ramonmercado
CyberPunk
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Dumb Cops
- Thread starter ogopogo3
- Start date
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- Aug 7, 2001
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Police ‘burglaries’ on students backfire with trespass accusation
Simon de Bruxelles
The intruders entered through an unlocked door and helped themselves to whatever valuables they could find, including laptops, mobile telephones and MP3 players. So far, an everyday misfortune for dozens of householders across Britain.
What made this series of burglaries in Exeter remarkable is that the police had no difficulty identifying the culprits: they were doing it themselves. :shock:
The operation, in a student quarter, was intended to draw homeowners’ attention to their lack of security. All the goods gathered up during the simulated burglaries were left on the kitchen table in a bag labelled “swag”, along with a note advising the owners to be more careful in future. About 50 homes were entered, sometimes while their occupants were upstairs.
The burglary initiative was launched in the St James area, where many of the large houses are in multiple occupation by students. A team of 16 uniformed police and community support officers carried out the “burglaries”, having let themselves in through unlocked communal doorways.
PC Rob Bolt, the neighbourhood beat manager, said: “We were expecting to find some insecure properties but were amazed by the number that were identified. Neighbourhood officers are trying to find new ways to try to encourage members of the public to keep their homes secure.
“While we do not want to create an atmosphere of fear, it is important that occupants are aware that most burglaries occur through insecure windows and doors. Even if you are in the house, a burglar will still seize the opportunity to open your door and see if anything is in view.”
Sergeant Andy Nordqvist said officers were “very careful” to ensure that no criminal offences were committed.
But Neil Scott, from Foot Anstey, a firm of solicitors, said police officers had no automatic right to enter a property.
He said: “I have never heard of anything like this before. Police need a warrant unless they believe an offence is being committed. With regard to this initiative, they neither had a warrant nor were they dealing with an offence.”
The officers were trespassing, which is a civil rather than a criminal offence, but could still be the subject of court action. Mr Scott added: “Everyone is entitled to defend their property from intruders. Conceivably, an officer could have been attacked. If the police then tried to prosecute this as assaulting a police officer, the homeowner would have a strong legal defence.”
A spokesman for the Association of Chief Police Officers said: “It is a local operational matter but I am pretty sure they won’t be doing it again.”
Devon and Cornwall Police said there had been a spate of burglaries in the area. A spokesman said: “We are going to put our hands up. This was carried out with the best of intentions, however, we do accept that entering properties to leave the bags could be deemed as trespass. This was a one-off that we will not be repeating.”
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/u ... 080545.ece
Simon de Bruxelles
The intruders entered through an unlocked door and helped themselves to whatever valuables they could find, including laptops, mobile telephones and MP3 players. So far, an everyday misfortune for dozens of householders across Britain.
What made this series of burglaries in Exeter remarkable is that the police had no difficulty identifying the culprits: they were doing it themselves. :shock:
The operation, in a student quarter, was intended to draw homeowners’ attention to their lack of security. All the goods gathered up during the simulated burglaries were left on the kitchen table in a bag labelled “swag”, along with a note advising the owners to be more careful in future. About 50 homes were entered, sometimes while their occupants were upstairs.
The burglary initiative was launched in the St James area, where many of the large houses are in multiple occupation by students. A team of 16 uniformed police and community support officers carried out the “burglaries”, having let themselves in through unlocked communal doorways.
PC Rob Bolt, the neighbourhood beat manager, said: “We were expecting to find some insecure properties but were amazed by the number that were identified. Neighbourhood officers are trying to find new ways to try to encourage members of the public to keep their homes secure.
“While we do not want to create an atmosphere of fear, it is important that occupants are aware that most burglaries occur through insecure windows and doors. Even if you are in the house, a burglar will still seize the opportunity to open your door and see if anything is in view.”
Sergeant Andy Nordqvist said officers were “very careful” to ensure that no criminal offences were committed.
But Neil Scott, from Foot Anstey, a firm of solicitors, said police officers had no automatic right to enter a property.
He said: “I have never heard of anything like this before. Police need a warrant unless they believe an offence is being committed. With regard to this initiative, they neither had a warrant nor were they dealing with an offence.”
The officers were trespassing, which is a civil rather than a criminal offence, but could still be the subject of court action. Mr Scott added: “Everyone is entitled to defend their property from intruders. Conceivably, an officer could have been attacked. If the police then tried to prosecute this as assaulting a police officer, the homeowner would have a strong legal defence.”
A spokesman for the Association of Chief Police Officers said: “It is a local operational matter but I am pretty sure they won’t be doing it again.”
Devon and Cornwall Police said there had been a spate of burglaries in the area. A spokesman said: “We are going to put our hands up. This was carried out with the best of intentions, however, we do accept that entering properties to leave the bags could be deemed as trespass. This was a one-off that we will not be repeating.”
