year.
[More on this Story]

Northern Ireland Publishes Human Rights Programme
The Police Service of Northern Ireland has published its second programme of action on human rights. The 2005-06 plan is believed to be the only one of its kind in Europe and seeks to set the standard for other police services to follow.
[More on this Story]

Merseyside Gives Public Progress Reports
Merseyside police is aiming to keep the public informed of ongoing murder cases by publicising its progress on the force's website. CRIMEFILE has been set up to support the work of the force's Major Incident Team and will contain details of recent and historic cases reviewed when new evidence comes to light or as a result of forensic advances.
[More on this Story]

Special K Now Class C
A drug used as anaesthetic for animals has been classified as a Class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act and supply now carries a prison sentence of up to 14 years. Ketamine, or special K, as it is also known, found its way onto the club scene in 1992 when people took it thinking they were buying ecstasy.
[More on this Story]

Reliance’s Turnover Up
Reliance Security Group has revealed their turnover is up despite challenging conditions in the security services market. Interim Results for the six months to October show a 5.2 per cent increase in turnover to £157.4 million, compared with £149.5 million in 2004.
[More on this Story]

TASER Wins Personal Injury Case
TASER International has won a personal injury case following a four week trial of a former Country Sheriff's Deputy who filed a lawsuit against the company for injuries he received during training when he was exposed to a discharge from the M26 ADVANCED TASER.
[More on this Story]

RETURN TO NEWS INDEX

RETURN TO HOME