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18 May 2012

FREE timely e-Briefs on UK Policing by email Our e-Brief news services will help keep you up to date and informed. It is a key part of our scanning and monitoring services. It includes official press releases, issues raised in Parliament, items of interest from Scotland and news from other areas. e-Briefs are delivered in Adobe PDF format for ease of use. We also give an option to download a Word version to make it easier for you to cut and paste into your own research and circulations. If you are interested in what is happening this is a must have service - it takes little effort on your part, and it's FREE. Register here *Click here to access eBriefs archive*
18 May 2012: WEST YORKSHIRE POLICE AUTHORITY: PUBLIC CONFIDENCE AND SATISFACTION AT RECORD HIGH The year end performance results for 2011/12 have revealed that West Yorkshire Police has exceeded all its Policing Plan targets and achieved the best ever results for public confidence and victim satisfaction. The performance results are being presented today to members of the Police Authority’s Strategic Planning and Performance Committee. The Policing Plan for 2011/12 contained ten targets, all of which the Force exceeded. The Force also recorded improvements against the majority of the other measures included in the Policing Plan as diagnostic indicators. Total recorded crime reduced by 3% (or 5,733 fewer victims of crime) compared to 2010/11. In particular, there were big reductions in acquisitive crime (burglary, robbery, theft and fraud), which was down 9.4% or 4,340 fewer offences. On its own, there were 2,702 fewer victims of house burglary, a 13.2% reduction from 2010/11. Public confidence improved again during the year, exceeding the target set by the Police Authority and reaching a new record high of 54.6% Overall satisfaction levels of victims of burglary, vehicle crime and violent crime also achieved a record high of 85.6%. Ann Liston, Chair of West Yorkshire Police Authority's Strategic Planning and Performance Committee, said: “The performance results for 2011/12 are excellent and particularly so considering they were achieved during the first full year of severe budget cuts and staff reductions. It’s clear from the confidence and victim satisfaction results that the Force is continuing to provide a good service to the public of West Yorkshire. “I am pleased to see that the burglary figures have reduced by such a large amount this year, but we know there is more to be done. It is still one of the top priorities for people in West Yorkshire and we don’t compare well to our most similar forces. We will be monitoring progress with this and the other Policing Plan targets for 2012/13 very closely over the remaining six months until the Police Authority is replaced by a Police and Crime Commissioner.” Deputy Chief Constable John Parkinson of West Yorkshire Police, said: "These latest figures show that we are continuing to make significant improvements in public confidence and satisfaction as well as achieving sizeable reductions in crime. Our commitment to neighbourhood policing is delivering the truly local policing service residents want to see. "The 13.2 per cent fall in domestic burglary is particularly pleasing because it reflects the effort the Force has devoted to tackling this type of crime which causes significant impact on victims. Set against the backdrop of spending cuts on the Force, our staff continue to work tirelessly to offer improved standards of service. What is particularly pleasing is that when residents are unfortunately affected by crimes such as burglary, record numbers are reporting they are satisfied with the standards and performance of the officers they speak with. The Deputy Chief Constable added: "We are continuing to make excellent progress in the first months of this year with even bigger reductions in crime, meaning even fewer victims. We will continue to work closely with the Police Authority who scrutinise our performance and set stretching targets for us. "Our focus will be to maintain this progress in the face of the challenges which lie ahead." UKPolicing.info Notes: UKPolicing.info Notes West Yorkshire Police Authority is an independent body responsible for ensuring West Yorkshire Police delivers an efficient and effective police service and is made up of councillors and members of the public. The Authority ensures that the Force is accountable to the people of West Yorkshire and ensures that citizens have a say in how they are policed. Follow us on Twitter @WestYorkshirePA 17 May 2012: UK BORDER AGENCY: ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS CAUGHT IN GRANTHAM Twelve illegal immigrants have been caught following a UK Border Agency operation in the early hours of this morning (Thursday 17 May). Acting on intelligence, and supported by officers from Lincolnshire Police, the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) and HM Revenue and Customs, UK Border Agency officers stopped two vehicles on the A52 just outside Grantham at 6am. Officers checked the immigration status of all 24 occupants of the two vehicles. Fingerprint scanners were used to confirm identities in some cases. Eleven men were found to be Indian nationals who had either overstayed visas or entered the UK illegally. One Pakistani man was also identified as being in the country illegally. They were arrested and taken to Grantham Police Station for further questioning. Later today they will be transferred to immigration detention centres pending their removal from the UK. Both vehicles were severely overcrowded, placing the safety of the occupants at risk, and breaching transport regulations. This was brought to the attention of the GLA as a critical breach of their licensing conditions. The agencies involved in the operation are continuing their investigations but it is suspected that the men were en route to work on a farm in Lincolnshire. Rachel Challis, from the UK Border Agency’s Lincolnshire local immigration team, said: “We are cracking down on immigration abuse across the county. Any foreign national who is in the UK illegally should be in no doubt that they will be found, arrested and removed from the country. Businesses that take on illegal workers should also be warned that they face heavy fines and possible prosecution.” Anyone with information about suspected immigration abuse can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 anonymously or visit http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/aboutus/contact/report-crime . UKPolicing.info Notes: UKPolicing.info Notes For all the latest Home Office news, photos and video visit the media centre: www.homeoffice.gov.uk/media-centre . Follow the Home Office on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ukhomeofice. UK Border Agency officers carry out enforcement operations and arrests at businesses and private addresses, acting on intelligence received from the public and other sources. Media enquiries: 0121 713 3338 or 07717 693 634 - Simon Ballinger, UK Border Agency Midlands Press Officer Out of hours queries: 020 7035 3535 - Home Office Newsdesk 17 May 2012: VICTIM SUPPORT TAKES ACTION ON INTERNATIONAL DAY AGAINST HOMOPHOBIA Today is International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO) and Victim Support is supporting the cause by holding events across the country. We are helping to raise awareness of what IDAHO stands for by displaying posters (http://www.victimsupport.com/About-us/News/2012/05/~/media/Files/Posters/P478%20IDAHO%20poster ) in our branches across England and Wales. We’ll also be using Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/VictimSupport to engage with followers using the hashtag #IDAHO2012 A number of events are taking place across our branches. This includes in the East Midlands where we are partnering with the organisation Citizen’s Eye to screen some short films and documentaries about the LGBT community. IDAHO http://www.dayagainsthomophobia.org/-IDAHO-english,41- is fixed to 17 May, to commemorate the World Health Organisation’s decision to remove homosexuality from the list of mental disorders. Adam Pemberton, Victim Support’s Assistant Chief Executive and Corporate Management Team Ambassador on LGBT issues, said: “Victim Support is proud that we help victims and witnesses of crime regardless of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity. We support people who are victims of hate crime because of their sexual orientation and know how it can leave deep emotional and physical scars. “IDAHO is a great way to highlight and overcome these prejudices and that is why Victim Support is holding these events up and down the country.” Victim Support has climbed a massive 31 places in the last year to be voted the 45th most gay-friendly employer in the UK by gay rights charity Stonewall. Last year an estimated 50 million people were exposed to campaign messages in about 50 countries, calling for an end to discrimination and violence against people on the grounds of sexual orientation and/or gender identity. 17 May 2012: NORTHERN IRELAND: STATEMENT BY POLICE OMBUDSMAN'S OFFICE ON THE RETENTION OF HUMAN TISSUE SAMPLES The Police Ombudsman's Office has today (Thursday May 17) released the following statement regarding the retention by the Office of human tissue samples. A spokesman for the Office said: "When we became aware that the Association of Chief Police Officers was carrying out an audit of retained human tissue samples, we initiated our own internal audit. "We have completed this work and have established that we hold items of human tissue from the bodies of four people. "The people in question died in incidents during the period from 2001 to 2006, all of which have been subject to Police Ombudsman investigation. "The families of these people will have been contacted by the end of the week. "We will provide them with more specific details and apologise in full for not having provided them with this information much earlier." 