IPCC
Investigates CCTV Assault Allegation
The
Independent Police Complaints Commission has launched an investigation
into an allegation that Ms Toni Comer, 19, was assaulted during her
arrest in Sheffield.
Millions saw the alleged assault as CCTV footage of Ms Comer's arrest
outside a Sheffield nightclub when it was broadcast on the news channels.
South Yorkshire Police referred the matter to the IPCC last Thursday
and Nicholas Long, IPCC Commissioner for Yorkshire and Humberside, decided
to conduct an independent investigation.
Mr Long said:
‘I have seen the CCTV footage and decided it is in the public interest
for a wholly independent investigation to be conducted.
'This investigation will look into the circumstances of the incident
to determine whether the force used by the officer when making the arrest
was justified and proportionate.’
The
way Surrey Police deals with Traveller issues has been vastly improved
by a Travellers' Focus Group, set up a year ago to help increase the
trust and confidence between Surrey Police and the Travelling Community.
Chaired by Chief Superintendent Craig Denholm (now East Surrey divisional
commander), the group's immediate aim was to ensure Surrey Police adopted
a co-ordinated, consistent and well thought out approach to policing
Travellers.
Surrey is home to probably more travellers than any other county in
the South East and these are mostly English, Irish and Romany Gypsies,
Showmen and occasional New Age Travellers. Their issues are, therefore,
wide and sometimes complex, with inevitable cultural clashes between
the different groups and problems relating to lack/quality of site provision,
lack of confidence in the legal system/police service, discrimination
and bigotry (perceived or real) from the wider community and fear and
scepticism as a result of negative media stereotyping.
The Focus Group, whose members either had previous experience of policing
diverse groups such as Travellers or belonged to external groups already
involved with them in the county, worked towards identifying and understanding
the culture of the Travelling Community and the issues they faced. 'As
a result,' says C/Supt Denholm, 'Surrey Police now responds to Traveller
issues in a far more even and structured way.'
PC
John Hockley, 2nd left, and PCSO Alex Woodhall, far right, with their
Cambridge colleagues
There
are, however, some areas at a local level where there is still a poor
understanding of the issues. To improve this, the group has helped introduce
the Traveller Awareness Package, believed to be the first of its kind
in the UK, which will be included in Surrey Police training from March
2007. 'This package will give officers and civilian staff a unique insight
to the culture of Travellers and the issues they face, as well as practical
advice on the associated legislation and procedures,' adds C/Supt Denholm.
The group has also been involved in the appointment of Alex Woodhall,
the first Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) in the county with
responsibility for Traveller liaison on her area, in Guildford. Alex
and colleague Waverley Neighbourhood Specialist Officer John Hockley
were recently visited by two PCSOs from Cambridge to share ideas and
working practices on how best to work with Travellers within the local
community.
Surrey's Travelling Community has played an active part in all this,
helped by a Surrey Traveller Co-ordinator jointly funded by Surrey County
Council and the county's 11 district councils. The focus group recently
published a message in the Co-ordinator's newsletter, believed to be
the first time a Police Force has tried to find out why the Traveller
Community makes so few complaints compared to other ethnic groups within
society.
The Travellers' Focus group is seeking to build on these early successes
and would be delighted to hear from you at TravellerFocusGroup@surrey.pnn.police.uk
if you have any comments or ideas on how the group can continue to develop.
Big
Brother Racism 'Not Criminal'
Celebrity
Big Brother contestants will not face charges, following an investigation
by Hertfordshire Constabulary.
The force conducted an investigation into allegations of racist behaviour
within the Big Brother House during Celebrity Big Brother, January 2007.
The allegations came to light following complaints from members of the
public both to Hertfordshire Constabulary and to broadcasting watchdog,
Ofcom.
Detective Inspector Jeeta Aulak, who ran the enquiry, said 'The investigation
was balanced, considering all complaints received.
'During enquiries, we liaised with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)
and the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) - this was to ensure that
all issues were considered and responded to. The CRE were happy with
our response and investigation.'
Assistant Chief Constable Simon Parr said: 'Our investigation has now
concluded and a file has been handed across to the CPS. In the absence
of complaint from any of the housemates regarding behaviour - including
behaviour that was not broadcast, the CPS has concluded that whilst
what occurred was clearly offensive, it was not criminal.'
