Dumb Cops

[Stormkhan]

It does happen mate!
In my experience, even the most sarcastic and negative "police bashers" soon change their tune when they need assistance

I don't doubt it. I don't "bash" the police. I have been physically assaulted by some prime examples of the Police Family. I have also been aided immeasurably by others. Not all are paid enforcers for a faceless State bureaucracy, and I have always had a great respect for officers.
However, it is possible to criticise them without denying their value. Or are you, Arthur, of that highly simplistic creed which says "you are either for us or against us"?

It might come as a complete surprise to you but not everyone who highlights the stupid and the criminal minority in the Force are lefty, terrorist-loving work-shy anarchists.

Oh, and don't call me "mate". I find it patronising from someone I don't personally know.

 

[escargot]

Not all are paid enforcers for a faceless State bureaucracy

Yes they are, and incidentally I am too.
There are also unpaid enforcers, without which the system would run somewhat less smoothly.

Crime is big business. HUGE business. Without crime, an awful lot of people would be out of a job. It is in their interests to keep up the impression that the world is a dangerous place, full of unpredictable people who are out to harm us.

 

[ArthurASCII]

Oh, and don't call me "mate". I find it patronising from someone I don't personally know.

Sorry if I offended you Stormkhan, but you are, after all "disturbingly familiar"

 

[rynner2]

In my experience, even the most sarcastic and negative "police bashers" soon change their tune when they need assistance

If someone posts a Dumb Cop story here, that doesn't make them a "Police Basher".

Most of us here do want an effective and available police force, and we feel that we can help maintain that by pointing out the occassions when it fails to live up to the ideals that society expects.

Thank goodness we live in a free country where we can criticise the police when they screw up. A thread like this should simply help to keep the police on their toes - if any police are paranoid enough to see it as a subversive threat, then perhaps, in a democratic country, they are in the wrong job.

So keep the Dumb Cop stories coming! They often give us a laugh, which can't be a bad thing!

 

[Spookdaddy]

This just happens to be a thread about those who are all of the above or a combination thereof.

Agreed!

But commenting only on the exceptions does rather remove the context /and/ something essential about the data: Fortean Damned Data are the villified exceptions not the whole picture.

Precisely...to both points.

I know tradesmen who would find it psychologically impossible to bodge a job or who've walked away from one because a client has asked them to cut corners, but if you watched Builders From Hell (or some such) you'd be forgiven for thinking it's safer to invite child molesters with rabies into your home. Obviously a programme that showed a load of chippies, builders and sparks doing a bloody good job at a good price would not be terribly interesting to those who wish to have their prejudices/paranoia artificially stimulated (and, depressingly, lets face it, it would make shite entertainment) but that lack of context mentioned by stonedog2 does mean it gives many people a view so biased that eventually it becomes the only one available.

So I absolutely agree with the point made by Stu and others regarding the remit of this thread but in Arthur's defence I’d say that it’s a fairly safe bet that most people here would just occasionally get a teensy little bit miffed if their chosen profession, one which they probably carry out with diligence, hard-work and professionalism, was the subject of 146 (generally) negative hits – and I’m sorry, but if they say they wouldn’t they're either lying through their teeth or wearing a feckin’ halo.

So Arthur mate (if you don't mind me calling you that) chill, here take a hit on this blifter, and in return maybe some of the rest of us could refrain from pretending human nature is a disease we don't suffer from.

 

[Pietro_Mercurios]

The main problem with Arthur's "the valuable and caring work that the Police family does on your behalf." is rather similar to the problem with those adults who claim that they are their children's 'friends,' rather than their parents. This works fine, up until the point where they have to put their foot down and actually act as parents.

Mostly, the police do indeed spend their time protecting the lives and property of the General Public, but sometimes, they are called up on to, carry out the Law, or uphold the Social Order, in ways which are not necessarily in the Public's immediate best interests. They are also the jam in the sandwich, between the Public and the State. Which is why, recent moves to reposition the Police, as 'social workers,' have been resisted even by many in the police force, themselves.

Anyone, who has friends, or relatives, from a mining background, will know exactly the sort of ambivalence about the police and their role in maintaining the status quo, drawn both from personal experience and the lessons of history. The police are not always there to be friendly, or there, just to tell you the time. My ex-miner grandfather's strong streak of anti-authoritarianism was fostered in the 1926 General Strike and he never saw too much reason to change his position, over the years. Although, he was, to all other intents and purposes, a very upright, moral and honest man.

Plus, I might add, the Police are also imbued with an extra large helping of Official Power and Authority, which allows them to use Force where appropriate, ask Questions, Stop and Search, even take away people's Liberty. With extra power, comes extra responsibility. So, when they cock-up, people should have a right to draw attention to the fact and make comment, without being accused of joining the forces of darkness.

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

 

[ArthurASCII]

So, when they cock-up, people should have a right to draw attention to the fact and make comment, without being accused of joining the forces of darkness.Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

I heartily agree, and I'd be horrified if I'd ever accused a member of the FTMB of any such thing. But in my view, any post on the FTMB is a starting point for healthy debate. This is after all a forum.