17 May 2012: BTP: CRIME DOWN ON BRITAIN’S RAILWAYS The long term downward trend in crime on Britain’s rail systems has continued with a 9.1% fall in notifiable crime in 2011/12, the eighth successive year crime has gone down. Figures for 12 crime groups published by British Transport Police today show that violent crime fell by 2.9%, whilst robberies were down 9.6% and vandalism (criminal damage) by 21.6%. Theft also fell, with theft of passengers’ property down 10.4% and theft of railway property down 12.8%. “This has been a very successful year for BTP and the rail industry,” said Chief Constable Andy Trotter. “This sustained downward trend in crime is a tribute to the excellent partnerships we have with rail operators, who continue to invest in the security of their customers and staff. It also reflects the hard work of BTP staff across Britain at a time when we are demanding more and more from them as budgets decline.” The crime figures are published on the day that Secretary of State Justine Greening opened a new London CCTV Hub bringing together access to 33,000 cameras from 16 rail operators (See www.btp.presscentre.com on 17 May for further details). Michael Roberts, Chief Executive of the Association of Train Operating Companies, said: “It’s good news for passengers that the crime rate on Britain’s railways continues to get ever lower. “Train companies take the safety and security of their passengers and staff extremely seriously which is why they spend millions of pounds installing more helps points at stations, providing funding for British Transport Police and improving CCTV on trains. “These figures show that this hard work is paying off, but train companies are not complacent and will continue to work with British Transport Police and other industry organisations to ensure that our railways remain as safe as they possibly can be for passengers and staff.” In 2011/12, BTP also achieved all 11 of its national policing plan targets and 43 out of 47 local targets. National targets include reducing crime, disruption and anti-social behaviour whilst improving value for money. Chief Constable Trotter added: “If anyone wants to see the value of successful public services, they have only to look at us. BTP has a record of consistent achievement over an extended period, whilst achieving ever greater value for money.” Crime on the railways over the past five years has fallen by over 30%. UKPolicing.info Notes: UKPolicing.info Notes The crime statistics can be downloaded from www.btp.presscentre.com Nine out of 12 crime groups showed crime down in 2011/12. There were an additional 62 sexual offences across England, Wales and Scotland (up 6.5%) and an eight per cent increase in motor vehicle/cycle crimes, mostly in London and the south east. The ‘Other Crimes’ category also rose by 40 crimes (4.8%) Crime statistics should be treated with caution. Dramatic fluctuations, whether up or down, can be misleading and if misused statistics can contribute to the fear of crime. Long term trends are a better guide. Hundreds of millions of passenger journeys are made safely each year and the statistics should be viewed in that context. National Policing Plan targets 2011/12 Helping to keep the railway running 1 Reduce recorded disruption-related offences Achieved down from 12,801 to 11,610 2 All non-suspicious fatalities to be cleared within an average of 90 minutes Achieved 76 minutes Helping to make the railway safer 3 Reduce notifiable crime (excluding police generated reported crime) from 2010-11 level Achieved down from 55,669 to 50,925 4 Reduce the number of staff assaults from the level recorded in 2010/11 Achieved down from 2,701 to 2,549 5 Maintain or increase the detection rate for serious violent, sexual and robbery offences Achieved up from 38% to 46% Providing value for money through continuous improvement 6 Reduce the number of officers in organisational support roles at Force Headquarters by at least 10% Achieved target was 89, 86.5 achieved 7 Reduce expenditure on non-staff costs as a proportion of staff costs by at least 1.5 percentage points Achieved target was 27%, 25% achieved 8 Average sickness days per employee to be less than 7.7 days Achieved 7.4 days Promoting confidence in the use of the railways 9 Reduce the number of anti-social behaviour incidents from the level recorded in 2010/11 Achieved down from 18,592 to 17,165 10 Increase the proportion of our resources devoted to Neighbourhood Policing Teams (NPTs) and response policing between 8pm and 1am Achieved target was 15%, 17% achieved 11 To respond to at least 80% of all immediate incidents within 20 minutes Achieved 92% For more information contact: National Pressdesk British Transport Police - HQ t:020 7267 6100 e: pressdesk@btp.pnn.police.uk For the latest news, updates and insight, follow BTP on Twitter: @btp_uk. British Transport Police is the specialist, national police service for Britain’s railways. BTP deals with major and minor crime, disorder and incidents, and covers the rail system in England, Wales and Scotland, including London Underground, Docklands Light Railway, the Glasgow Subway and the Midland Metro and Croydon Tramlink systems. Its 2,914 police officers, 322 Police Community Support Officers, 190 Special Constables and 1,316 support staff are recruited and trained like those of local forces and have the same powers. Find out more at www.btp.police.uk 17 May 2012: ICO TO REVISE PUBLICATION SCHEME REQUIREMENTS The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has today announced that new changes will be made to the information public authorities will need to release proactively as part of their publication scheme. Publication schemes are key documents that set out what information a public authority will make available about how it works. Today’s news follows an ICO consultation on the content of publication schemes which closed in December. The ICO has now published a staged action plan explaining how the new model scheme, definition documents and guidance will be developed. The changes reflect the responses received from public authorities, ideas generated in three workshops and suggestions from members of the public who submitted their views through the recent Tell Me More campaign http://www.ico.gov.uk/news/latest_news/2011/ico-asks-public-to-tell-me-more-about-what-information-should-be-proactively-released-25112011.aspx . The feedback shows that the ICO’s guidance on publication schemes is highly valued, but that a new Model Publication Scheme needs to reflect the advances made in central and local government on transparency. This includes releasing information in reusable formats and reflecting the open data agenda including the Open Government Licence and planned changes to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to be brought in through the Protection of Freedoms Act. Announcing the action plan Christopher Graham, UK Information Commissioner, said: “Over the past year the theme of greater transparency and accountability has become of central importance. This has impacted on the information public authorities should proactively release as part of their publication schemes. “We would like to thank those who contributed to our recent consultation. Today’s action plan reflects the comments received and explains the next stage of the process ahead of the publication of our new Model Publication Scheme in April next year. “Open and reusable data sets will be increasingly significant to the way public authorities operate and it is vital that these initiatives to improve transparency are reflected in our future guidance.” The ICO will review and update all sector definition documents, which will explain the information authorities in different sectors should release. Each document will cover a separate sector, from Central Government Departments to schools, in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. A revised Model Publication Scheme will then be introduced on 1 April 2013 which will apply to all sectors, with the definition document providing sector specific guidance to accompany the main scheme. • View the ICO’s publication scheme action plan http://www.ico.gov.uk/news/latest_news/2012/~/media/documents/library/Freedom_of_Information/Research_and_reports/publication_scheme_plan_for_2012-13.ashx • View our report summarising the comments received during the ICO’s recent consultation on the content of publication schemes http://www.ico.gov.uk/news/latest_news/2012/~/media/documents/library/Freedom_of_Information/Research_and_reports/revising_publication_schemes_under_s19_s20_foia.ashx UKPolicing.info Notes: UKPolicing.info Notes The Information Commissioner’s Office upholds information rights in the public interest, promoting openness by public bodies and data privacy for individuals. The ICO has specific responsibilities set out in the Data Protection Act 1998, the Freedom of Information Act 2000, Environmental Information Regulations 2004 and Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003. The ICO is on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, and produces a monthly e-newsletter. Our Press office page provides more information for journalists. The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) provides individuals or organisations with the right to request official information held by a public authority. The Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) provide access to environmental information. The ICO’s policy on enforcing public access to official information and the powers at its disposal are set out here: If you need more information, please contact the ICO press office on 0303 123 9070 or ico.gov.uk/press. 17 May 2012: ACPO COMMENT ON THE JUDGMENT RELATING TO THE USE OF PRODUCTION ORDERS An approved judgment has been made today in relation to the use of production orders by Essex police in the case of the Dale Farm evictions in October 2011 Chief Constable Andy Trotter, who leads for ACPO on media issues said: “This judgment brings clarity to this area of law and will assist police forces and the media to deal with similar matters in the future. "While police forces have the duty to pursue all lines of enquiry when investigating crimes; any future application for the production of unused material must have specific and clear evidence and grounds for that application to succeed. “The media plays a vital role in helping the police communicate with the public in the fight against crime, and this judgment assists the police and the media with what had become a contentious issue between them.” UKPolicing.info Notes: For more information contact ACPO Press Office Association of Chief Police Officers e: press.office@acpo.pnn.police.uk The ACPO press office can be contacted via 020 7084 8946/47/48 (office hours) or via 07803 903686 (out of office hours). The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) is an independent, professionally-led strategic body. In the public interest and, in equal and active partnership with government and the Association of Police Authorities, ACPO leads and co-ordinates the direction and development of the police service in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In times of national need ACPO, on behalf of all chief officers, co-ordinates the strategic policing response. ACPO’s 329 members consist of 242 chief police officers from the home forces of assistant chief constable rank (commanders in the Metropolitan Police and City of London Police) and above, plus 66 senior police staff members from the 44 forces in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Non home forces such as British Transport Police have 21 chief police officer members and there are three members from the Service Police. 