During the investigation, it was Hertfordshire Constabulary's intention
to speak with six of the former housemates. Four were interviewed, however
two declined. During the interviews, everybody stated that they had
not witnessed or perceived they were victim to any racist behaviour.
Following consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service, it was felt
that it would not be in the public interest to effect arrests or to
pursue footage through the courts.
Cheshire
to Attract Women to ‘Macho’ Units
Cheshire
Police may introduce smaller firearms and lighter motorcycles in a bid
to attract more women to units which may be seen as having a 'macho'
culture.
It
may follow the example of the Cleveland force, which issues the smaller
Sig-Sauer P250 gun (pictured) to female officers, and could join Humberside
Police in giving them smaller motorcycles.
Regulations state that motorcycle unit officers must be able to lift
their bikes off the ground but it is feared that many women will not
be able to lift the current models, thus potentially depriving them
of a career in the unit.
Of the firearms issue, chief inspector Jon Ward of Cheshire Police told
the Manchester Evening News: ‘Cleveland are using smaller firearms
and it is not something we rule out.
‘I think when talking about the firearms and traffic units, macho
culture is perhaps not the right word. They are male dominated and I
suppose stereotypical views can develop and that's something we need
to try and address.’
Greater Manchester police also said that it may look to effect similar
changes, but will first look at how such implementations work elsewhere.
New
999 Service for Chinese Community
The
Bristol-based charity Support Against Racist Incidents and Avon and
Somerset Constabulary are launching a new card to help the Chinese community
to call for help in an emergency.
Chinese takeaways and restaurants offer suffer high volumes of unreported
crime and struggle to access emergency services.
The new S.A.R.I.'s Chinese Emergency Reporting Card aims to improve
the reporting of crime within the community.
PS Andy Owen of Avon and Somerset Constabulary's from the communication
department said, ‘We believe that by taking simple steps and referring
to the Emergency Reporting Card, members of the Chinese community who
often work in vulnerable locations and often late at night, can greatly
reduce the likelihood of their being victims of crime.
‘This is an exciting project for Avon and Somerset Constabulary
and S.A.R.I, the first of its kind in the country and one which we will
be closely monitoring for possible adoption by other groups.
‘Targeting of vulnerable groups will not be tolerated and this
is another example of positive action by the police and S.A.R.I to make
our communities feel and be safer’.
The card will be distributed to all Chinese takeaways, restaurants and
shops in Bristol, B&NES, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset.
S.A.R.I will also consider making the card available nationally in the
near future, and possibly also develop similar cards in other languages.
Some
key features of the card are:
• It is the first of its kind in the country
• It contains simple instructions which tell victims when to call
emergency services
• It contains simple instructions on how to ask for police, ambulance
or fire brigade
• It contains simple phrases which provide Chinese to English translations
of five common crimes faced by Chinese takeaways
• It is accompanied by a leaflet with simple guidelines on preserving
evidence
• It is contained on one sheet of A4 paper, so it is easy to put
up near the phone
• It is checked and approved by Avon and Somerset Constabulary
communications department
Cleveland
has Neighbourhood Know-How
Forces
nationwide are turning to Cleveland's know-how in the preparation to
launch Neighbourhood Policing, according to the force.
Officers in Hartlepool were among the first in the country to spearhead
the initiative which gives every community their own locally-based bobbies
who are easily accessible for help and advice.
Rooms at schools, offices, community centres and shops were transformed
into mini police stations where officers could hold surgeries.
The learning curve experienced in Hartlepool has now been developed
by the Commissioning Department of Cleveland Police to create an easy-to-follow
guide which sets out points to consider when launching Neighbourhood
Policing.
It covers everything from setting up shared-use offices, property lay-out
and health and safety matters to service level agreements and IT issues
- and has proved so effective it is now included on the national Neighbourhood
Policing web site.
Head of Commissioning, Mike Hopkins, said: ‘It is an aide-memoir
to police officers and non technical staff that raises the awareness
of points to consider.
‘It's about the best use of resources set out in a user-friendly
guide that clarifies roles and responsibilities for all concerned. Step,
by step, it creates a guide which explains the whole process to deliver
Neighbourhood Policing effectively.
‘The fact that it is available to all other forces is a testimony
to the team's commitment and hard work in developing a collaborative
tool which not only supports us locally but our colleagues nationwide.’