Please feel free to disagree with me, fellow posters - it's what this site's all about, but it's a bit rich to be told off for having the temerity to try and carry forward the debate by highlighting another opinion. If we're not careful, we'll be stuck with a forum full of a tedious series of cut-and-paste news articles.

In my experience, even the most sarcastic and negative "police bashers" soon change their tune when they need assistance

If someone posts a Dumb Cop story here, that doesn't make them a "Police Basher".

And as my fellow posters can plainly see, I have NEVER accused anyone on this thread of such a thing. I was merely commenting on my experience as a PCSO, hence the "In my experience" bit.

 

[Pietro_Mercurios]

I'm not sure whether this should go here, or in the 'Britain, Police State,' or 'Growing Old, Death Approaches,' Threads, but I'll put it here, for the moment.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/04/23/npolice123.xml

Police storm battle of the bowling green

Daily Telegraph Online. By Stephen Adams. 23/04/2008

Police have been accused of heavy-handedness after sending in seven officers to deal with a group of pensioners who broke in to their own bowling green.

The members of Northavon Bowling Club in Bradley Stoke, near Bristol, had been locked out after rent negotiations with their local council broke down.

But after someone severed a chain on the gate, word spread quickly and the pensioners - with a maximum of age of 86 - mounted an invasion to "take a stand" and reclaim the turf.

However, police were tipped off and sent seven officers in four patrol cars.

They threatened to arrest the group of about 50 players during the confrontation on Sunday afternoon.

Alan Brackstone, 74, a retired printer and former club president, said: "Sending seven police officers for a bunch of bowling pensioners was ridiculously heavy-handed. What did they expect us to do, run away?

"We had to take a stand. It is simply not right that the council are demanding so much money for a vital resource which keeps elderly people active and socialising."

A club spokesman added: "We went in with the intention of taking some photos and playing a game.

"Suddenly we heard police sirens and there were four police cars with seven officers. They were threatening to make arrests but we decided we shouldn't put them to the test."

Avon and Somerset Police denied that the response was disproportionate.

A spokesman said: "Police received reports of a burglary in progress at a community facility at Bradley Stoke.

"A number of police officers attended. However, upon arrival it was discovered there had not been a break-in so there was no need for any police action."

As any experienced copper will tell you, the time to watch is when they start to take their teeth out!

I hope they get their bowling green back.

 

[rynner2]

Lots of people seem to have been in error, but I'm putting this story here because 3 am police raids might be appropriate for suspected drug dealers or terrorists, but not for a stolen TV...
(Or should this be under Police State?)

Customer dragged from his bed at 3am over 'stolen TV' error by Tesco
Steve Bird

A charity worker was taken from his bed and detained for ten hours on his birthday after Tesco gave detectives his car registration in connection with a stolen television.

Simon Brasch, who works for a hospice charity, was woken in the middle of the night by police after being wrongly accused of stealing a plasma television from the store. As his two young sons and wife looked on, he was marched to a police car at 3am after a bizarre mix-up following his visit to the supermarket eight hours earlier.

“I felt humiliated and degraded, I felt like a criminal. I was left to languish in a prison cell, my individual rights were completely put aside for a plasma TV,” he said yesterday. “I told them, ‘I have got a full-time job, I’m a database manager for a national charity, I manage a library. This is ridiculous, you’ll see a big mistake has taken place’. It was the worst night of my life.”

Mr Brasch blames Tesco for the mix-up after his visit to its store in Chelmsford, Essex. He had gone there to look at toys with his elder son, Callum, 9.

During the trip last week his car registration was read out over the supermarket’s public announcement system after a female customer claimed that Mr Brasch, 42, had scratched her car when parking.

Despite not being able to recall being involved in a collision, he swapped insurance and contact details with the woman. At about the same time a thief managed to walk past security staff and out of the supermarket carrying a stolen plasma screen.

Mr Brasch said: “At 7.30pm I was in Tesco, my details were given to security to call me out about a car incident and at 3am in the morning police were banging on my door. At first I was shocked and thought it might be about the incident with the car and then I just clocked that the security guard had my details and obviously someone’s done something and the store has mixed up my details on the log sheet.

“I told police that’s what happened. It’s too obvious. It’s got to be too much of a coincidence that the security guard had my details and suddenly I’m arrested for something that happened in Tesco. The officers came into my lounge and started searching my house immediately and then I was told, ‘Tesco says you have stolen a TV’.”

A Tesco spokesman said that another customer was to blame because he or she gave store security guards Mr Brasch’s car registration after believing he was in some way involved in the crime.

The spokesman added that he could not explain why the customer had mistakenly given them the registration. He said: “We’re getting in touch with Mr Brasch ourselves as we fully sympathise with what must have been a deeply upsetting experience.”

Mr Brasch, who works as a database manager for Help the Hospices, was released soon after 1pm that day.