16 May 2012: PFEW: HOME SECRETARY SPEECH TO POLICE FEDERATION CONFERENCE 2012 Fallen Officers Each May this Police Federation gathers and pays its respects to the police men and women of England and Wales who fell in the year before. Their loss is indeed the greatest reminder of what we all owe to police officers. Their memory reminds us of what police officers can sacrifice. So let us remember: PC Ian Swaddling; PC Scott Eastwood-Smith; PC Perviz Ahmed; PC Anthony Wright; PC Ramin Tolouie; PC Mark Goodlad; DC Andrew Stokes; DC Karen Paterson; Inspector Preston Gurr; And of course we also remember PC David Rathband. I had the great privilege of meeting David Rathband. He was a fine and brave police officer. He dedicated his professional life to the service of the public. And, following the cowardly attack on him, he dedicated himself to helping other emergency service personnel injured in the line of duty. The Blue Lamp Foundation, the charity that David Rathband founded, is a fitting tribute to his life and to his work; and it provides a legacy of which I hope he would be proud. Riots Coming together each May also gives us the chance to look back at the events of the last year. Last summer, we saw the best of Britain, as the country celebrated the Royal Wedding, and the worst of Britain, when we saw rioting on the streets of our towns and cities. During those riots, police officers braved the bricks, the petrol bombs and even the bullets. Police officers did their duty despite the danger. I know that many of you sacrificed a great deal. You worked double shifts. You travelled many miles. Your leave was cancelled. Some of you slept on police station floors. And more than 300 of you were injured. So I pay tribute to every officer who served last summer. Cuts There is so much to be proud of in British policing. But that doesn’t mean that everything in policing is perfect. And it doesn’t mean that there is no need for reform. Paul, you’ve just told us that there is a great deal that you don’t like about the Government’s policing policies. But let’s be clear: broadly, what we’re talking about comes down to money – on pensions, pay and budgets. Let’s remember why we’re having to take tough decisions about money. We have just been through the worst financial crisis in living memory. We had the largest budget deficit in our peacetime history. We are still spending £130 million every day just paying the interest on our debts. Not paying off our debts, just paying the interest on the debts. That’s more than we spend on the police, the courts, prisons and probation combined. And we are still spending, each day, more than we earn in tax. That means we have to borrow to make up the shortfall. So we have taken the difficult but necessary decision to face up to our debts, deal with our deficit, and get our spending under control. It’s been tough. It has led to many difficult decisions. And it has meant that policing has had to take its share of cuts. And for the good of our country, we have to see it through. The cuts will be challenging, they will involve hard choices, but they are manageable and they are affordable. I know the Fed often say we’re singling out the police. But that simply isn’t true. Prisons and probation are facing cuts just like policing. The education budget is often cited, but pupil numbers are rising by over 30,000 per year. You talk about the NHS budget, but health inflation is high and demand is rising. You often say defence is protected but let’s remember we’re fighting a war; the MOD is still paying the bills for old contracts; and the forces have already had to make 7,000 soldiers, sailors and RAF personnel redundant. So let’s stop pretending the police are being picked on. Every part of the public sector is having to take its share of the pain. Winsor I’ve always been clear with you that the police will have to make their share of the cuts. And although there is a great deal we can do through things like greater efficiency, shared procurement and force collaboration, I’ve always been clear that pay will have to form part of the savings. When three quarters of police spending is on pay, we have no other choice. The only alternative is more police job losses. That’s why - across the whole public sector - we’ve had to freeze pay for two years. It’s why we’ve said pay rises should average 1 per cent after that. And it’s also why we’re having to reform police pay and conditions. But the Winsor reforms are about more than just making savings. The police pay system was designed over 30 years ago, in the 1970s and it is now hopelessly out of date. The current system rewards time spent in the job. It doesn’t properly reward the hardest working officers, the talented constables, the skilled sergeants, the real crime fighters. We need a police pay system that encourages frontline service; that values specialist skills; respects the office of constable and recognises the demands placed on you and your families. In the longer term, Winsor has proposed regular fitness testing; new entry requirements so forces can hire the most talented recruits; shorter pay scales so the best can progress quickly; and direct entry so experienced individuals can bring skills and experience into the senior ranks from outside. These are reforms that hard working police officers should welcome. Winsor noted that there are other professions – notably soldiers and prison officers – who earn considerably less than police officers, who don’t earn overtime, who can be made redundant and yet still do not have the right to strike. I know that many Fed members don’t like the Winsor Report – change is never easy, especially when it involves pay. But these reforms are in the long-term interests of policing, and that is something everybody in this hall cares about. I know, too, that many Fed reps are talking about the right to strike. But I must be clear with you: the right to strike is not on the table. Keeping our communities safe is simply too important. I know I’m a Home Secretary who hasn’t been able to bring the Federation lots of good news: times are tough and I’ve had to take difficult decisions, particularly on pay. But I’ve always believed it’s important to tell it as it is, not how we’d like it to be. Two years ago, I told you I’d honour the three-year pay deal we’d inherited, and I did. Last year, when the Police Arbitration Tribunal considered the Winsor report part one, you urged me to accept the Tribunal’s recommendations quickly and in full, and I did. The Tribunal’s decision meant that the youngest officers would be protected from the increment freeze, officers would still receive time and a third for casual overtime, and a new £50 overnight allowance would be introduced for officers on mutual aid away from home. That wasn’t the package I proposed, but I didn’t argue, I considered it carefully, and I honoured the Tribunal’s decision. So let’s be clear about what the Winsor proposals actually mean: total savings of less than two per cent of the police officer pay bill; skills, hard-work and frontline officers rewarded; a new unsocial hours allowance; faster progression through the pay scales; and every single penny of savings ploughed back into policing. You will remain the best paid of all the emergency services - and that is what you deserve to be. Police Pensions On pensions, as well as on pay, I have always been clear with you that we will have to take difficult decisions. People are living longer and payouts for public service pensions are costing taxpayers more and more. That would be unsustainable even without the deficit we have. So, again, we took the difficult, the unpopular, but the necessary decision to reform pensions for all public service workers. We have now put forward a package for police pensions that is considerably better than pensions in the private sector and that compares very favourably with pensions in the public service. Like workers across the public service, it does mean that we are asking you to pay more for your future pension. But you will still receive a guaranteed pension which is index-linked and inflation-proofed. The pension you have built up will be protected, as I’ve already promised. In future, you will be able to continue to build up your benefits more quickly than most other public servants. I’ve already said that we will protect the pensions of officers within ten years of pension age. I’m consulting the Federation and others in the Police Negotiating Board on how to make these changes work in the best interests of officers. Every officer aged 45 or over will see no change to their pension whatsoever. And there will be no change for any officer aged 40 or over and less than ten years from full pension who is in the old scheme. Protected officers in that scheme will also continue to receive the double accrual rate you were expecting after 20 years’ service. That is better protection than has been offered for any other public servants’ pension scheme - including fire-fighters. And, recognising the unique demands you face, I fought hard to have your pension age considered separately from other public servants. So your pension age will remain significantly lower than for other public servants – 60 for police officers, as opposed to 65 rising to 68 for most other public sector workers. Police officers make an incredible contribution to our society. It is right that you should receive a competitive and attractive pension package and it is right that your pension age should be lower. But because police officers work for fewer years and have more generous pension arrangements than almost any other public servants, that means the taxpayer contributes more to your pension than most others, and it means you have to contribute more too. Improving Policing So, yes, we have to take difficult decisions, but that doesn’t mean we can’t change policing for the better and help you to do your job. So yes we’re setting up a Police Professional Body - led by a police officer and designed for police officers - to ensure you get the highest quality training and to further enhance your skills. We’re introducing a National Crime Agency to get a better grip on serious crime, defend our borders, tackle economic and cyber crime, and protect children and vulnerable people. We’re bringing in new Police and Crime Commissioners to give the public the policing they want. And that, I believe, is the kind of policing you want. Less direction from the bureaucrats in Whitehall; more from the people in the street. Less time in the station, more on the beat. Less form filling, more crime fighting. And we’re going to help police officers who’ve served the public and have been injured. So I will give half a million pounds of Home Office funding to St. Andrews Police Treatment Centre in North Yorkshire to improve their facilities. I have also offered funding to the Police Rehabilitation Centre at Flint House in Oxfordshire. Both of these tremendous centres provide intensive rehabilitation, physiotherapy and