Avon and Somerset Police Contravenes Recruitment Rules

Two hundred applications from white men to Avon and Somerset police are to be reconsidered after the force contravened rules by removing them from the recruitment process.

Dr Moira Hamlin, chair of the Avon and Somerset Police Authority, said in a statement that pre-eminent Counsel found the force 'contravened the rules' by de-selecting 200 white male applicants in last year's recruitment process.

Dr Hamlin said: ‘The underlying factor behind all this has been a desire to have a police force establishment which more accurately reflects the community it services.

‘In 2003 Avon and Somerset Constabulary had the lowest percentage of female officers in England and Wales.

‘It is clear that existing methods of recruitment were not working in terms of bringing in more women and people from black and minority ethnic groups and new ways had to be found to encourage more people from these under-represented groups.

‘It has become clear that the force's approach of using the Disability Discrimination Act as a model during this recruitment process was not appropriate.

The announcement was based on expert advice from Counsel. The law will not be tested in the courts as the chief constable does not want to 'waste public money', said Dr Hamlin.

‘Since Colin Port became chief constable the force has made significant strides forward in terms of performance, and by using positive action has seen an encouraging rise in the number of female officers joining.

‘Our priority now is to work with the chief constable to ensure that there is a recruitment process in place for the future which is transparent, robust and best serves the needs of all our communities.’

New NPIA Could Give Home Secretary Too Much Power Warns ACPO

ACPO has warned that proposals for the new National Police Improvement Agency could give the Home Secretary too much power.

The NPIA, the brainchild of ACPO, is expected to become operational in April 2007 and will be headed by Peter Neyroud, former chief constable of Thames Valley police.

Sir Chris Fox, ACPO President, said measures contained in the new Police and Justice Bill could give the Home Secretary considerable control over the new agency.

‘Powers conferred on the Secretary of State in this essentially enabling Bill are extremely wide ranging, giving carte blanche power to modify the objects, powers, duties and constitution, for example, of the NPIA.

‘It also confers additional powers on the Secretary of State regarding not only those matters but also the regulation, management and control of the agency and its' staff.’

Sir Chris said there were 'many examples' in the bill that 'represent the latest in a long line of legislation to water down the tripartite relationship.'
The Police Federation also raised concerns in its parliamentary briefing paper over the impact of increasing the independence of Basic Command Units.

‘If BCUs were to evolve into stand alone units almost totally autonomous from force decisions we fear that this would have a negative impact on force performance,’ the Federation stated.

The Federation has expressed disappointment that the Bill has failed to standardise powers for community support officers, preferring to leave the decision to individual forces.

It is also calling for the addition of a new clause to the Bill, giving police officers the power to check passports at points of entry and exit.

Officers currently have to request to see passports.

The Police and Justice Bill was due to receive its second reading in the House of Commons this week.

Charles Clarke Orders Forces to Merge

The Home Secretary has ordered a number of forces to merge after they failed to meet the deadline for voluntary amalgamation.

In an update to the Commons, Charles Clarke announced the mergers of 13 forces which missed the February 24th deadline.

Mr Clarke said he was 'giving notice' to all the police authorities, local authorities and chief constables in the affected areas (and, in Wales, the Welsh Assembly Government) of his intention to merge them.

Under the plans, Cheshire will join with Merseyside. Cleveland, Durham and Northumbria will become one force. Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Mercia and West Midlands will merge as will all the Welsh forces.

Mr Clarke said he expected the new forces to come into effect on April 1st 2007.

GMP will remain as a stand alone force. Cumbria and Lancashire requested to merge voluntarily.

Forces have until July 2nd to raise any objections to the mergers.

Man Charged with Attempted Murder of Officer

A 53-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder following an incident where an officer was stabbed.

Mark Longa, from Sycamore Road, Whitley, has been remanded in custody and will appear before Reading Magistrates' tomorrow.

A 19-year-old man arrested on suspicion of burglary and handling stolen goods during the same incident has been released on police bail.

The officer, who suffered a severe hand injury in the incident, is recovering at home after being treated at the Royal Berkshire hospital for cuts to his hand.

The officer was carrying out a house search and had arrested a male when he was assaulted by a second man.

In a separate incident, South Yorkshire police are appealing for information after an officer was shot by what is believed to be an air weapon.