He said that since his ordeal, his children had been “scared and nervous” and his wife, Joanna, 45, had been unable to sleep. “My wife is waking up every night hearing knocks at the door. My nine-year-old son, who woke up during the searches, keeps asking if I am going to be taken away again. He was crying last night and I slept with the kids for two nights in a row. The older boy’s nervous and the younger one’s scared.” A spokesman for Essex Police said that they had apologised to Mr Brasch, adding that they had acted in “good faith” after being given wrong information by the store’s security.

“Inquiries established Mr Brasch was not responsible and we have personally apologised to him and invited him to meet with us to discuss what we could have done differently in his case,” the spokesman said.

“It appears there were two incidents at the Tesco store occurring at the same time. One was the theft of the plasma screen TV and the other some minor damage to a vehicle in the car park. It would appear that the incorrect details were passed to police in relation to the theft.”

The thief and TV are still missing.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/u ... 803475.ece

 

[escargot]

This is not a police mistake. This is a Tesco Value balls-up.

However, the strongarm tactics used by the police to arrest the suspect are not at all uncommon and are likely to be equally distressing to any children in the house, whether or not the suspect turns out to be guilty. And of course, those children ARE innocent, no matter what Dad may or may not have done.

As this was a straightforward supermarket theft - no mention of threats, violence or weapons - one ownders why a polite knock at 7am wouldn't have been a more sensible approach.

No, of course not. Criminals are scum. Their families are no better. When real thieves' families are treated like this, nobody gives a stuff.

And the police wonder why they can't get their helpful, friendly Plod message across.

 

[Pietro_Mercurios]

...

As this was a straightforward supermarket theft - no mention of threats, violence or weapons - one wonders why a polite knock at 7am wouldn't have been a more sensible approach.

...

It's not even as if this chap had any previous. Apparently, a pillar of the community, no charge sheet, or list of previous convictions. The rozzers probably didn't know him from Adam.

And all for a shoplifted, Tesco's telly.

 

[OneWingedBird]

No, of course not. Criminals are scum. Their families are no better. When real thieves' families are treated like this, nobody gives a stuff.

i don't usually share stuff like this, but when i was about 16 the po-lice came round to our house while i was getting ready for school one morning to nick our parents for credit card fraud. they smashed through the front door after i refused to let them in, nicked our parents, and were pretty shitty with us too. they seemed to think we were in collusion with them, when in actual fact, we couldn't have given a shit about them (or much about the plod either) but it was safer for us not to let them, considering the violence we'd have received from our parents if we had

actually, that's around the time too that myself and a workmate (we had a pocket money job glass collecting/washing in a nightclub) got pulled up by the cops one night after we went out to a nearby payphone to ring a taxi home. they got us spread against some railings, demanded to know where the 'stuff' was, told us not to run because one of the cops was a champion cross country runner, and threatened to chuck is in the back of the van with the dogs if we didn't behave.

i guess some people do have perfectly reasonable reasons for not liking the 'police family' too much

 

[Stormkhan]

As I said, the police see the worst side of human nature so it's no surprise when they find it hard to believe in innocence. It seems that this is only a term used in their training literature, especially when acting in accordance to politically-led "guidance" and directives. This makes officers jaded and less than willing to take things at first glance.

Hobby Bobby's take note - You don't get the warrant unless you are willing to take the shite!

 

[OneWingedBird]

Sometimes, it does help to check that the guy you've got does at least have some remote resemblance to the photo on file:

Man arrested in mistaken identity

An innocent man was arrested and held in prison hundreds of miles from his home due to a case of mistaken identity, it has emerged.

Mohammed Aslam was detained in Leeds on Monday ahead of an appearance at Dundee Sheriff Court on Thursday.

Mr Aslam, who had never even been to Scotland before, had the same name and date of birth as a man who had a warrant out against him in Dundee.

The mistake was realised when a police photo of the accused was checked.

The real suspect had previously failed to appear in court to face an indecency charge, so the warrant was issued.

The innocent Mr Aslam's solicitor, Ian Houston, told the BBC Scotland news website, that the situation could have been much worse for his client.

He said: "Had he not been brought to court yesterday on the new charge of failing to appear in court he might have been in Perth Prison for weeks or even months before a new indictment was served.

I don't think he could understand, obviously having little or no experience of the court system, especially in Scotland

"Obviously no one paid any attention to his protestations that they had the wrong man and he had never been in Scotland in his life.

"I think he was overwhelmed by the whole situation, he just didn't know what was happening.

"I don't think he could understand, obviously having little or no experience of the court system, especially in Scotland."

Mr Houston said that he would be surprised if Mr Aslam did not make a compensation claim for wrongful arrest.

He added that he believed a similar mistake could be made in the future.

A spokeswoman from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service said: "As soon as it was brought to the attention of the procurator fiscal in Dundee that the wrong person had been arrested by police in Leeds and brought to court in error, the procurator fiscal took immediate steps to confirm this man's true identity.