convalescent care for sick and injured officers, helping thousands get back to health and back to duty every year. This funding will help them provide the very best facilities to give sick and injured officers the chance to return to the job they love. Reducing Bureaucracy I spend a lot of time talking to police officers who love their job. But those officers tell me they still do too much paperwork and not enough police work. The officers who make an arrest but then have to spend the rest of the day filling out forms. The officers who have to escort mental health patients to hospital and wait there for hours. The officers who have to go to Court, wait around to be called and then hear the case has been adjourned. We need to put this right. Each and every one of you joined the force to serve the public. I know you want to spend more time crime fighting and less time form writing. I know you want to be trusted more and told what to do less. I know you want more discretion to do what your professional judgement tells you is right. We’ve already made changes that, if fully implemented in every force, could save up to 4.5 million police hours every year. That’s the equivalent of getting over 2,100 police officers back on the streets. Now, I know the pace of change in some forces still isn’t as quick as you or I would like, and we still need senior officers to do more. But I’m sticking to the deal I offered you when I first spoke here two years ago: less paperwork in exchange for more public accountability. Fewer targets, rules and regulations; greater freedom, discretion and trust. Some forces are really rising to the challenge. Two weeks ago I was in Hampshire where I met officers who are using new ‘Toughbooks’ to do their paperwork while they’re out in their response vehicles. Documents are stored electronically, which means there’s no need to fill in multiple forms or waste time photocopying as cases go through the criminal justice system. Hampshire officers told me they can stay out on patrol for longer, spending less time in the station and more time on the streets keeping people safe. But officers in all forces should now have started to see the impact of our reforms in their day-to-day work. This year, most of you should have had a simpler, quicker and more focused performance and development review. You should all now be following more common sense health and safety guidance. For most of you, the stop and account form should be a thing of the past. Some of you will be involved in the pilots aimed at freeing up your time to help vulnerable victims of domestic violence and missing persons. You might have used the new video links system so you don’t have to waste time waiting at court. Many of you have had the chance to use your discretion on charging decisions, and we are currently exploring how we can extend that to include shoplifting. And you should also by now be using electronic systems to manage cases with the CPS, rather than all the photocopying, typing and taking papers to court. But I want us to keep going further. We’ve already legislated to allow police officers to make the decision to offer a conditional caution. This means, for the first time, you will be able to decide to impose conditions on an offender to get them to change their behaviour. And now I want to do more. The police can already prosecute – without the Crown Prosecution Service - simple traffic offences, like speeding, driving without insurance, or failing to produce a driving licence. But at the moment, not all forces are making the most of that freedom. And if a defendant doesn’t enter a plea or doesn’t turn up in court, you have to hand over all the paperwork and evidence that you’ve built up to the Crown Prosecution Service. All your hard work is duplicated, all your decisions are reviewed and you have to wait for another court date, which can take months. That is a system that works in nobody’s interest. Wasting police time is supposed to be a criminal offence – but it’s what’s happening every single day. So I want to give the police responsibility for prosecuting more of these cases. I have agreed with your forces that they will make full use of your existing powers across the whole country. And today I can announce that I will extend your freedom to prosecute cases, starting with traffic offences where the defendant doesn’t enter a plea or doesn’t turn up in court. Together, these changes should allow the police to prosecute up to half a million cases every year. That’s around half of all cases currently heard in Magistrates courts. And I don’t want to stop there. So I can also announce that, as part of wider criminal justice reform, the Government will allow the police to prosecute a wider range of low-level offences. I will announce the details of how we will introduce this change and what offences it will apply to by the end of the summer. Less bureaucracy, greater police discretion, faster justice. I also want to help you by dealing with the problems that cause crime in the first place. That’s why, for example, we’re going to deal with the binge drinking that fuels around fifty per cent of all violent crime. You shouldn’t have to spend your Friday and Saturday evenings dealing with drunken yobs. By making sure alcohol can only be sold at a sensible price, and by giving local agencies the power to tackle problem pubs and off-licences, we can cut crime and reduce your workload. We’re also getting other agencies to do more to prevent young people getting caught up in drugs. And we’re going to finally sort out the enormous amount of police time spent on dealing with mental health patients. Just last week the custody sergeant in my local police station in Maidenhead told me of the problems she faced in dealing with mentally ill people. A police station shouldn’t be the section 136 “place of safety” for mentally ill people, tying up police resources, stopping you locking up criminals. And you shouldn’t have to escort mildly disruptive patients to hospital, wasting your time when you could be on the streets. So I have secured the Health Secretary’s commitment to divert more mentally ill offenders away from the criminal justice system. That will include introducing mental health liaison and diversion services at every police station that needs them. And we have also agreed to consider the transfer of commissioning of all police health services to the NHS as soon as possible. That means health professionals will look after mentally ill offenders and victims, not the police – because that is their job, not yours. I don’t want police officers doing other people’s jobs - the police are crime-fighters and that is the job I want them doing. And on that subject, let me say something else: it is because the police are crime-fighters that we will never privatise policing. Police forces already use the private sector to make your jobs easier - they can bring in expertise and new technology to support you; they can provide staff for control rooms and custody centres, freeing warranted officers for frontline roles. But the crime fighters will remain police officers, patrolling will not be privatised and policing will remain a public service, accountable to the people and carried out by consent. It will only ever be police officers who make arrests; it will only ever be police officers who lead investigations; and it will only ever be police officers who direct policing operations. The office of constable is the bedrock of British policing. And that is something that we will never change. Conclusion But policing does need change. I know that change can be difficult, unsettling, sometimes even painful. But it’s my job to tell it like it is, not how we’d like it to be. It’s my job to do what’s right for policing and right for the country. And it’s my job to reform policing so it is fit to face the future. Less paper-work; more police-work. More power for the public; less power for the bureaucrats. And freeing the finest police officers in the world to fight crime. That is my vision for policing; and that is what I am determined to deliver. Thank you. 16 May 2012: PAUL MCKEEVER, CHAIRMAN’S SPEECH TO PFEW CONFERENCE 2012 Introduction ‘Home Secretary - only a matter of weeks ago I attended the memorial service for PC David Rathband. A brave and heroic police officer who, whatever way some may like to dress it up, was effectively killed by Raoul Moat. At that memorial service I heard an address by a man who knew David better than I did. That man was Colin Washington. Colin told the congregation that David had acted as his liaison officer when his wife and daughter tragically died in a road traffic collision. Mr Washington told how David showed immense compassion and consideration and demonstrated at the highest level, all the qualities that the British police are renowned for. Yet we see that those values are not being given the weighting that they should within your preferred model of British policing. Your model is less focused on technical and human skills and based on academia. We are against the establishment of a professional body that sets the service on a course based wholly on academia at the expense of practical skills. We have seen other parts of the public sector, such as nursing, move away from technical skills and the core values of that profession appear to have been diminished. The Prime Minister himself has alluded to this. Home Secretary – do not make the same mistake with policing. It is the type of person we recruit, the training and support we provide, the values we hold and appropriate remuneration and conditions of service that makes a profession. We never lose sight of the fact that we are ordinary people doing an extraordinary job. Our core values are compassion, empathy, discretion, bravery and the ability to work autonomously. We do not need a professional body; it completely misunderstands what it means to hold the independent Office of Constable. I pose the question - if it wasn't for the demise of the NPIA and the desire to remove ACPO, would we be facing complete flux through the reorganisation of training etc, through the creation of this unnecessary body, which is consuming so much of everybody’s time. Before I move on I would like to say, Home Secretary, both you and the Prime Minister have said many fine words about the British police service being the best in the world and how much admire and respect police officers. However,actions do speak louder than words. Let us compare and contrast what is happening in England and Wales with that of our colleagues in Scotland. Recently, Kenny MacAskill, the Scottish Justice Secretary Minister said he would introduce legislation that would require those who assault police to pay a financial penalty that would benefit officers by being paid directly to their police treatment centre in Scotland, a centre, like the two English equivalents, that is almost entirely funded out of