The 29 year old male officer was investigating a road traffic collision. As he got back into his vehicle, he felt a pain in his right shoulder and realised he had been shot with what is believed to be some form of air weapon.
The officer got into the police vehicle, driven by his colleague, and immediately left the area.

The officer, who works at Moss Way Police Station, attended Rotherham District General Hospital, where he received out-patient treatment. His injuries were not found to be serious and he was discharged following treatment. He is now recovering at home.

Inspector Scott Green, leading the Woodseats Safer Neighbourhood Area said:
'This incident is being treated very seriously. The officer was wearing protective equipment at the time and luckily did not sustain major injuries. It is very concerning that an officer undertaking routine police duties in support of the community has been targeted in this way and I would urge members of the local community to come forward with any information that could lead to the prosecution of these individuals.'

'A team of officers are currently engaged in this investigation and any information will be treated in the strictest confidence. Officers from my team will also be patrolling the area to reassure the local community.'

Officers Join Forces to Help Airport Staff Fight Crime

Officers in Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire are teaming up for the first time to help employees at Nottingham East Midlands Airport fight crime.

Police in the three counties have joined forces with the Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships covering North West Leicestershire, Broxtowe and Rushcliffe to produce 7,000 security packs that will be distributed over the coming weeks to all employees based at the airport.

The packs aim to provide reassurance in four key areas - burglary, vehicle crime, personal possessions and airport security.

Inspector Norman England of Nottinghamshire Police is in charge of policing Rushcliffe North, which is one of the areas in Nottinghamshire where people who work the airport live. He said: ‘This is an ideal opportunity for us to work together to provide crime reduction advice to people who live and work in all three counties. It also sends out a clear message to offenders that we exchange information and work together to tackle crime.’

Inspector Tony Marson of Leicestershire Police, who is in charge of policing at the Airport, added: ‘The airport is an important place to police and it has its own community. I felt that a crime reduction initiative was relevant in order to raise awareness of crime issues and reduce the possibility of employees here becoming a victim of crime.’

Penny Coates, Managing Director of Nottingham East Midlands Airport, said: ‘We are delighted to be working in partnership with the region's three police forces to help reduce incidents of crime at the airport, or involving our employees, across the site.

‘Initiatives such as this are vitally important to raise awareness of the impact that crime has on people or business. We would urge all our colleagues to support this project and take advice on how they can play their part in tackling crime.’

The project has also received funding from DHL and Nottingham East Midlands Airport.

Atkins Wins EMRA Car Parking Review Contract

Atkins has been selected by the East Midlands Regional Assembly (EMRA) to review regional car parking standards in the region.

Following a competitive tendering process involving five bidders, Atkins Transport Planning team was selected for its local knowledge, wide experience in parking studies and work with regional assemblies.

Commenting on the appointment, Councillor Terry Freer, Chair of the East Midlands Assembly's Transport Group, said: ‘This is a significant piece of work that was identified in the project plan for the 'Proposals for a Review of the East Midlands Regional Plan to 2026', and will be important in shaping the land use issues in the Regional Spatial Strategy review.’

The availability of car parking has a major influence on the means of transport people choose for their journeys. Atkins' experts will review the standards set out in the current regional strategy and produce a revised version. Options tested will consider accessibility to places by public transport with the aim of developing standards that promote sustainable travel choices.

Adrian Taylor, Atkins' project director, said: ‘This contract builds on our existing experience in car parking studies and work for other regional assemblies. We look forward to working closely with local planning authorities and local stakeholders in the development of this work.’

Atkins plans, designs and enables the delivery of complex capital programmes for clients in the public and private sectors. Atkins is the largest multi-disciplinary consultancy in Europe; the largest engineering consultancy in the UK; and the fourth largest design firm in the world.

International Police Commanders Visit Gloucestershire

Seven senior police officers from around the world are visiting Gloucestershire as part of a training programme in international policing practices.

The international police commanders, who come from Ghana, Albania, The Philippines, Algeria, Botswana and The Bahamas, are in Britain for a 10 week training course - the International Commanders Programme - being running by Centrex (the Central Police Training and Development Authority) in conjunction with the University of Leicester at Bramshill, in Hampshire.

As part of the course the officers spend a week long attachment with a British police force.

Gloucestershire's Chief Constable Dr Timothy Brain said: ‘We are greatly honoured to have been picked to host this delegation and we have developed a full programme of activities for our colleagues which will give them a good insight into the issues we are facing and how we tackle crime and disorder in this county and the UK as a whole.