"This was done swiftly and, as soon as the checks were complete, Mr Aslam was immediately released."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/tay ... 379669.stm

 

[rynner2]

Long arm of police spin-doctors costs almost £40m a year
Sean O’Neill and James Ball

Police forces are spending almost £40 million a year on what their critics describe as spin-doctors and news management, according to figures obtained by The Times.

PR expenditure has risen by 13 per cent over the past two years at a time when police budgets are under pressure and seven forces are facing the threat of capping. The money would be more than enough to fund the part of the annual police pay rise withheld by the Government, or to put an extra 1,400 officers on the streets.

Police forces have stepped up spending on marketing since the Home Office began measuring their performance against public perceptions of crime. Senior officers insist that most marketing is aimed at crime prevention and providing accurate information to inform the public. But there are concerns that forces are withholding information about serious crime in an effort to manipulate the news agenda.

Clive Chamberlain, chairman of Dorset Police Federation, said: “Press offices are a necessary conduit for information, but officers all over the country are concerned that there is a lot of carefully laundered PR and that money should be spent on policing.”

The figures were collated by The Times after a freedom of information request submitted to all police forces in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Four forces, including Strathclyde, the largest in Scotland, have still failed to reply. Several others provided incomplete, inconsistent and inaccurate data.

Those that did answer the request spent £30.2 million, but an estimate of total expenditure by all 52 forces puts the overall figure at £39.4 million. The research was carried out under the supervision of Heather Brooke, who won a High Court victory last week forcing MPs to disclose their expenses on second homes.

Scotland Yard, with a PR bill of more than £6 million, is the biggest spender and had one of the highest levels of spending per head of the population. Boris Johnson, the new Mayor of London, promised in his election manifesto to cut the Yard’s PR spend and “redirect £3.1 million from marketing and spin to frontline policing”. The Police Service of Northern Ireland spends 99p on PR for every member of the public it serves. However, while both the Metropolitan Police and the PSNI have cut spending in the past two years, there have been sharp rises in marketing expenditure among small rural forces. In Cumbria the communications budget has risen by 125 per cent since 2005, while spending by Dyfed Powys police rose by 77 per cent. Dorset constabulary, among the smallest in the country, has one of the highest levels of spending for its population, at 72p per person.

Paul Breakwell, head of corporate communications at Dorset, said that rising costs were due to the expansion of neighbourhood policing: “There has been a clear investment in assuring effective and targeted communication with communities to support the fantastic job our officers do in making Dorset a county that not only is safer, but feels safer, too.” He added that some of the costs had been met with money recovered from criminals through the Proceeds of Crime Act.

Northumbria Police, which has increased its PR spend by 55 per cent in two years, has faced complaints that it distorts the picture of crime by refusing to release details of serious incidents in its area. David Warcup, Northumbria’s Deputy Chief Constable, said, however, that marketing was aimed at supporting operational activity.

Matthew Elliott, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, was fiercely critical of the increasing spending on marketing and PR. “Many police spin-doctors are paid more than policemen and women and they never put their lives on the line. This excessive spending on PR is not only wrong, it’s a waste of taxpayers’ money,” he said.

........more details follow......

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/u ... 987688.ece

 

[OneWingedBird]

Body find police are criticised

Police who failed to find a dead driver for three days after his car flipped over beside the A1 have been criticised by a Nottinghamshire coroner.

Martin Hope, 19, from Grantham in Lincolnshire, lost control of his Vauxhall Nova near Claypole after suffering a brain haemorrhage.

Police from both counties missed the vehicle, which landed in a ditch.

Recording a narrative verdict, coroner Nigel Chapman said the investigation "left a lot to be desired".

The inquest heard two 999 calls were made to police from motorists who saw Mr Hope veer off the road in August last year.


We still have no exact date for his gravestone
Joanne Lanes, Martin Hope's mother
But officers conducting a search only drove past the area.

Mr Chapman said he did not think the delay made a difference to whether Mr Hope survived but made a huge difference to his family.

Mr Hope's mother, Joanne Lanes, said after the ruling: "The date of his accident was the 17 August 2007, yet he was not found until 20 August 2007.

"The additional circumstances in delaying finding Martin has caused unbearable stress, grief and heartache to all members of the family.

"The distress that this has caused to the family is immeasurable and we will never get over the sudden loss of such a caring son.

"Although we may never know the exact date of his death, we hope the inquest has brought to light some of the missing facts, yet we still have no exact date for his gravestone. Unfortunately this is a fact that we will have to live with."

At the inquest, Nottinghamshire Police said they had made procedural changes to ensure such an incident did not happen again.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/nott ... 438317.stm

 

[rynner2]

Indisciplined, scruffy and getting away with blue murder... damning verdict on Britain's frontline police officers
By Matthew Hickley
Last updated at 7:53 AM on 03rd July 2008

Standards of frontline policing in Britain are crumbling as constables 'get away with blue murder', an official report found yesterday.

Some officers show an astonishing lack of professionalism - including scruffy appearance, refusal to put themselves in danger and slapdash paperwork.