The guide was created mainly by Estates Officer Vicky Downes. It is
the first of its kind and will be used by other districts within Cleveland
Police as they roll out Neighbourhood Policing.
First
Minister Introduces New Drug Detection Dog
Scotland’s
First Minister Jack McConnell backed the launch of a new drug detection
dog which will be used to deter people from taking drugs to the Western
Isles.
Thanks to substantial funding from the island's Scottish Executive funded
Alcohol Drugs and Smoking Action Team (ADSAT) Northern Constabulary
will gain not only a new drug dog but also a full time drugs officer/handler.
The group recognises the importance of such a tool in the fight against
drugs across the Western Isles.
PC Neil MacDonald, currently based in Stornoway, will be the officer
tasked with carrying out the challenging new role.
Following an eight-week training course at Glasgow Dog Training School,
PC MacDonald and his dog will be fully operational later this year.
The launch was supported by the First Minister who is in Stornoway to
attend the Convention of the Highlands and Islands.
Scotland's Justice Minister, Cathy Jamieson, visited the island in March
2005 to highlight the Force's partnership launch of drug detection dogs
being used at all ferry terminals and airports in the Western Isles.
Commenting on the introduction of a new tool for Police in the fight
against drugs the First Minister said: 'I welcome this valuable addition
to the fight against drugs in the Western Isles.
'Across Scotland, we have been taking concerted action to tackle the
drugs menace in our communities.
'Our Police forces, together with the SCDEA (Scottish Crime and Drug
Enforcement Agency), are making more arrests, intercepting more international
gangs preying on Scotland and are seeking out and destroying more illegal
drug factories.'
He added: 'Last year alone they seized drugs with a total street value
of £22.4million.
'The dealers should be in doubt about that our law enforcement agencies
will continue to track them down and ensure action is taken against
them, using all the powers and resources at our disposal.
'In this case, clearly man's best friend has become the drug dealers
worst enemy.'
Police in the Western Isles believe the introduction of this new drug
detection dog will underline the fact that bringing drugs to the Western
Isles can have serious consequences.
A business case for the dog and the associated training implications
was prepared and was submitted by the Area Commander, Chief Inspector
Murdo Fraser, to ADSAT for approval.
Fife
Tops ABSO Powers
Powers
to prevent anti-social neighbours wrecking the peace of their communities
are being implemented more frequently by Fife Constabulary than any
other force in Scotland.
The force last week secured its eighth Closure Order. The legislation
- introduced in 2005 - allows police forces to apply for residents to
be removed for up to six months from their homes - giving much-needed
respite to their long-suffering neighbours.
The latest order was granted at Dunfermline Sheriff Court on Thursday
8th March 2007 to stop a flat in Dunfermline being used for alleged
dealing in controlled drugs. Sheriff Dunbar heard details of a catalogue
of anti-social behaviour since November 2006.
Just last week, residents encountered an unconscious drug user in their
stairwell with his trousers round his ankles and a syringe in his leg.
Six weeks ago, the force's seventh closure order was granted by the
same court removing a woman from a house in Bute Crescent, Dunfermline,
following allegations of drug dealing and significant disruption to
the community. The woman has since been convicted of drug-related offences.
Community Inspector Fraser Downie said: 'These Closure Orders demonstrate
Fife Constabulary's commitment to use every weapon at its disposal in
the fight against drug dealers in our community.
'Dunfermline and Fife Constabulary are at the forefront nationally of
the implementation of these powers, made available under the Antisocial
Behaviour (Scotland) Act 2004.
'We have been working closely with our partners to bring about these
measures. These orders have given two sets of residents a well-earned
rest from the kind of unacceptable behaviour they including noise and
intimidation at all sorts of hours.
'We have brought criminal charges under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971
against this tenant, but these measures allow us to protect the public
from this kind of behaviour much more quickly.'
Fife
goes Digital
21st-Century
CCTV technology is helping Fife Constabulary and its partners fight
crime and keep the Kingdom's communities safe.
The
force and Fife's Community Safety Partnership have installed a state-of-the-art
digital CCTV system to replace the old analogue tape equipment.
The old system only allowed tapes to be checked or reviewed once recording
had finished. The advantage of the new technology is that it lets the
operators go back and examine footage while the recording is still taking
place.
Stills can easily be downloaded and e-mailed to individual police officers
- meaning they save time by no longer having to travel from all over
Fife to Police Headquarters to make identifications.