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/u ... 080545.ece
OneWingedBird
Beloved of Ra
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A young lass i worked with was telling me a month or so back about how she'd got up to answer a knock on her bedroom door at 4am and found a PCSO on the landing. Prob. one of the guys she shared the house with had forgotten to lock the back door.
Better than a burglar i guess, but someone's going to get bashed sooner or later if they keep that up
Better than a burglar i guess, but someone's going to get bashed sooner or later if they keep that up
- Joined
- Feb 26, 2002
- Messages
- 1,523
If I come across an insecure property when patrolling at night, I'll attempt to alert the occupants to the insecurity by knocking on the door and ringing the bell. If I get no response, I'll enter the property because I have "cause for concern". A large proportion of burglaries are undertaken by entering through open front doors, and it's better to be woken by a concerned Police Officer that by an intruder holding a knife to your throat (as happened to one of my local residents recently - an elderly lady in her nineties). Can you imagine the hooha if I had just walked by, or closed the door myself and shut the occupants in with their intruders?BlackRiverFalls said:A young lass i worked with was telling me a month or so back about how she'd got up to answer a knock on her bedroom door at 4am and found a PCSO on the landing. Prob. one of the guys she shared the house with had forgotten to lock the back door.
Better than a burglar i guess, but someone's going to get bashed sooner or later if they keep that up
BTW, the Police operation in Exeter was ill conceived and naive, but I've had the miserable duty of speaking with many student victims of crime who have had their laptops pinched, and almost all of them have neglected to make any backups of their coursework and dissertations. Years of work down the drain :cry:
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- Aug 7, 2001
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US girl sues for $1m over arrest for desk scribble
A 12-year-old US schoolgirl is suing the New York City authorities for $1m (£650,000) in damages after she was arrested for writing on her desk.
Alexa Gonzalez was led out of her school in handcuffs by police after she was caught scribbling a message to her friends with an erasable, green marker.
Miss Gonzalez and her mother are suing the police and education departments in New York City.
They are claiming for excessive use of force and violation of her rights.
Miss Gonzalez was caught scribbling "I love my friends Abby and Faith" on her desk during a Spanish class in February.
The 12-year-old said her Spanish teacher then "dragged" her to the dean's office where police were called.
Miss Gonzalez told the New York Daily News she broke down as she was led out of Junior High School 190 in Queens in handcuffs.
"I started crying, like, a lot," she said. "I made two little doodles... It could be easily erased. To put handcuffs on me is unnecessary."
She said she was then held at a local school precinct for hours in what she calls a traumatising and excessive ordeal.
New York City officials have acknowledged the arrest was a mistake, saying better judgement should have been used by the arresting officers.
Miss Gonzalez was suspended from school and tried in a family court, where she was given eight hours of community service and ordered to write an essay about lessons to be learned from the incident.
Her family's lawyer said the school had overreacted by calling the police.
"We want to stop this from happening to other young children in the future," the lawyer, Joseph Rosenthal, told the New York Daily News.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8602327.stm
A 12-year-old US schoolgirl is suing the New York City authorities for $1m (£650,000) in damages after she was arrested for writing on her desk.
Alexa Gonzalez was led out of her school in handcuffs by police after she was caught scribbling a message to her friends with an erasable, green marker.
Miss Gonzalez and her mother are suing the police and education departments in New York City.
They are claiming for excessive use of force and violation of her rights.
Miss Gonzalez was caught scribbling "I love my friends Abby and Faith" on her desk during a Spanish class in February.
The 12-year-old said her Spanish teacher then "dragged" her to the dean's office where police were called.
Miss Gonzalez told the New York Daily News she broke down as she was led out of Junior High School 190 in Queens in handcuffs.
"I started crying, like, a lot," she said. "I made two little doodles... It could be easily erased. To put handcuffs on me is unnecessary."
She said she was then held at a local school precinct for hours in what she calls a traumatising and excessive ordeal.
New York City officials have acknowledged the arrest was a mistake, saying better judgement should have been used by the arresting officers.
Miss Gonzalez was suspended from school and tried in a family court, where she was given eight hours of community service and ordered to write an essay about lessons to be learned from the incident.
Her family's lawyer said the school had overreacted by calling the police.
"We want to stop this from happening to other young children in the future," the lawyer, Joseph Rosenthal, told the New York Daily News.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8602327.stm
eburacum
Papo-furado
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- Aug 26, 2005
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- 5,867
That reminds me of when I was at junior school, back in the early Sixties. We all got new desks, and I was idly scribbling away on the grey plastic trim with my pencil while the teacher was talking. As far as I could see the pencil was making no mark on the grey plastic.