The report by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary warns that the police service's 'traditional ethos of discipline' is being eroded and calls for urgent action to halt the rot.

Sergeants in charge of ensuring that constables toe the line are failing to control them for fear of being branded workplaces 'bullies', the report found.

Sergeants spend just 10 per cent of their time out on the streets and 45 per cent doing paperwork

Its authors called for changes, including setting nationwide minimum standards of training and competence for all sergeants - the first tier of management and the backbone of day-to-day frontline policing.

During HMIC's survey and interview of 4,800 officers, one sergeant said: 'PCs now get away with blue murder as people are afraid to challenge them due to human resources legislation and are not supported by managers.'

Critics last night blamed Labour's 'obsession with targets' for distorting policing priorities.

Young recruits behave as if they are surrounded by 'a force-field', the report claims, and frequently respond to criticism or discipline from their seniors by lodging official complaints of victimisation - which are often upheld.

In one incident described in the report, a sergeant told a constable on his team that he needed a haircut, but the young officer replied: 'You can talk. You look like a bag of ****.'

Far from carpeting the constable for his insolence, the sergeant took no action. :shock:

Other cases included a young constable who refused to attend an incident where a dangerous dog was on the loose because he 'was not going to put himself in danger', and another who spent 15 minutes trying to 'assess' whether or not to wear a fluorescent jacket at a crash scene.

Other incidents highlight serious gaps in skills and training for sergeants, some of whom admit being out of their depth when confronted with critical incidents and too scared to take command.

In one case a sergeant ended up acting as a radio operator while one of his constables took charge of a serious emergency.

Another sergeant admitted he had 'no idea what to do' when put in charge of firearms incidents.

The HMIC took evidence from officers of all ranks across the UK, and concluded that serious changes are needed in the way sergeants are trained, promoted and supported if standards are to be maintained.

One chief superintendent told the inspection team: 'There is no enforcement of the dress code. The sergeants do not have the necessary fibre to challenge the constables.'

The officer said sergeants were 'giving up' trying to impose discipoorpline because an assistant chief constable had upheld complaints against them.

A sergeant complained: 'I am fed up with the amount of times I have to justify myself to PCs when I've given them a lawful order.'

Another commented: 'There is no adherence to simple dress codes such as ties and not wearing hats.'

A chief superintendent admitted: 'We pondered whether we should challenge staff about standards but had to admit that we [superintendents] often had poor dress, such as no tie or epaulettes.'

The report cites some good examples, including Surrey and Norfolk police, where chief constables have set out clear and firm rules for all officers - and backed up sergeants who enforce them.

But across the board the HMIC warns of a 'widespread fundamental skills gap', and an 'urgent need' to improve the way the 22,000 sergeants in England and Wales are selected and trained - including introducing specific tests of leadership skills.

Shadow Home Secretary, Dominic Grieve, said: 'Labour's obsession with targets and red tape has distorted police priorities and undermined the role of the police sergeant.'

He recommended 'scrapping unnecessary targets and putting our trust in sergeants to do their job. Only then can they develop the skills and leadership necessary to keep the public safe'.

The Police Federation, which represents sergeants, welcomed the report's call for better training and support.

Home Office minister Tony McNulty said the report 'raised important issues' but insisted 'much work' was under way to improve support to sergeants.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... icers.html

 

[rynner2]

Police took 18 days to find body of woman in her own home
by Nick Britten
Last Updated: 5:20PM BST 03/07/2008

A police force has been criticised by a coroner after officers twice failed to find the body of a missing woman who was lying on the floor of her home.
It took police so long to find Jean O'Sullivan, 57, that she may still have been alive when police first searched her house but could not locate her, an inquest heard.

Mrs O'Sullivan, a charity worker, was originally reported missing by a neighbour who had not seen her for seven days.

Despite two searches by officers of her three-bedroom home the widow's body was not discovered until 18 days later when a specialist search team was finally called in.

Even then it took two trained officers half an hour to find her decomposed body under a pile of clothes on the floor of her end-terrace home in Eastleigh, near Southampton, Hants.

Hampshire police has since compiled a report with recommendations to prevent it happening again.

Because of the length of time before her body was found, the Central Hampshire Coroner Grahame Short recorded an open verdict, saying he could not be sure how Mrs O'Sullivan died.

He said it was 'possible', although unlikely, that she was still alive when officers first searched the house.

Mr Short added: "It was therefore particularly unfortunate that she was not found on that occasion.

"I conclude that there was a failing in the system employed by Hampshire Police.

"Having said that I don't find any individual officer responsible for not locating Jean in these initial searches, and I realise the difficulties under which they were working.

"It seems to me that if the search had been conducted by trained officers that a lot of the subsequent enquiries and work and distress to the family would have been avoided."

The hearing was told that Mrs O'Sullivan, who worked at an Age Concern shop in Eastleigh, was reported missing on August 29 last year.

An initial search of her cluttered home was carried out that day by two officers who failed to find her despite getting two more officers to help.