And the equipment records far more frames per second on the 97 cameras
than the analogue system. It also allows operators to zoom digitally
into the picture - making it easier to capture vital evidence in the
12 communities covered by the CCTV network across Fife.
CCTV Supervisor Mark Waterfall said that since its launch in 2002, CCTV
had become a vital tool in helping the police detect and deter crime.
'This new equipment takes that to the next level.
'Instead of the laborious process of recording then reviewing hours
of CCTV tapes, we can check the footage instantaneously. This makes
it even easier for us to establish if something suspicious is occurring
and alert police officers to the incident.
'Considerable police time will also be freed up by the e-mailing of
images and needless to say, digital disks take up a great deal less
storage space than bulky tapes.
Head of Operations Chief Superintendent Alan Maich added: 'The Town
CCTV system has been a success story for Community Safety and partnership
working. This upgrade to digital technology will build on this success,
and improve efficiency and effectiveness.'
Fife's Community Safety Chair Councillor Andrew Keddie added: 'Since
the inception of the CCTV system, which was at that time a very modern
technique, technology has moved on and it is now becoming out of date.
We have come a long way and this modernisation of the equipment will
be of great benefit and will help speed up the operation of catching
criminals. We will always support the police in trying to achieve greater
detection rates and this is one way of reaching that goal.'
60 people were apprehended during February 2007 as a direct result of
Public space CCTV.
Notable incidents include the apprehension of a man in Central Fife
who was seen by an operator to load what appeared to be bullets into
a handgun. It was later established that the handgun was in fact a toy.
In the West of Fife a CCTV operator observed two men breaking into a
commercial premises. The operator directed units accordingly and both
men were apprehended leaving the building.
Mark Waterfall pointed out that the CCTV system was not just used for
the apprehension of offenders but that it is a very effective tool in
identifying and assisting to trace vulnerable people.
He commented, 'A number of people, who had been reported missing to
the Police, were traced during February as a result of CCTV operators.
A man in the East of Fife, who was suicidal, was traced safe and well
within his vehicle thanks to the sharp eye of an operator.
These are just some of the many notable successes of Fife's Public Space
CCTV system'.
Back
to the Frontline
More
than 70 extra police officers are being recruited for front-line duties
in Essex, following a recent review of HQ staffing and budgets.
The review - known as FLAG 4 (Front-line Action Group) - has delivered
£3.1million savings, which will pay for an extra 73 sworn police
officers - comprising 28 constables and 45 sergeants.
Chief Constable Roger Baker said: ‘At a time many police forces
are under pressure simply to maintain existing numbers, we are providing
the public of Essex with a real increase in police officers.’
Four PCs will be allocated to each of the five police divisions - Central,
Eastern, South-Eastern, South-Western and Western. A total of 8 extra
PCs will be going into protective services teams dealing with distraction
burglaries, sex offenders and intelligence/prison liaison.
During the FLAG 4 review, which ended last month, Divisional Commanders
identified a need for more sergeants to strengthen the supervision of
the increasing numbers of constables and PCSOs in our Neighbourhood
Policing Teams (NPTs). Therefore 45 new sergeants' posts are to be shared
across the five territorial divisions.
In addition, ten non-operational police officers have moved out from
HQ to vacant front-line posts.
The FLAG 4 work has identified further potential savings of £1.5million,
which require more detailed investigation. This will assist the task
to find £6 million savings by 2010 to pay for the new investment
plans of the 2007/08 force budget.
For 2007/08, the force will be increasing the number of front-line officers
and PCSOs by a further 120 posts.
The Front-line Action Group's programme began in August 2005. To date
it has increased the investment in the Essex frontline by £12million
- some 299 posts.
FLAG has funded 219 new police officer posts and has moved 80 police
officers from support roles into existing vacant front-line posts.
Drivers
Ignore Mobile Laws
Central
Scotland Police said it is disappointed that drivers have ignored the
change in the law on mobile phones.
In the first week since the offence was made endorsable 44 drivers were
caught driving while using a hand-held mobile in the force area.
Sergeant Jim Allan, of the force's Road Policing Unit, said: ‘Figures
show that forty-four drivers are still driving while on their hand-held
mobiles. Given the fact that the offence is endorsable and the fine
has doubled to £60, it is extremely disappointing. We will continue
robust enforcement of this legislation.’