police officers pockets. Home Secretary - I call on you to follow the Scottish lead. Not only do our Scottish colleagues have the support of their government, they have no Winsor, they have no professional body and no loss in police officers – but what they do have had is a fall in crime. BAD DEAL FOR EVERY-ONE Bad for Officers ‘Home Secretary - this is a bad deal for everyone. Winsor 1 - Winsor 2 - it is bad for police officers already facing effectively a 4-year pay freeze with inflation increasing. We are being expected to pay more to our pensions; more than the public sector - that is grossly unfair. On top of what others are facing, we have Winsor 1 and Winsor 2 takinghundreds of thousands of pounds from officers’ pockets. In addition, the cuts mean that officers are also less safe as we see the number of police officers decline month by month. I remember as a young officer what it’s like to lay awake at night worrying about paying the bills. Home Secretary, we know there are few in the Cabinetwho have ever had to worry about paying their bills. But when demand of police officers that many lose 25-30% of their spending power, imagine the pressure, stress, anxiety and trauma you imposing on them. You cannot expect officers, those who understood the fiscal situation and accepted that some cuts were necessary, to take an unfair share of the cuts and just sit there and be content with their lot. We understand you have been ably assisted and led into this by ACPO. But Home Secretary, you should know by now, if you want to speak to politicians, speak to ACPO. If you want to speak to the voice of the service, then speak to us. Bad for the Service ‘But this is a bad deal for the police service. We have less resilience; fewer warranted officers, a weakened front-line and a radically altered model of British policing. You are on the precipice of destroying a police service that is admired and replicated throughout the world. Home Secretary, we are seeing proposals, things being put in place without infrastructure, that will fundamentally change the dynamics of policing. In November we have the introduction of Police and Crime Commissioners. On the face of it this may sound a new, innovative idea, but in reality, what will it give us? Undoubtedly, it will be same old, same old. You have chosen to introduce politics into policing. Whilst it is not our place to determine how we are held to account, we have real concerns about PCC’s. What controls will be on them? Will they be mandated to buy services from the Professional Body or Newco - no one can answer these questions. Will chaos ensue and we see the emergence of a postcode lottery for policing? There will be unintended consequences especially when you look what ishappening elsewhere. Great swathes of the police service are being privatized – do the public want this? How far do you intend to go with this Home Secretary? People are concerned about non-independent, shareholder-driven policing. ‘Lastly, within this changing dynamic is the changing face of the Office of Constable - the most serious change of all. If you were to look at us from a business point of view, what would be our biggest strength? Trust, independence, fairness, integrity, compassion, understanding - it is an Office the public respect and understand - communities identify with constables. Why you have adopted the Winsor proposals, such as severance. You need to think about this very carefully – you are meddling with the very bedrock of British policing. And you meddle, not at your peril, but at peril of public safety. This is a slippery slope that you are leading policing down Home Secretary. Why you are doing this is something we cannot comprehend. It shifts the balance from police officers being Officers of the Crown to being employees. It is for that reason, that many are calling for the question to be asked whether we should be seeking full employment rights for them. This is your choice. It is not too late to review your position – think again Home Secretary. Bad for the Public ‘But, importantly, this is also a bad deal for the public. The only thing you get with 20% less budget is less – less crime fighting, less resilience, less public safety, less police officer safety. Then again, I may be wrong. Home Secretary – you may have a point – you do get more. More crime; more disorder; more anti-social behaviour; more disaffection and a lot more demoralisation. Getting it wrong ‘Home Secretary, we have offered you help and assistance from the first time you appeared here just shortly after your appointment in 2010. We tried to warn you about areas of real concern. We warned you about the potential for riots and even showed you a film to the tune of ‘I predict a riot’. We were accused of scaremongering. But you only have to look at what happened last summer. In London alone 16,000 police officers were needed to restore order. It is darkly poetic that this is the exact same number of police officers HMIC predict we will lose over four years. The resilience of the service is going. We saw the worst riots in our country’s history. 5 dead, many homeless and thousands of businesses damaged and destroyed. In London alone 250 police officers were injured. Our image abroad was damaged - how much overseas investment has been lost? And for the record Home Secretary - it was not the re-emergence of a few senior politicians from holidays abroad that stopped the riots; it was tens of thousands of police officers across the country that stopped the riots by putting their lives and their livelihoods on the line for their communities. Home Secretary, quite simply, you were wrong. In relation to the front line – we have already lost 5216 officers from the front line. The frontline, we were assured would be protected and preserved from the massive budget cuts we are facing. Home Secretary, do you know that in Wales alone, they are losing the equivalent of one whole police force. Dylan Thomas, one of the country’s great wordsmiths, would have to rewrite his classic work ‘Under Milk Wood’, because broad beamed Constable Attila Rees would be no more, because the men and women like PC Rees across the country are going. You were wrong when you said the frontline would not be affected; the front line is being affected. You predicted that crime would not be affected when we predicted it would be ‘Christmas for criminals’. We have only just finished the first year of cuts and we see at best, crime plateauing, but some recession-based crime is on the rise. Are we on the cusp? You and your Cabinet colleagues said you had no choice when you made such severe budget cuts, but you do. We see tens of billions of pounds appearing from where - to prop up other countries’ economies while, for the lack of a farthing, the British police service is crumbling. Why the rush? ‘Home Secretary, before I say what I am about to say, I should make clear to you - I have nothing against bankers. In fact, some of my best friends are bankers; indeed, my daughter’s partner is a banker too. During the riots in August last year, when police officers were risking their lives, government said that the riots meant the cuts/reforms had to be rushed through even more quickly. Yet compare and contrast this with what was said about banking reform, where the root cause of our problems in policing originates. Is there the same imperative to rush pell mell into change failed systems? No, with banking your Government said that reforms must progress slowly, so as to ensure it is done correctly and to prevent failure, while we have to face ever faster cuts and reforms so that we can face ….. failure? We do not understand this. Especially as we told you when you first addressed our conference that we understood the fiscal dilemma you faced and were willing to do what we could to help. You’ll recall I quoted Alexander Pope and said a little learning can be a dangerous thing. Home Secretary, it would appear you like to live dangerously. So, a successful system of policing, respected and highly regarded around the world has to face reckless change which will damage the service and the communities we serve, while the cause of our problems is allowed to escape the ravages of change. Extraordinary Home Secretary, quite extraordinary. Conclusion ‘Home Secretary, we warned you about the riots and you said we were scaremongering. We warned you that a 20% budget cut would damage the front line and were told we were wrong. We are warning you that you are racing towards a train crash that could destroy the effectiveness of policing in this country and harm the safety of the public. Home Secretary - take breath. Stop now, and review what you’re doing or you will be found guilty of destroying the finest police service in the world.’ END 16 May 2012: BRITISH TRANSPORT POLICE OUT IN FORCE AS PART OF EUROPEAN WIDE CRACKDOWN ON METAL THEFT Officers from British Transport Police have been out in force patrolling the regions railways, visiting scrap metal recyclers and delivering cable theft awareness leaflets to mark the latest European wide crackdown on metal theft on Monday, 14 May, and Tuesday, 15 May. Police targeted scrap metal recyclers across the region in a bid to restrict opportunities for thieves to sell on stolen metal. Over the two days, officers, working in partnership with a number of other agencies, including Home Office forces, Network Rail, the Environment Agency and BT Openreach, visited over 40 scrap metal recyclers. Preventative patrols were also carried out on railway lines in the area throughout the day and night. Cable theft awareness leaflets were distributed to houses in hotspot areas, and known cable offenders were also paid a visit by officers as part of the operation. Detective Inspector Stuart Mellish, of British Transport Police, said: “Metal theft is an extremely serious crime which affects all communities in some way. Whether thieves target the railway, community buildings, war memorials or people’s homes, their activity always results in disruption for local people. “Scrap metal recyclers are often unwitting victims too as the thieves look to sell on the stolen metal. “Sadly it is not always possible for the recyclers to tell if metal has been obtained through lawful practices and they can end up paying money in good faith for stolen metal which is later confiscated by police in operations such as the one carried out today.” Inspector Mellish added: “We are working closely with scrap metal dealers throughout the North East to educate them about what to look out for when people bring metal into their yards. “These efforts were bolstered earlier year with the launch of Operation Tornado across the area, which requires those selling scrap metal to participating dealers to provide proof of their identity – either a photo card driving licence including an address, or a passport or national ID card supported by a utility bill, which must be under three