Officers returned to the house the following day to carry out another search, again to no avail.

It was not until September 16 that a specialist search team finally found Mrs O'Sullivan's body in a downstairs room following a 30 minute search of her property and the surrounding area.

The inquest heard that Mrs O'Sullivan was a 'hoarder of items' and that piles of clothes reached the ceiling in some rooms.

PC Matthew Palin, who was first on the scene with PC Rob Thomas, said he had to climb over stacks of clothing and navigate around bags of shopping in order to 'dig' through the mess.

Hampshire police said after the incident they had changed procedure to involve only trained officers in high-risk missing persons, and had trained additional dogs in the specialism of finding bodies.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... -home.html

 

[JamesWhitehead]

Oh no! It's the Bottom Inspectors!

Here

Police chief refuses to yield on saggy pants crackdown

McClatchy newspapers

guardian.co.uk,

Monday July 21, 2008

Flint, Michigan's police chief isn't backing down from his crackdown on saggy pants.

The American Civil Liberties Union said last week that today would be the deadline for chief David Dicks to halt the stopping and searching of individuals with low-riding pants exposing underwear or bare bottoms.

Legal action may be forthcoming because Dicks said he isn't changing anything.

"I'm going to keep on doing what I'm doing," Dicks told the Detroit Free Press yesterday. "I guess I'm expecting a lawsuit," he said, but there has to be a plaintiff.

Dicks pointed out that he has only issued warnings since implementing the policy June 27.

"I don't see how a warning is a civil rights violation," he said.

Dicks said wearing pants below the waist is a crime - a violation of the city's disorderly conduct ordinance - and can give police probable cause to search saggers for other crimes, such as weapon or drug possession. He said exposing the buttocks is indecent exposure.

Both crimes are misdemeanours punishable by 93 days to a year in jail and fines up to $500, Dicks said.

The ACLU is particularly troubled by the searches of saggers.

"Your new practice of stopping and threatening young men with disorderly conduct for wearing 'saggy pants' is a blatant violation of the United States Constitution," the ACLU wrote to Dicks in a letter last week.

"Although you were recently appointed chief of the Flint police department, you cannot appoint yourself chief of the 'fashion police'. You have no power to criminalise a style of dress because you find it distasteful. We ask that you halt this practice immediately."

The ACLU could not be reached yesterday.

 

[rynner2]

Police admit child porn mistakes

Police admit they "could have done things better" after telling a landlady to destroy thousands of pages of child pornography she found in a flat.

Julie Woollacott found the fictional stories of men having sex with boys when she was clearing out the property in Barnstaple after the tenant died.

She said the officers she contacted were also unwilling to seize two computers and a number of video tapes.

Devon and Cornwall Police are holding an internal inquiry into the matter.

'Horrifying' discovery

Thousands of paper copies of sexually explicit e-mails were found in the flat and in box files loaded into three trunks outside.

It is believed they belonged to the flat's tenant, who died last week.

Ms Woollacott owns the property and rents it out through an agency.

She said the discovery of the e-mails was "absolutely horrifying, horrendous".

Ms Woollacott and her partner Tracey Phipps said they contacted police as soon as they found the stories.

They said an officer who came to investigate told them, confidentially, to get rid of the e-mails.

The couple also reported they had found more than 200 video tapes, labelled with children's film and television show names, as well as two computers.

"They [the police] said that now the bloke has died, they've got enough cases dealing with live people to chase up, that they just haven't got the manpower to deal with it," Mr Phipps said.

The couple were so disturbed by the e-mails that they decided to get in touch with their local MP, the Liberal Democrat Nick Harvey.

He said: "They were concerned that possible evidence was going to be allowed to be destroyed."

Detectives moved "pretty quickly" to seize the material and secure the flat once he contacted them.

Supt Stuart Lander, from Devon and Cornwall Police, said: "We could have done things better.

"The officers acted in the way they felt was best at the time. Other people have looked at their decision and made a different one."

He said the force was holding an internal inquiry to learn lessons from the incident.

The external investigation into the origins of the pornographic e-mails, which themselves are not illegal, was likely to be "protracted", he said.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/7537721.stm

 

[rynner2]

Police are no force against brazen burglars
Thieves have stolen more than £1 million of police property since 2005, new figures reveal.
By Sarah Knapton
Last Updated: 6:08AM BST 18 Aug 2008

Items taken range from a £40,000 motor home from Wiltshire Police to a portion of meat valued at just £2.58 from officers in Greater Manchester.

In Norfolk a blood sample was stolen from a police car while Kent Police were baffled by the theft of a shrubbery.

And the Metropolitan Police admitted 15 uniforms had been lifted over the last three years in figures released under the Freedom of Information Act.

West Midlands Police suffered the most expensive spate of thefts in England and Wales losing £130,000 worth of equipment.

A spokeswoman for the force said: "West Midlands Police is eager to learn any lessons it can to improve security around police premises and property."

Greater Manchester Police had £50,000 worth of property stolen including a Samurai sword and four tyres.

