Blues And Twos - Police Officer's Blog

Blues and Twos - Police & Law Blog is a an amalgamation of thoughts, feelings and observations on news, current affairs and UK policing in general. Our police blog has contributions from officers of the rank of Inspector (Organ Grinder) down to Constable (Monkey). Blues and Twos - The Police Officer's Blog

Police Equipment

Friday, June 30, 2006

Radical Law and Order Reform

Radical Law and Order Reform is an article in the Daily Telegraph today.

I'm still ploughing through it, but it's the most interesting item of police news in ages.

Snippets include

Many Labour MPs remain in thrall to utopian theories of human nature and believe that criminals are driven to commit offences by social exclusion. They are not responsible - it's society that should change.

But this attitude does not go down too well on council estates, where the majority think that crime is all about knowing right from wrong. Jack Straw, Labour's first home secretary, published a White Paper entitled "No More Excuses" to ram home the message that Labour had changed.

The causes of crime

Most people do not commit crimes, because they have been brought up with a conscience that tells them it's wrong to steal or hurt other people. No one is a born criminal, but there is now a lot of evidence that their genetic endowment makes some children more likely to become criminals.

Most parents know that you can be faced with a difficult child, however good your parenting skills, and this is why having two parents matters.

A lone parent faced with an undemanding child may be able to manage, but when the child needs constant attention to prevent him from going off the rails, a single mother or father will struggle. Often such children end up in care. The Home Office has found that 27 per cent of prisoners had been in care and 47 per cent had run away from home.

But having two parents is no guarantee against crime if one of the parents is a criminal or a drug user. One Home Office study found that 43 per cent of prisoners had a family member with a conviction, and 35 per cent had other family members who had been in jail. Schools can reinforce the efforts of parents, but if the school is disorderly and fails to control bullying, crime is encouraged.

The criminal justice system also plays a part in moral education. Picture parents struggling to raise their children to be honest citizens on a run-down council estate. They urge them to respect other people and reinforce their appeals to youthful better nature with warnings about what happens if the police catch them committing crimes. But, if other local kids are obviously getting away with it, then the good parents may seem like "muppets" who don't "get it".

The police

We should increase police numbers and switch police effort to New York-style "broken windows" policing. In England and Wales in 2000, we had 237 police officers for every 100,000 population; the French had 396, or 67 per cent more.

But they had a much lower crime rate, 6,405 crimes for every 100,000 people, 35 per cent lower than ours. In 2005 we had 143,000 police officers, up from 127,000 in 1997, but there is still a long way to go.

See also Police Reform - Police Mergers

Anyway, I'm sure this is going to cause a bit of lively debate, so I'm off to read the article again.

Police Cartoon


Saw this cartoon on the police forum and it made me smile!

Thursday, June 29, 2006

Police Merger News

Police Mergers & Amalgamation news hasn't been out of the press this last few weeks.

The biggie being the press release by Home Secretary John Reid stating that he's delaying plans to merge police forces in England and Wales until the autumn.

Reid delays police merger plans

Click the above to find out more.

World Cup Break

Been watching too much World Cup football and not had much spare time to update the site - Apologies.

C'mon England!

Will stick a few police related items on today that I've been saving up!

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Dodgy Ebay Dealer

To be honest I've used ebay loads and have been really pleased with the experience both as a buyer and seller.

However, I've just been sent a 'revenge' type email detailing how one person who had a less than satisfactory buying experience managed to get even with a dodgy ebay dealer.

The moral of this story basically is, if you're going to sell a computer on ebay and rip someone off, have the common sense to delete the contents of your hard drive first!

I'm sure you can imagine what kind of things have been posted by the 'buyer scorned' on his blog, but highlights include numerous pictures of the 'seller' in compromising poses, copies of his CV, passport showing details edited to make the 'seller' look older, etc.

Ultimate Revenge is the name of the blog - It's not for everyone though, so if you're of a 'sensitive' nature please don't visit the page.

Retired Police Jobs

Loads of ex-police jobs posted on the UK's retired police job site.

Here's a selection of jobs posted by companies looking to recruit people with police related skills.

Police Consultant (Custody) - Home Based
Area Training Officer - South
Investigators (Trading Standards) - South
Fire Shift Supervisor - South
Deputy Front of House Manager - London
Business Development Manager - Home Based
CCTV Viewer - UK
Crime Scene Examiner - North West
PCSO Trainers - Nationwide
International Security Director - South

Click to see other ex police vacancies.