months old and show their address. “Operation Tornado is one of a number of measures currently being explored to restrict the sale and movement of stolen metal. It has been designed not to inhibit those dealers that operate legitimate businesses, but to remove unscrupulous dealers who operate outside the law”. Assistant Chief Constable Alan Pacey of British Transport Police added: "Metal theft remains one of the greatest threats facing the rail infrastructure of Great Britain. "We have seen reductions in the number of offences recorded in some areas, but this is against a backdrop of record levels of offending in recent months. "The impact of the thefts is also still being felt by thousands of commuters who have to face significant delays and cancellations." ACC Pacey added: "BTP, colleagues from local police forces and partner agencies have been working tirelessly to tackle metal theft and there is no doubt we are having an effect. "New legislation and national initiatives such as Operation Tornado will assist in the coming months as we seek to drive down the number of thefts and put those responsible for damaging our infrastructure before the courts - in the past few months convicted metal thieves have been jailed for a total of more than 58 years thanks to British Transport Police investigations.” If you have information about metal theft in and around Widnes please contact British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111. UKPolicing.info Notes: UKPolicing.info Notes The activity was centred on line side locations, scrap metal recyclers and residential estates in West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire and Derbyshire. Scrap metal recyclers were also visited in the South Yorkshire area. For more information contact: Hilary Bowyer British Transport Police - North Eastern Area t:0113 2472207 m:07917 268200 f:0113 2459644 e: hilary.bowyer@btp.pnn.police.uk For the latest news, updates and insight, follow BTP on Twitter: @btp_uk. British Transport Police is the specialist, national police service for Britain’s railways. BTP deals with major and minor crime, disorder and incidents, and covers the rail system in England, Wales and Scotland, including London Underground, Docklands Light Railway, the Glasgow Subway and the Midland Metro and Croydon Tramlink systems. Its 2,914 police officers, 322 Police Community Support Officers, 190 Special Constables and 1,316 support staff are recruited and trained like those of local forces and have the same powers. Find out more at www.btp.police.uk The North Eastern Area of British Transport Police covers the National Rail system in the East Midlands and throughout the north east from Lincolnshire to the Scottish border, as well as the Sunderland extension of the Tyne and Wear Metro. It employs 256 police officers, 20 Police Community Support Officers, 26 Special Constables and 63 support staff. 14 May 2012: ACPOS: HUNDREDS OF DRIVERS CAUGHT DURING POLICE CRACKDOWN A police campaign across Scotland aimed at making Scotland’s country roads safer has detected large numbers of drivers flouting the law by speeding and not wearing seat belts. The three day crackdown was aimed at not only detecting unsafe drivers but also getting the message across that driving at inappropriate speed can cause crashes which in turn can cause death or serious injury. As part of the ACPOS National Campaign Strategy to reduce the number of casualties on our roads, police officers were also on the lookout for drivers and passengers failing to wear their seatbelts. During the period over 700 drivers and passengers were found to be driving whilst not wearing a seatbelt, including a passenger carrying a one year old child, unrestrained, on her lap. Furthermore, 787 drivers were caught speeding including a 22yr old man detected travelling at 92mph in a 60mph speed limit - the MOT for his vehicle had also expired. 14 drivers were reported to the Procurator Fiscal for dangerous driving (Section 2 Road Traffic Act 1988) and 10 for careless driving (Section 3 Road Traffic Act 1988) including a 17 year old man who drove at speed on an East Lothian country road during wet conditions whereby his vehicle ‘aquaplaned’ and left carriageway coming to rest on its roof. In 2010, 133 out of the 189 fatal road accidents in Scotland (over 70%) happened on ‘non built up roads’, generally with a speed limit greater than 40mph. A contributory factor for a significant proportion of these road deaths was one of the following: • exceeding the speed limit • not driving appropriately for road conditions • drivers and passengers not wearing seat belts Chief Superintendent Derek Robertson from Lothian and Borders Police who is the ACPOS lead on Casualty Reduction said: “At the start of the campaign I stated that I find the number of people showing a blatant disregard for their safety and other road users safety, very worrying. My position has not changed and the figures from across the country clearly indicate that continued police activity is required to drive home the safety message. “These statistics will refocus our efforts as we work to reduce injury and loss of life on our roads. This is unacceptable and it takes everyone to accept personal responsibility for their actions to deliver improvements in road safety for Scotland. “There are still far too many road users speeding, not wearing seatbelts and not driving safely and we will continue to robustly police our roads to ensure the public are protected.” 15 May 2012: DISMISSAL OF FORMER MPS COMMANDER ALI DIZAEI AND PUBLICATION OF IPCC REPORT The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has been advised today (15 May 2012) that former Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) commander Ali Dizaei has been dismissed without notice. The IPCC provided the MPS with its report into Ali Dizaei’s involvement in the arrest and detention of Waad Al-Baghdadi in July 2008 following Mr Dizaei’s conviction for perverting the course of justice and misconduct in public office in February 2012. As a result, the MPS convened a hearing on 3 May where Mr Dizaei faced a misconduct charge in relation to his convictions. The tribunal found that charge proven and also that the nature of his convictions involved proof of his dishonest conduct, a lack of integrity and discreditable conduct. Deborah Glass, IPCC Deputy Chair said today: “Ali Dizaei’s dismissal from the Metropolitan Police Service was the right and inevitable outcome following his conviction, a second time, for serious criminal offences. There is no place in the police for corrupt officers and they have no business wielding the powers of a police officer in our communities. “Many will wonder how Mr Dizaei was able to rise to the very senior rank of commander. The Metropolitan Police Service needs to ensure that never again is its reputation so badly damaged by the acts of one of its most senior officers.” UKPolicing.info Notes: UKPolicing.info Notes The updated IPCC report into Mr Dizaei’s involvement in the arrest and detention of Waad Al-Baghdadi on 18 July 2008 is available here http://www.ipcc.gov.uk/Documents/inv_report_Ali_Dizaei_2012.pdf . Media enquiries to IPCC Press Office on 020 7166 3951 or 3028 or 3082 CCTV footage shown during the trial and audio of the 999 calls made by Mr Dizaei and Mr Al Baghdadi are available on the IPCC YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/IPCCcomms . 15 May 2012: NEW RESEARCH FINDS EVIDENCE OF FORCED LABOUR IN THE UK FOOD INDUSTRY A report published today (15 May) http://www.jrf.org.uk/publications/forced-labour-uk-food-industry finds that some migrants are working under threatening and inhumane conditions for little or no pay, in parts of the UK food industry. Although incidents of forced labour in the food industry have been reported from time to time, this new report - Experiences of forced labour in the UK food industry - is one of the largest studies revealing what migrant workers actually experience when they are severely exploited at work. A significant proportion of those interviewed had paid fees to agents to get to the UK and obtain work. Isolated, unaware of their rights and trapped in debt, researchers found cases of migrants being forced to share cramped accommodation (sometimes with strangers), subject to threats and racist bullying, and vulnerable to scams such as 'under-work' – the practice of recruiting too many workers and then giving them just enough work to meet their debt to the gangmaster. Productivity targets and workplace surveillance were found to be excessive; workers felt they were treated like machines rather than people and given targets that were often impossible to meet. Some workers were timed when taking toilet breaks and given impossible packing and picking targets to meet. Sam Scott, one of the report’s authors, said: "Most of the migrants we spoke to in this research are in the UK legally, but their employment conditions are far from legal. Withholding payment, illegal deductions from wages and no proper breaks are all regular occurrences." The report recommends a number of changes to policy: • continued government support for the Gangmasters’ Licensing Authority and possible strengthening of its powers; • large food retailers/suppliers to increase the monitoring of their supply chains, including: avoiding audits where only employer-selected workers actually give evidence to auditors; contracts to ensure that the minimum wage is always paid; ensuring that employment agencies are not exploiting workers; ensuring that all employers in a supply chain comply with the law on deductions for transport and accommodation; • an increased focus on how migrant workers can more easily seek legal redress and compensation; • improved access to English language provision, to help migrant workers improve knowledge of their rights and be able to ask for help and advice. The full report contains in-depth interviews with 62 migrant workers; some extracts from the interviews about the conditions they experienced are below: "No, no, they never paid me the full ... If I worked 40 hours, at the end of the month I did not get paid 40 hours … I would see maybe 20 hours, half of the hours that I worked for!" "After all deductions, we received £30 per week. Some people were earning nothing at all. They even were getting in debt. Farmer was keeping all the money on his personal bank account. I was very worried about that fact. Yes, we received an envelope with a payslip, which stated weekly earnings, but farmer held all the money. If we needed cash, we had to ask farmer. He recorded it and took it off our next wage." "Let's start, for example, from the physiological needs to use toilet. We could only go twice, or once for five minutes, in eight hours." 