"While any theft is unacceptable most of the items stolen are of a reasonably low value, with the exception of one incidence where a £30,000 car was stolen," said a spokesman,

"Measures are in place to stop thieves taking police property, including CCTV at all sites, electronically operated barriers and security codes on doors."

Elsewhere a thief in Warwickshire stole a police Codes of Practice book while bricks from a wall went missing from Derbyshire constabulary and a roof from Scotland Yard. :shock:

A spokeswoman for the Association of Chief Police Officers said: "Like any large organisation police premises can suffer incidents of crime. It is impossible to protect against all criminal acts."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... glars.html

 

[PeniG]

And the Metropolitan Police admitted 15 uniforms had been lifted over the last three years in figures released under the Freedom of Information Act.

Okay, that is freaky scary! The usefulness of police uniforms to any kind of criminal is phenomenal. I hope they were all stolen by pranksters and property criminals rather by rapists and murderers.

 

[rynner2]

Police handcuff innocent woman in raid on the wrong home
A woman was left "terrified" when police battered down her front door, handcuffed her and searched her house, only to discover they had got the wrong address.

By Lucy Cockcroft
Last Updated: 8:22PM BST 08 Sep 2008

Melanie McGee was sat in her lounge when six officers burst in, claiming they had information that Class A drugs were being kept in the property.

But after searching her house, garden and cars, in Reading, Berkshire, they realised they had been given flawed intelligence and raided the wrong address.

Mrs McGee, a sales manager, said she was left "shaking with fear" following the afternoon raid on September 3.

She said: "I was sitting in my living room busily working on my laptop when there was an almighty crashing sound.

"Suddenly there were six police officers running towards me shouting for me to keep my hands where they could be seen.

"Apparently they had intelligence that we had Class A drugs in our home - I had never heard anything so ridiculous."

Thames Valley Police have admitted they made a mistake, and apologised to Mrs McGee.

A spokesman said: "The property was entered using an established 'rapid entry' technique that allows police to use restraints to secure and preserve evidence.

"In this case the restraints were removed as soon as practicable.

"A senior officer spoke personally to the homeowner following the search and apologised for the distress that had been caused."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... -home.html

 

[Ginando]

http://gas2.org/2008/09/09/alaska-polic ... its-a-ufo/

It’s not all about Sarah Palin in Alaska you know. The latest news from the last frontier (or should that be the final frontier?) is that Alaskan police have pulled over a solar-powered car, which they mistakenly identified as a UFO.
For almost two years, Canadian Marcelo da Luz has been driving his solar-powered car, the Power of 1 (Xof1 for short) across North America in an attempt to set a world distance record for a solar vehicle. When he reached Alaska earlier this week, the admittedly off-the-wall looking car was spotted by a concerned citizen, who dialled 911 to report a UFO sighting. Alaskan police quickly took off in hot pursuit, and pulled poor Marcelo over for interrogation.

Luckily for the bemused Canadian solar pioneer, the police decided not to take the matter any further although, amazingly, this is the seventh time that saucer-shaped vehicle has been pulled over during its odyssey across Canada.

The only thing I am confused about is when did Alaska end up in Canada?

 

[rynner2]

Police driver gives lesson in how not to park
A police driver gave Londoners a lesson in how not to park as he drove his car through railings, leaving it lying on its side in a basement.

By Jessica Salter
Last Updated: 12:27PM BST 12 Sep 2008

The squad car, which had to be winched out with a crane, ended up in a tight spot off London's Brunswick Square in Camden.

The officer is not the first to have a police collision.

Earlier this year police were caught boasting about their car crashes on Facebook, the social networking site, and more than 30 police accidents were pictured in a group called Yes I Have Had A Polcol.

The pictures ranged from squad cars wrapped around lampposts to grinning officers standing with their thumbs up beside their vehicles immersed deep in bushes.

One picture showed a Vauxhall Astra sandwiched between a wall and a lamppost.

.....

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... -park.html

 

[rynner2]

Name mistake lands wrong man in court twice
A disabled man is considering legal action after prosecutors forced him to appear in court twice after mistaking him for a man with the same name.

By Auslan Cramb, Scottish Correspondent
Last Updated: 11:34PM BST 14 Sep 2008

John Taylor, 59, was arrested and driven 110 miles in a prison van after a warrant was granted for the arrest of John Alexander Taylor, who is accused of fraud.

He appeared in court to be charged and was given a second date to return to court despite his protests that the court had the wrong man.

Mr Taylor was then released on bail and left to make his own way home from Edinburgh to Bedlington in Northumberland.

Prosecutors only realised their mistake when he and a relative made a second trip to Scotland.

Mr Taylor said: “I couldn't believe it, I didn't know a thing about this and I was dragged down to the police station and taken to court.

“I tried to tell them they had the wrong man, that this was not my name, but nobody listened to me.”

The first time Mr Taylor heard about the alleged fraud was when police appeared at his doorstep last September and told him there was a warrant for his arrest.