‘Similarly we expect to gain a great insight into the way policing is carried out in their respective countries and we are keen to see if there are any lessons we can learn from hearing about their experiences.’

Dorset Third Best Performing Force

New figures released by the Government show Dorset Police is the third best performing force in England and Wales for public satisfaction over the quality of its service to crime and road traffic collision victims.

According to independent results issued by the Home Office in London - after crime and road traffic collision victims were surveyed between September, 2004, and September 2005 - Dorset Police is a top performing force.

And the Home Office has praised Dorset for being 'excellent' with regard to the action taken and the follow up service provided by officers and staff in the county.

That rating of 'excellent' contributed to Dorset being ranked the best out of its most similar forces - Essex, Gloucestershire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Surrey, Sussex and West Mercia - for ease of contact, action taken, treatment received, being kept informed and the public's overall experience of Dorset Police.

Dorset Police Chief Constable, Martin Baker, said: ‘As well as being a top performing force - according to public satisfaction survey findings issued by the Police Standards Unit of the Home Office - Dorset is also leading the way in understanding the needs of its customers.

Dorset Police has also outperformed all the other forces in the south-west region - Wiltshire, Devon and Cornwall, Avon & Somerset and Gloucestershire - in relation to the quality of service delivered to the public and the overall experience that victims receive.

Focussing on victims of burglary, violence, vehicle crime and road traffic collisions, the surveys were carried out throughout the 43 forces in England and Wales.

Victims in Dorset reported high levels of satisfaction across all the key areas of service that were examined - ease of contact, action taken, treatment received and being kept informed.

When questioned, 85.9% of Dorset victims said that they were satisfied with the overall experience that they received when dealing with the police. And 93.5% said that they were satisfied with the ease of contact and the treatment that they received.

Satisfaction among victims of racist incidents was also measured with 82% of victims questioned reporting high levels of satisfaction for the service that they received. This compares well with the national average of 72% and places Dorset as the fifth best performing force when compared with the 43 forces in England and Wales.

Abbots Langley Community Office Progressing Well

Building work has officially started on a new station in Hertfordshire.

Abbots Langley police station, which forms part of Hertfordshire Constabulary's Police Access and Visibility Strategy, will be fitted with an information desk, interview room and office space for the Community Team officers and PCSOs.

Inspector George Holland said: ‘I visited the site last week and was impressed with the progress being made and fully expect the new Abbots Langley Community Office to be operational in the spring.’

The Abbots Langley Community Office will be one of the first police stations of its kind within Hertfordshire and will be used by the local Abbots Langley Ward Constables and Police Community Support Officers.

Insp Holland added: ‘The station will provide a more visible police presence in the area to support the community and businesses. It will bring numerous benefits to the community of Abbots Langley and will allow police officers, police community support officers, special constabulary officers and councillors to serve the community better. This will also help us to better achieve effective locality policing alongside our partners and the community.’

As with the Watford Town Centre Community Office which opened in December 2005 it is intended that the information desk at the new station will be supported by volunteers as part of the Community Volunteer strategy.

Scottish Gangs Caught on Camera

Police in Glasgow North and East Dunbartonshire Division are tackling gang culture by capturing gang members on camera.

Video cameras were introduced by the force after a 15-year-old boy was stabbed in a gang fight in Cadder.

Sub-divisional officer Superintendent Peter McLaughlin said: ‘At the beginning of the night, officers from our anti-violence patrol go out and video gang members as they start to congregate. This is done quite overtly - officers speak to the gangs and let them know what they are doing.

‘This means that later on in the night, if we get reports of gang fighting or someone reports an assault, we may have the suspect's details on video. This allows us to trace the person quickly and get them off the streets.’

Police officers are entitled to video the gangs, which is classed as 'directed surveillance' under legislation covered by the Regulation of the Investigatory Powers of Scotland Act. Officers already routinely use video cameras to identify football hooligans.

Under the new approach, every person caught carrying a knife or offensive weapon will also have their fingerprints and their DNA taken. This recently led to the successful high profile arrest of a man wanted for murder in the division, thanks to a DNA hit.

In addition, the division's intelligence officers are creating an intelligence bulletin, highlighting everyone caught carrying a weapon. This is circulated to officers on each shift through their daily electronic briefing. This contains the weapon carrier's photograph, personal details and information on the type of weapon they carry.