15 May 2012: ACTION FRAUD: FRAUDSTERS JAILED FOR ELABORATE SCAM ON ELDERLY Two fraudsters have been jailed for a total of nine years after a scam in which elderly and vulnerable people were conned out of more than £100,000 The men aged 26 and 27 carefully selected their victims who were mostly aged in their 80s and 90s as part of their elaborate scam. Investigating officers found that victims were first targeted by phone with the caller claiming to work for either the Metropolitan Police or a fraud investigation team of a bank. The caller would then tell them that they had been the subject of fraud on their bank account and that a police officer would be calling to visit them. Collecting personal details Both men from Forest Gate, London, sent their friends on the home visits where they would collect the personal details needed to steal thousands of pounds from the 27 pensioners. The victims, who ranged from 61 to 98 years old, lost sums of up to £13,000. Officers who investigated found that on one occasion, £45,000 from a savings account had been targeted and moved in preparation for withdrawal. However, banking security measures identified the potential fraud and stopped the transaction. They used the money, including £13,000 from one victim alone, to fund a lavish lifestyle and rent a Thames riverside flat in a development popular with professional footballers and musicians. They also hired several luxury cars. 91 year old victim speaks anonymously A 91-year-old Maidstone woman who was tricked out of over £7,000 spoke out to warn others about what had happened. Speaking anonymously she said: ‘Not only have these conmen taken my money but they have also taken my pride. I feel extremely embarrassed that I fell for the scam, but clearly I am not the only one who has been taken in by their lies. I thought they were trying to help me, but they were just trying to get my money.’ Elaborate scam Detective Constable Don Share, from the Serious Crime Directorate’s Serious and Organised Crime Unit, who led the investigation, said: ‘The actions of these conmen are despicable, preying in every case on the elderly and vulnerable. They thought nothing of stealing, in some cases, an entire lifetime’s savings. ‘The elaborate nature of this scam added credibility to the story, especially when the phone calls were followed up by a visit the victim was expecting. By posing as officials from law enforcement, this pair knew it was much more likely those they chose to con would not think twice about handing over their personal bank details. ‘The impact that these crimes had, on sometimes confident and independent elderly victims, remains today, with many victims left questioning their own abilities. I hope the sentencing today will reassure them. It is unfortunate several of the victims have now passed away without seeing that justice has been done.’ For further information visit the Kent Police website http://www.kent.police.uk/ . Please note that Action Fraud is not responsible for the content of external websites. 15 May 2012: SENTENCING COUNCIL: TOUGHER SENTENCES FOR DANGEROUS DOG OFFENCES A tougher approach to the way those convicted of dangerous dog offences are treated by the courts is contained in a new guideline from the Sentencing Council published today. In recent years, there have been increasing numbers of convictions for offences involving dangerous dogs, and this new guideline helps ensure courts use their full powers when dealing with offenders. It aims to provide clear guidance to sentencers so there is a consistent approach to sentencing and appropriate sentences are given to the owners of dangerous dogs. The sentencing ranges mark an increase in sentencing levels from current practice. The top of the sentencing range for owners allowing their dog to be dangerously out of control injuring someone has been set at 18 months custody in order to encourage the courts to use more severe sentences when it would be appropriate to do so. The top of the sentencing range for possession of a prohibited dog has been set at the legal maximum of six months custody to encourage courts to use the full range of their sentencing powers for the most serious cases. The new guideline will mean more offenders will face jail sentences, more will get community orders and fewer will receive discharges. The guideline will also help courts make the best use of their powers so that irresponsible owners who put the public at risk can be banned from keeping dogs, genuinely dangerous dogs can be put down and compensation can be paid to victims. The guideline covers the most commonly sentenced offences in the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, such as allowing a dog to be dangerously out of control causing injury and possession of a prohibited dog. In situations where someone deliberately sets a dog on another person intending to injure them, the offender is likely to be charged with assault, rather than one of these offences. The guideline has been published following a consultation which received more than 500 responses from members of the public, judges and magistrates, the police, animal welfare organisations and many others with expertise or interest in this issue. These responses have helped shape the final guideline in a number of ways. • The Council has broadened the definition of vulnerable victims so that it applies not only to children but to others such the elderly, disabled and blind or visually impaired people. • The guideline has also been extended to include injuries to other animals as an aggravating factor in the offence of allowing a dog to be out of control and causing injury. There was very strong support for this in a large number of responses including the Crown Prosecution Service, Association of Chief Police Officers and the Mayor of London. • In addition, the problem of dog fighting has been taken into account in the offence of possession of a prohibited dog – training a dog to fight or possessing paraphernalia for dog fighting is now included as a factor increasing the seriousness of this offence. This follows concerns from the Mayor of London and the Police Federation about this issue. Anne Arnold, district judge and member of the Sentencing Council, said: “We are very grateful to all those who responded to the consultation and helped shape the final guideline. Our draft guideline was well received, but we have listened to respondents and made a number of changes as a result of the consultation to make it as effective as possible. “Most dog owners are responsible and take good care of their pets, but we’ve seen more and more cases coming before the courts of owners who have put the public at risk or let their dog cause injuries – sometimes very serious – to people. “As a result, this new sentencing guideline encourages courts to use their full powers when dealing with offenders so that they are jailed where appropriate. It also gives guidance to courts on making the best use of their powers so that people can be banned from keeping dogs, genuinely dangerous dogs can be put down and compensation can be paid to victims.” Trevor Cooper, Legal Consultant for Dogs Trust, said: "Dogs Trust welcomes the Guidelines which will assist with the consistency of sentencing in this area. These new guidelines will encourage courts to focus on the key factors of culpability of the owner and the amount of harm to the victim. This tougher approach should serve as a stiff reminder to dog owners to keep their pets under proper control and to behave responsibly.” Peter Chapman, Chairman of the Magistrates’ Association Sentencing Committee said: “The Magistrates’ Association welcomes the new guideline as the Sentencing Council has listened and responded to many of our members' concerns about sentencing these cases involving dangerous dogs. For the first time, magistrates will have all they need in one document to help them sentence the offender, disqualify him from future dog ownership if appropriate, order compensation to the victim and order destruction of the dog if necessary.” Following publication today, the new guideline will be used in courts from 20 August 2012. UKPolicing.info Notes: UKPolicing.info Notes The new guideline and associated documents can be downloaded from http://www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk The guideline covers six dangerous dog offences in the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991: • owner or person in charge of a dog dangerously out of control in a public place, injuring any person; • owner or person in charge allowing a dog to be in a private place where the dog is not permitted to be, injuring any person; • owner or person in charge of a dog dangerously out of control in a public place; • owner or person in charge allowing a dog to be in a private place where the dog not permitted to be which makes a person fear injury; • possession of a prohibited dog (These are the Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino and Fila Brasileiro); and • breeding, selling, exchanging or advertising a prohibited dog. Guidelines set sentencing ranges within current legislation. When legislation changes, guidelines are amended as appropriate. The definitive guideline has been published both in a Crown Court version and as an update to the Magistrates’ Court Sentencing Guidelines and will be used in courts from 20 August 2012. The Sentencing Council was created by the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 to bring together the functions of the two previous bodies, the Sentencing Guidelines Council (SGC) and Sentencing Advisory Panel (SAP), which were disbanded. The Sentencing Council is a more streamlined body with a greater remit to take forward work on sentencing not only through improvements to guidelines but also through the development of a robust evidence base and engaging more with the public to improve understanding about sentences. For more information, please contact Nick Mann, Sentencing Council press officer, on 020 3334 0631 / email mailto:Nick.Mann%40sentencingcouncil.gsi.gov.uk 14 May 2012: "GOVERNMENT PROPOSALS WILL PUT YOUNG VICTIMS AND WITNESSES AT RISK" - NSPCC AND VICTIM SUPPORT National charities the NSPCC and Victim Support have joined forces to oppose changes proposed in the Government’s consultation document Getting it right for victims and witnesses, which they say are damaging. The two charities are extremely concerned about the impact the proposals will have on children and young people, who are victims and witnesses. The charities’ specific concerns include: • Young witnesses and their needs are simply not addressed by the Government’s consultation that stands to put already vulnerable young people at further risk • Local commissioning of specialist services for children and young people will be too costly and will not provide sustainable quality The charities also believe that: • Services should be commissioned nationally and delivered by appropriately trained local teams • There should be a separate victims and witnesses ‘code of practice’ for children and young people, in the