He was taken to a police station and held for several hours before being transported to Edinburgh to appear the following day.

He was then bailed and told to return to the court on July 11th this year. The mistake was only picked up when his defence lawyer asked for “closed door discussions” on the case.

Mr Taylor said he had suffered “months of hell, stress and worry” because of the legal bungle.

He receives disability allowance and said the journeys to and from Edinburgh had a serious impact on his fragile health.

He has been told he is no longer accused of the alleged crime, but claims he has not received any official apology and is considering legal action over his treatment.

A spokesman for the Crown Office said: “A petition warrant bearing the correct name and date of birth of the person sought in connection with these offences was issued by the procurator fiscal at Edinburgh.

“Mr Taylor was arrested on that warrant in what was a case of mistaken identity. It is unfortunate that this error occurred and it must have been a very difficult ordeal for Mr Taylor.

“The arrest of persons upon apprehension warrants is not a matter for the Crown but as soon as the procurator fiscal was made aware of the mistaken identity of the person apprehended by the police in this case immediate steps were taken to rectify the situation.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... twice.html

 

[rynner2]

Stolen Playstation games taken again from police depot
Thieves launched a raid worthy of Grand Theft Auto when they reclaimed confiscated Playstation 3 games from a secure police depot just hours after they were seized.

By Aislinn Simpson
Last Updated: 8:49AM BST 29 Sep 2008

The audacious burglary took place before the lorry carrying the stolen £600,000 haul of games could be fingerprinted or DNA tested.

The computer games, stacked in seven pallets, were initially stolen from a transporter lorry in Northampton while its driver rested.

Police in Leeds spotted fake numberplates on the blue Renault lorry being used by the thieves and it was impounded together with its contents.

But within hours, thieves struck again, smashing the shutters at the secure police depot and making off with the lorry.

The games inside it included 16,000 copies of Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway, a World War Two game.

Other Playstation 3 titles include the controversial Grand Theft Auto franchise, which has sold more than 70 million copies worldwide but has also been blamed for a series of violent attacks.

The lorry was found empty and abandoned last Monday in a Matalan car park in nearby Bradford, West Yorks.

A police spokesman said: "We are pursuing a number of lines of enquiry, including eBay transactions where a number of the games have been potentially identified as being advertised for sale. Arrests have already been made in respect of this."

But makers Ubi Soft insisted: "Fans needn't worry as more stock is being parachuted in."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... depot.html

 

[rynner2]

Police confiscate walking stick from retired teacher, 78, because it is an 'offensive weapon'
By Daniel Bates
Last updated at 9:33 PM on 29th September 2008

They must have known he was a troublemaker the moment they saw him.
With his white hair, wax jacket and glasses, 78-year-old Philip Clarkson Webb clearly ticked all the boxes any eagle-eyed policemen would mark as 'danger'.

And as he shuffled along the pavement towards them there was one thing above all they deemed to pose a threat - his walking stick.
The officers surrounded the retired classics teacher and informed him the 3ft wooden cane was an 'offensive weapon' and had to be confiscated.
Mr Clarkson Webb duly handed it over, but the farce did not end there.
When he later went to collect it from his local police station in Southborough, Kent, with his police receipt, he was told it had been misplaced.

It took a string of phone calls for Kent Police to finally admit they had lost it and to offer to buy him a brand new one.
Mr Clarkson Webb was caught up by overzealous policing at a climate camp environmental demonstration in Kingsnorth last month.
He was not one of the activists at the climate camp but merely paid a visit to attend a seminar on trade energy quotas.
The police stopped him and confiscated his walking stick as he approached the site where dozens of policemen, some in riot gear, where stationed.

Mr Clarkson Webb said: "At the bottom of the lane Kent Police officers confiscated my stick as an offensive weapon but gave me a receipt and promised to return it.
"But later when I produced my receipt and asked for the stick it was curtly refused.
"Since that date there have been three different telephone conversations. They've lost the stick even though it had a numbered receipt."

Mr Clarkson Webb has received an apology from the poilce but they still haven't found his stick

Mr Clarkson Webb, who is currently using his spare stick, said: "What this shows is that the efficiency of the police leaves a lot to be desired.
"In total the policing for this climate camp cost the taxpayer £6 million. It was a disgraceful waste of taxpayers' money."
Medway MP Bob Marshall Andrews criticised the police for being "provocative and heavy handed" and said the vast majority of the people at the climate camp were "thoroughly decent people".

Kent Police Assistant Chief Constable Allyn Thomas has apologised
He said: "We are sorry we have not been able to return Mr Clarkson Webb's stick and we have apologised to him directly.
"During the climate camp there was a considerable amount of activity and our officers and others from around the country who supported Kent Police had to make swift decisions as part of policing the protestors.
"Any complaints that are made will be looked into thoroughly."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... eapon.html

 

[Vardoger]

The world's dumbest cops! LOL.

Bankrobbers got lucky

See the large video on top of page.

 

[OneWingedBird]

ouch!

someone's in for a bollocking