Skills for Justice Announces Changes to ICF version 8

Skills for Justice has announced a number of changes to the Police Integrated Competency Framework Version 8.

In its latest e-briefing, the organisation said it has agreed to make a few improvements.

These are:

* a new section (that will sit between the National Occupational Standards (NOS) and qualification) which will show how the NOS will link to Professionalising the Investigation Process (PiP)

* an improved search function on the intranet version of the ICF. This will allow individuals to search for NOS (it currently only allows you to search activities and associated role profiles)

* an updated user guide to reflect intranet update patches that have been released between the introduction of version 7 (September 2004) and the new version 8

* to provide hyperlinks from PDR to full descriptors of activities or behaviours

* currently PDRs can be finalised without any evidence or line manager assessment of objectives, activities or behaviours - this will be amended

* a 'confirm screen' will be provided when deleting PDRs

* line managers seem to have an ever-increasing list of appraisees. Even when the changing line manager process is undertaken correctly, line managers still show the individual - this will be amended

These changes will be made in time for the release of the ICF version 8 at the end of April.

For further information or if you have any queries please contact Zoe Scott by telephone on 0114 231 7377 or by e-mail at zoe.scott@skillsforjustice.com .

To see the full e-brief, please click on to the Skills for Justice logo or go to http://www.skillsforjustice.com

PSNI Review Team to Help with Securitas Robbery Investigation

Kent police have asked the Police Service of Northern Ireland to review their progress in the Securitas robbery investigation.

Chief constable, Mike Fuller, said the move was to ensure 'we have identified and exploited all reasonable lines of inquiry and that our investigation is professional and thorough'.

‘This is recognised good practice in the police service and we value the opportunity to learn from our colleagues, who bring their considerable experience from the Northern Bank robbery.

‘This review allows experienced investigators, independent of our inquiry, to look at what we have done and what we plan to do and to help us take stock. The review team will be reporting back to me,’ said Mr Fuller.

The PSNI review team was expected to arrive early this week, as part of standard practice.

A 43-year-old man who was arrested on Thursday 2nd March in south east London and a 28-year-old man arrested in the Bexley area as part of a joint operation by the Metropolitan Police and Kent Police were released on police bail on Sunday.

This brings the total number of arrests to 17. The four men and one woman charged in connection with the robbery are remanded in custody until 13th March when they will appear at Maidstone Crown Court.

Officers continue to search a number of addresses in Kent and across the south east as the investigation team follows up further leads.

Securitas depot manager Colin Dixon and his family are said to be recovering well from their ordeal on the night of the £53 million robbery.

 Source: Police Oracle

True Vision Campaign Launched

Merseyside Police has signed up with 37 forces nationally to take part in an initiative to combat hate crime.

The True Vision campaign was launched at the Tate Liverpool, Albert Dock, last week. It complements the work already being undertaken by Merseyside Police to give victims of hate crime a voice that will be heard.

Assistant Chief Constable Bernard Lawson, said: ‘Hate crime is under reported. By encouraging more witnesses and victims to report incidents it may prevent it happening to someone else. Even if victims don't want to give their name or address it is vital we know what has happened. This will enable police and partnership agencies to build up patterns of offender behaviour, highlight areas of concern and provide us with a 'True Vision' of hate crime within our community.’

True Vision is designed to:
-allow victims and other people affected by hate crime to notify the authorities by self reporting.
-permit Hate Crime to be reported by using the following methods:
(i) Self reporting. Victims can use the form contained within the 'True Vision' pack, to report an incident. The packs will be held at key locations. Incident reporting centres identified by Neighbourhood teams have been set up and the list is available on the Merseyside Police internet site
(ii) Internet reporting via http://www.report-it.org.uk.

Hate Incident Toolkit
If you report Hate Crime an officer will attend and initiate investigations by completing a Hate Crime and Crime reporting form. Victims will also be given crime prevention advice and a Hate Incident Reporting pack, which contains a victim support bag which contains useful crime prevention information, details of support agencies, information regarding giving evidence in court, stop search rights and a satisfaction survey with pen and freepost envelope.

Victims subjected to repeat victimisation will be left with a Hate Incident Toolkit.

This contains a diary for recording further incidents. A full investigation of the incident(s) will be carried out by either a CID or Neighbourhood officer. A Hate Crime Co-ordinator will also be allocated and he/she will act as a single point of contact to ensure that there is victim support and the incident is thoroughly investigated.

 Source: Police Oracle