Of the drivers detected, eight were in Clackmannanshire, 18 were caught
in Falkirk and 21 were detected in Stirling.
PSNI
Tackles Extortion Mailshot
The
PSNI is targeting businesses in Portadown and Craigavon in a pilot scheme
to promote an Anti-Extortion helpline.
Hundreds
of businesses are being sent a mailshot explaining what the helpline
can do for them and listing reasons why they should call.
This is part of an Organised Crime Task Force campaign to promote the
helpline in the community and, if it is successful, could be rolled
out across Northern Ireland.
The event was launched at a business reception in the Seagoe Hotel,
Portadown on Monday March 12th and was attended by a broad section of
the Portadown and Craigavon business community, who were able to talk
to senior police, the security minister Paul Goggins and officials from
ARA and HMRC about extortion issues.
The helpline is staffed by officers from the PSNI Extortion Unit from
Monday to Friday - 8am to 4pm. If staff are not available, an answering
service will operate. If it is an urgent enquiry, callers should contact
their local police or, if it is an emergency, they should dial 999.
In January this year the construction sector was targeted with ads in
the trade press to encourage the building industry to come forward if
they feel they are under threat.
Police believe that extortionists, many of them paramilitaries, are
making millions of pounds a year by their unwarranted demands with menaces
against the construction industry and business sector. Only a small
percentage of victims of extortion actually report the matter to police.
Detective Superintendent Essie Adair, head of the Police Service's Financial
Investigation Unit, said police wanted to make it as easy as possible
for victims to get help:
'Officers are there on the line to offer advice and provide assistance
to those who are victims of extortion and who are prepared to report
it. We have systems in place to ensure those who come forward are looked
after properly.
'So far this year ten individuals have been arrested and charged with
extortion related offences. We could do much more but we need victims
to work with us.
'Extortion is a particularly difficult crime to combat. We want to provide
as much support as possible for victims and this is one very public
aspect of that assistance.
'This is another example of our long-term commitment to crack down on
organised crime in Northern Ireland. We are under no illusions there
are any quick fix solutions but we will play our part and work with
others to protect individuals and the community.'
More
Cash to Deter Travelling Criminals
Warwickshire
Police is to increase its investment in roads policing to put more pressure
on travelling criminals and reduce the number of people who are killed
or injured on the county's highways.
The force is to establish a Road Policing Unit to police all roads in
Warwickshire and will also resume direct responsibility for tackling
crime and dealing with incidents on the county's motorways.
The new unit will replace existing regional motorway policing arrangements,
which have been operated by the Central Motorway Police Group on behalf
of four forces since 2001.
The decision to return 33 officers and eight vehicles to the force and
resume direct management of all road policing has been agreed with Warwickshire
Police Authority. It follows a review that identified significant operational
benefits.
Keith Bristow, Chief Constable of Warwickshire said:
'A comprehensive review of road policing, which looked at how we deny
criminals easy access to the motorways and other roads and how we prevent
and manage road traffic collisions, clearly indicates that people in
Warwickshire would be better protected by a county-wide road policing
unit.
'A single unit with responsibility for protecting everyone on all roads
in Warwickshire will provide us with improved operational and investigative
capabilities and the ability to direct our resources to where they are
most needed, both now and in the future.
'Since the Central Motorway Police Group was formed six years ago, the
way in which incidents on the region's motorways are managed has been
significantly enhanced by the introduction of Traffic Officers employed
by the Highways Agency. Now that Traffic Officers deal with the clearance
of debris and other duties not requiring policing skills, the demand
profile on police resources has changed significantly.
'I am clear that while we will continue to work closely with all neighbouring
forces and Traffic Officers, the current regional motorway policing
arrangements are not as efficient and effective for Warwickshire as
a single road policing unit would be,' he said.
Warwickshire Police has informed neighbouring forces in the West Midlands
region, (Staffordshire Police, West Mercia Police and West Midlands
Police) of its decision.
The force has also confirmed that it will continue to contribute to
regional road policing arrangements to address the threat of terrorism
and the identification and arrest of criminals through the use of number
plate recognition technology.
'I am confident that these changes will increase our ability to save
lives and prevent injuries on the roads, deny criminals easy use of
the road network in Warwickshire and enhance public confidence and reassurance
by intelligence-led patrolling,' added Mr Bristow.