Restore Trust In Crime Figures

The Home Office should be stripped of responsibility for publishing crime statistics because public trust in the figures has been eroded, partly by departmental manipulation of their timing and context, the government's official statistics watchdog has ruled.

The deeply embarrassing finding by the Statistics Commission follows a long debate between the commission, the Home Office and the government's official national statistician.

"We believe any such control is almost always counterproductive in terms of public confidence. It creates an environment in which the media and the public assume they are receiving a filtered, government-friendly version of the truth, even though the statistical message may not be either of these things."

To read the full article please click Home Office breaches code

Police Dog Earns More Than Police Chief

Just read a funny article in The Telegraph about a police dog in South Yorkshire who earns more than her Chief Constable.

The dog named Keela, a 16-month-old springer spaniel, has become so accomplished a sniffer dog, she and her handlers, are hired out to other forces for £530 a day plus expenses.

If she worked every day, this would add up to nearly £200,000 a year - £70,000 more than her chief constable, Med Hughes.

To read the full article click Police Dog Earns More Than Police Chief

So much for Supercops here's to SuperDogs!

Police Mergers - Forces Reject Plans

None of the 43 police forces in England and Wales will meet a deadline to submit full plans on merging, says the Association of Police Authorities.

Lots of reports on this over the last 24 hours.

Forcing the issue
Police rebel against Clarke's plan to create 12 'strategic forces'
Police miss merger deadline
Police silent over merger plans
Police 'miss merge plan deadline'
UK police forces to miss merger deadline
Police resistance puts superforce plan in jeopardy
Police 'reject' force merger plan
Police forces reject Home Office merger plans
Setback for Midlands super-constabulary
Police forces split over merger plans

Police Force Mergers

Police merger reports continue to hit the news.

The policy is "the most determined and least popular attempt ever made to centralise policing in Britain, to give ministers unprecedented control over the way that the police do their work, and to undermine police independence. It is driven not just by short-term cost-cutting, but by an ideology that resents local freedom, and has an aversion bordering on paranoia to local government." Anyone proposing such a policy should be put "in a padded cell with his arms stuck behind his back while he was examined by a range of psychoanalysts".

The above is extracted from an article published in The Guardian today.
(Yes, you read that right, the above was published in The Guardian.....!)

Click Police Force Mergers to read the article in full.

See also Police Merger Plans 'Axed' and Row Over PCSO Role.

Call To Arm The Police

Today in the news once again there are calls to routinely arm Britain's police.

A report on the BBC website titled police surveyed on carrying guns states that every police officer in England and Wales is to be asked whether they think they should carry guns. The Police Federation survey of all 140,000 officers follows the shooting of Pc Sharon Beshenivsky in Bradford last month.

But Lord Brian Mackenzie, former president of the Superintendents' Association of England and Wales is against the idea. Citing time spent with the American FBI, he said officers often were shot with their own weapons by attackers.

Further reports today include

Police face poll on carrying firearms
Police questioned over carrying arms

Courts Closed As Staff Strike

Thousands of staff in magistrates' courts across England and Wales are striking for the first time in the service's 800-year history.

It may be followed by a work-to-rule and possibly further strike action in the New Year.

The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) said they were unhappy with a below-inflation cost of living pay increase of 2.2%

For the full report please click Court Staff Strike

Perhaps an out break of 'Blue Flu' is called for?

Policing Not For Sale

The Association of Police Authorities have today backed up their Policing Not For Sale press release with a call on MPs to fight the Home Secretary's attempt to 'bully and bribe' police authorities into abolishing their local police forces.

Bob Jones the APA Chairman says :

“The Home Secretary is blatantly trying to bribe and bully us into abolishing local police forces. That is disgraceful. Police authorities are outraged by the suggestion that they can be bought off. Policing is crucial to the safety and protection of our all our communities. It is not for sale."

To read the full press release please visit fight the policing sell out.

To read the open letter to all MPs please visit police authorities are outraged.

UK Police Mergers

Police mergers have been in the news again today and this past weekend.

Articles of interest include.

Delay Police Mergers
Top Cop Blasts Merger Plans
MPs Round On Merger Plans
Police Blow Whistle on Plans for 'Super Forces'
Police Revolt On 'Super Forces'
Clarke Tries To 'Bribe' Police Over Merger
Police Anger At Merger 'Shambles'

You're not a drug dealer if.....

Not content with a 'relaxation' of cannabis laws, (no pun intended!) the government have now released handy guidelines for drug dealers.

They've just been published in the national press, so I'm not letting any secrets out here!

You're not a dealer if you have.....

Heroin 7g in one bag or 10 or more 0.1g 'wraps'.
Crack Cocaine 7g in one bag or 10 or more 0.1g 'wraps'.
Cocaine 7g in one bag or 10 or more 0.1g 'wraps'.
Ecstasy 10 Tablets.
Amphetamine 14g or 10 or more 1g 'wraps'.
Cannabis Resin 4oz or 10 individual pieces, wraps or blocks.
Cannabis Leaf 20oz or more than 20 individual 2in-by-2in bags.

So if you get nicked with a larger quantity on you than the above, it's your own silly fault if you get charged with possession with intent to supply!

Alledgedly there's a suggestion that the above be printed on handy wallet sized laminated cards, so they can be easily handed out to 'scrotes' on the streets and on their release from custody.

At least we now know the government's 'with intent to supply' reduction strategy for the forth coming year - At some point in 2006 there'll be an announcement that drug supply arrests have been drastically reduced and we're finally winning the war on drugs!

Cannabis Laws Too Lenient

The Metropolitan Police Commissioner rekindled the row over cannabis policy yesterday when he said the amount that the Government had suggested as the level to determine personal use or dealing was much too high.

For the full report please click Cannabis Laws Too Lenient

See below for further recent reports

Cannabis Law Confusion

500 Joints Isn't Trafficking

Soft Approach On Drugs

Call for Cannabis Clampdown

Drugs Policy U-turn

Britain's Drug Habit

This follows recent reports that have stated Cocaine Offences are at a Record Level.

Am I just cynical or do you think an increase in other drug related offences may be due to a reduction in cannabis related stops, searches and arrests?

At the end of the day cannabis arrests usually assist officers in finding cannabis suppliers, who (if they aren't one and the same) in turn assist officers find those supplying other 'harder' drugs.

A soft on crime approach on cannabis in my opinion automatically has a knock on effect on other drug related crime.

But hey what do I know, I don't make policy, I only work the streets!

Police Mergers

Posted in The Observer over the weekend was an article highlighting how millions of pounds will have to be raised through council tax increases to pay for a controversial merger of police forces ordered by the Home Office, which will possibly see a third of forces disappear.

The mergers of smaller rural forces with their neighbours are supposed to give them more clout to fight terrorism and organised crime.

Although long-term savings are expected with job losses among backroom civilian staff, police forces argue the short-term costs of redundancy payments, public consultation and reorganisation will be high.

However, forces have been told there is no government money to pay for the shake-up - and the Home Office has admitted council taxes are likely to rise 'for some forces' to pay for it. Three forces are now considering challenging the mergers in court.

To read the full article click police mergers and enjoy!