Monday, June 12, 2006

Demise Of The British Bobby

The Demise Of The British Bobby is an article currently under discussion on the Police Forum.

A leading Greater Manchester policeman has mounted an astonishing attack on Labour Party chairwoman Hazel Blears, saying she and the government are on the verge of destroying the British Bobby.

Paul Kelly, chairman of the Greater Manchester Police Federation, which represents the interests of lower ranking officers, mounted the attack in a piece about police community support officers in the federation magazine Manchat.

Mr Kelly said: "I never thought I would see it in my service, but this government is now well on its way to destroying probably one of the most positive and respected national icons - the British Bobby. The office of police constable is the envy of the world. We are the oldest, and, indeed, the finest, law enforcement body. However, this government is hell-bent on replacing the bobby on the beat with the civilian in the community. A major advocate for the change is Hazel Blears, who has now left the Home Office and moved on, leaving behind an insidious cancer that is already eating away at police numbers........"

To read the full article click here.

Police Reform - What's The Real Cost?
Police Reform - Police Mergers

Friday, June 09, 2006

Cross Of St. George - Update

I posted England Flags - Police Take Action a couple of days ago.

Since then we've had confirmation that the Cross of St. George will be flying above 10 Downing Street on England's match days. (See Tony Blair Orders England Flag Flown On Match Days)

I also enjoyed Boris Johnson's article in The Telegraph the other day - C'mon Gordon, join the rest of us and fly the flag for England

A recent google search reveals that England being afraid to fly it's own flag is being reported with utter disbelief and shock by many of our country's foreign 'friends'.

There's an interesting thread developing on the police forum on the whole flying of the Cross of St. George subject - This also mentions an unofficial DVLA poster which is a spoof doing the rounds and has made me smile!

I shall leave this subject with a patriotic English poem by William Shakesphere.

This royal throne of kings, this scepter'd isle,
This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars,
This other Eden, demi-paradise,
This fortress built by Nature for herself
Against infection and the hand of war,
This happy breed of men, this little world,
This precious stone set in the silver sea,
Which serves it in the office of a wall,
Or as a moat defensive to a house,
Against the envy of less happier lands,
This blessed plot, this earth, this realm,
this England.

Other recent blog posts include
Union Jack
Happy St. George's Day!
St George Is Definitely Cross
Is St George Cross?

Thursday, June 08, 2006

UK Police Speak Dutch To Police Dogs

Just read this UK Police Speak Dutch To Police Dogs

Police officers have been forced to learn Dutch - because three dogs they have recruited do not respond to English.

Sergeant Hardy Hussain said: "The recruitment of The Professor, Amigo and Dutch goes to show that we will go to any length to ensure we take on dogs that are of the highest calibre."

Roll on the dog jokes......

They must be 'barking' mad.

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Britain's Oldest Veteran

Posted on the police forum is a story about Britain's oldest veteran Henry Allingham, who is 110 years old today.

"......It is said that a hero is someone who believes in something bigger than himself, and acts upon that. Mr Allingham is a patriotic British citizen who has bravely served his country and deserves all of the tributes he is receiving today. We must never forget the debt we owe to Henry and the millions of other British servicemen and women who have risked their lives in the defence of our country. They are our nation's pride, and - on our first Veterans' Day this month - I hope every community and every school will recognise with pride the heroes in their midst."

A very Happy Birthday to you Mr Allingham.

Click for more information on British Veteran's Day.

Thursday, June 01, 2006

England Flags - Police Take Action

Just read England Flags Frighten Horses in The Guardian.

Motorists who attach England flags to their car windows ahead of the World Cup may wish to reconsider. According to police in Hampshire, dangerously executed displays of patriotism can scare wildlife, cause horses to bolt, and may result in criminal prosecution.

Mark Perryman of the England fans supporters' club said: "If there is a health and safety issue it needs to be taken seriously. But I was at Old Trafford for England's last match and about 25% of the cars carried flags. I didn't see any of them flying off and blinding people."

Baahhh Humbug - Come On England!

CPS Complaints

Just seen this CPS Complaints site advertising on a few police related sites.

It's obviously a spoof site, so I don't know what the official CPS think about it!

They've got a strap line of :
CPS - The Criminals Protection Society

Had a quick read through some of the complaints - And the police thought they had problems!