criminal justice system • Children and young people should be consulted about their needs Research has shown that children and young people already have difficulties in the criminal justice system. Victim Support and the NSPCC believe that these problems are likely to get significantly worse unless the Government’s plans for victim and witness services specifically address how young people will be supported. NSPCC Chief Executive Andrew Flanagan said: “The NSPCC has helped thousands of children prepare for the daunting experience of giving evidence in court – often helping to convict people who have committed appalling crimes against them. “If government proposals to locally commission victims and witness services go ahead there is a danger that children in some areas will not be able to get the support they need.” Victim Support’s Chief Executive Javed Khan said: “Last year Victim Support helped over 12,000 children through the intimidating experience of giving evidence – but there is still so much more to do. “The locally delivered service we are developing draws on both the NSPCC’s and Victim Support’s national strength and could be under serious threat. We are therefore calling on government to rethink these proposals. “Anyone who is worried about young victims and witnesses not getting the help need they can sign our e-petition against the changes now.” The specific concerns for young witnesses and victims follows on from broader issues raised about the consultation document, by Victim Support, earlier this month. Download the full NSPCC & Victim Support Joint Response to Ministry of Justice Consultation 'Getting it right for victims and witnesses' http://www.victimsupport.com/About-us/News/2012/05/~/media/Files/About%20us/Campaigns/Joint%20VS%20NSPCC%20Response%20-%20Victims%20and%20Witnesses%20consultation 11 May 2012: POLICE FEDERATION: THANK YOU MESSAGE FROM CHAIRMAN RE STOP THE 20% POLICE CUTS MARCH, 10 MAY Dear colleagues, Yesterday 35,000 of you travelled from all over England and Wales to London to march and deliver a clear message to the Government – police officer morale is rock bottom and we’re not prepared to take any more - enough is enough. We stood up for the communities we police and ensured that our message was heard; that these draconian cuts and ill-considered reforms to policing are affecting public safety and damaging officers’ futures. We are aware that there were many thousands who wanted to attend, but were unable to do so owing to work commitments. Many of you sent in messages of support and we know you were with us in spirit. The British police service showed a public face that we should all be very proud of. We remain the finest police service in the world. Next week we have our annual conference in Bournemouth. This will be a further opportunity to get our message across to politicians, the media and the public. Thank you again for your support. Stay strong, stay proud. Paul McKeever Chairman Police Federation of England and Wales 10 May 2012: JUSTICE: CAMERAS IN COURT PLANS REVEALED Courts in England and Wales will be more publicly accessible than ever before when television broadcasting is introduced, Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke said today. Plans to overturn the ban on filming and broadcasting from law courts were yesterday unveiled as part of the Queen’s Speech and will form part of the Crime and Courts Bill announced today. Once the legal changes have been made broadcasting will be introduced initially at the Court of Appeal, where filming will be permitted of opening and closing legal arguments made by lawyers and the judgements handed down. The Government will later look to allow filming at the Crown Court – but of judges’ sentencing remarks only. No victims, witnesses, offenders and jurors would be filmed. Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke said: 'We are bringing the concept of open justice into the modern age and in doing so we will make the courts more accessible to the public than ever before. 'People have always had the right to go to watch proceedings in courts but in reality very few actually do. 'By allowing broadcasting from courts we are now enabling many members of the public to see, for the first time, court proceedings as they happen.' Read details of the proposals for broadcasting selected court proceedings http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/policy/moj/proposals-for-broadcasting-selected-court-proceedings 10 May 2012: SCOTLAND: PROTECTING POLICE AND FIRE SERVICES Scottish Government proposals to safeguard frontline police and fire and rescue services in Scotland are a step closer, Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said. It follows the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Bill successfully passing Stage 1 of the parliamentary process. The new services aim to go live on April 1, 2013. The legislation: • Cuts duplication across services, saving £1.7 billion over 15 years • Protects local services by focusing resources on the frontline • Strengthens the connection between the services and the communities they serve by establishing a senior officer for each local authority area to shape local services • Sets out a detailed framework for the new services for the first time • Allows regular Parliamentary scrutiny of policing and fire and rescue services • Is clear that only the Chief Constable has direction and control of the police service • Ensures equal access to specialist and national support whenever and wherever it is needed • Creates a powerful new Scottish Police Authority, independent from Ministers, to hold the Chief Constable to account • Establishes the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner to ensure public confidence in policing. Mr MacAskill said: “I would like to thank Parliament for passing stage 1 of the Police and Fire Reform Bill. This is a major step forward in securing the future of local police and fire services in Scotland. “We know crime is at a 35-year low, clear-up rates for violent crime are at a 35-year high, helped by over 1,000 extra police officers we have put on the streets since 2007. Fire deaths are almost 50 percent lower than a decade ago. “This is a record to be proud of, and this Government is taking decisive action to protect it. We will not let Westminster cuts decimate our services - be it police on the beat or frontline firefighters. “South of the border, an estimated 16,000 police officers are likely to lose their jobs. I am determined this will not happen here. Single services will save money by cutting needless duplication and doing things differently - working more effectively and efficiently, delivering estimated savings of £1.7 billion over 15 years. “This Bill creates a stronger connection between services, councils and communities, with local services tailored for local needs and ensuring equal access to specialist support such as murder investigation and flood rescue. Services will remain independent of Ministers, but subject to more scrutiny from Parliament. “As well as two formal consultations we have worked closely with the services, staff associations, trades unions and local government to shape our proposals. We have listened to officers, senior officers and staff in both services, as well as communities across Scotland. And we have listened to the work of the four Committees who have considered and scrutinised the Bill. “That is why the chiefs of the new services will be appointed earlier, with a Chief Constable expected to be in place by autumn and the recruitment process for a Chief Fire Officer beginning shortly. This will help maintain the momentum which has been building on the detailed transition work, and ensure the services are ready for April 1, 2013. “We will consider the size of the Scottish Police Authority and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Board. We need to ensure we have the right combination of members with the right skills and experience to govern the services effectively and hold their chief officers to account. “And we will continue to listen. To parliament, to the services, to the results of 16 Pathfinder pilots trialling the new local arrangements and through the Bill Sounding Board we have established. Working together, we will deliver a robust and effective piece of legislation which will protect and secure the future of our police and fire and rescue services for Scotland’s communities.” Related information Police reform http://www.scotland.gov.uk/policereform Fire reform http://www.scotland.gov.uk/firereform 11 May 2012: ACTIONFRAUD: POLICE WARN OF LOAN SHARK FRAUDSTERS Detectives are warning people to be wary of loan shark fraudsters who are getting victims to launder money in return for cash. The conmen are targeting victims by cold calling or texting offering quick loans on the basis that they will have to pay a small advanced arrangement fee in order to receive the lump sum of money. Once the fee has been paid the loan fails to materialise and the fraudsters cease contact with the victim. The fraudsters, usually operating from outside the country, are also approaching people to become “money mules” http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/fraud-az-money-muling . People are being offered cash in order to accept the advanced fee – conned from someone else – into their UK bank account before transferring it out to the fraudster’s foreign account. This seemingly legal transaction is in fact money laundering and you could end up in prison for money laundering which carries a maximum sentence of 14 years. Be wary of text messages offering guaranteed loans DC Tony McClements, of Lancashire Constabulary’s economic crime unit, said: “During times of austerity and the stricter lending regimes being operated by the banks, borrowing money can be difficult. These fraudsters play on the victim’s need to improve their cash-flow and offer ‘guaranteed’ loans in return for an arrangement fee. The victim pays the fee as requested and ultimately never receives their loan as it simply did not exist. “To compound matters the victims are paying their fees into the accounts of UK nationals who act as intermediaries; and who may or may not be aware that they are committing an offence of money laundering for which they can be imprisoned for up to 14 years. “I’d implore members of the public to be wary of cold callers and text messages offering guaranteed loans. “Similarly if you are approached to accept funds into your bank account for a small reward before transferring them elsewhere, you are almost certainly being manipulated and entering into an arrangement constituting an offence of money laundering.” For further information visit the Lancashire Constabulary police website http://www.lancashire.police.uk/ . Please note that Action Fraud is not responsible for the content of external websites.	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