Suddenly one of the girls stood up and whispered something to the teacher, who beetled over and hauled me out of my seat. As I stood up I could see that I'd actually scribbled black pencil marks all over the new trim- marks which were invisible while I was sitting down. With the benefit of hindsight I now realise that the specular reflection of the graphite was the same shade as the grey plastic, so I couldn't see it while sitting.
I don't remember what punishment I got, to be honest, (in those days they used to hit you smartly with a ruler) but I do remember my surprise and feelings of injustice. Of course I was gulity as charged- but I didn't know that I was until I stood up.
And the fact that this young lass snitched on me has always rankled a bit, too. I must have missed the part where the teacher asked for official class informers...
If the teacher had called in the plod I would have been mentally scarred for life.
Suddenly one of the girls stood up and whispered something to the teacher, who beetled over and hauled me out of my seat. As I stood up I could see that I'd actually scribbled black pencil marks all over the new trim- marks which were invisible while I was sitting down. With the benefit of hindsight I now realise that the specular reflection of the graphite was the same shade as the grey plastic, so I couldn't see it while sitting.
I don't remember what punishment I got, to be honest, (in those days they used to hit you smartly with a ruler) but I do remember my surprise and feelings of injustice. Of course I was gulity as charged- but I didn't know that I was until I stood up.
And the fact that this young lass snitched on me has always rankled a bit, too. I must have missed the part where the teacher asked for official class informers...
If the teacher had called in the plod I would have been mentally scarred for life.
OneWingedBird
Beloved of Ra
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That should be in the wtf thread.
If you'd been nicking kids for that when i was at school, there'd have been 16 empty classrooms and a very full jail
If you'd been nicking kids for that when i was at school, there'd have been 16 empty classrooms and a very full jail
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
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- 54,631
This is also a bit WTF...
Shopkeeper who asked PC for help as he chased thieves is told: 'You had better call the police'
By Jaya Narain
Last updated at 12:27 AM on 06th April 2010
When two thieves stole from his store and made off on foot, shopkeeper Graham Taylor gave chase.
As he pursued the thieves he encountered a policeman and asked for his help.
But he was angered and bemused when the officer told him: 'You had better call the police.'
But when Mr Taylor did call the police, the officers who were assigned to deal with the theft missed the radio call - because they were celebrating at a colleague's retirement party.
Last night senior officers launched an investigation into the incident after Mr Taylor lodged a complaint.
etc...
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z0kJ9sZsWj
Shopkeeper who asked PC for help as he chased thieves is told: 'You had better call the police'
By Jaya Narain
Last updated at 12:27 AM on 06th April 2010
When two thieves stole from his store and made off on foot, shopkeeper Graham Taylor gave chase.
As he pursued the thieves he encountered a policeman and asked for his help.
But he was angered and bemused when the officer told him: 'You had better call the police.'
But when Mr Taylor did call the police, the officers who were assigned to deal with the theft missed the radio call - because they were celebrating at a colleague's retirement party.
Last night senior officers launched an investigation into the incident after Mr Taylor lodged a complaint.
etc...
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z0kJ9sZsWj
OneWingedBird
Beloved of Ra
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Police prevent man's car from being stolen, by 'stealing' it
Though i guess if the process of doing that cost < what he pays to get it back, maybe they weren't that dumb after all.
I wonder if it would have been cheaper for him to have had his wallet nabbed instead :?
http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/n ... 6327693.jp
Though i guess if the process of doing that cost < what he pays to get it back, maybe they weren't that dumb after all.
I wonder if it would have been cheaper for him to have had his wallet nabbed instead :?
http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/n ... 6327693.jp
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Burglar escapes police search by hiding under bed
A man was startled by a burglar hiding beneath his bed after police officers failed to find the intruder in a search of the house.
Published: 1:20PM BST 20 Jun 2010
Adam Magee, 30, had called the police after a neighbour reported seeing a man climbing into an opened window at the house on Stockton Road, Hartlepool.
But a search of the house turned up nothing unusual, and Mr Magee climbed into his bed for the night after being assured there was no threat.
Minutes later, as he lay in darkness, he heard a rustling noise coming from below him.
Mr Magee jumped out of bed and found William Sowerby, 42, crawling out from underneath the bed. :shock:
He struggled with the intruder and wrestled him to the ground, pinning him down until the police returned.
Sowerby was jailed for three-and-a-half years at Teesside Crown Court after admitting to the May 4 burglary.
Mr Magee, an out-of-work scaffolder, said: "I was just lying there when I heard a noise to the left of me.
"I looked across and saw a guy shuffling himself out from under my bed. It was awful and I did feel a bit scared.
"It was just the shock of someone crawling from under my bed. It was all a bit surreal.
"He rushed towards me and tried to get out of the door, but I grabbed him and opened the door and we just started to wrestle."
Mr Magee said he and Sowerby were "bashing around" on the landing for three minutes until his housemate Sam Gilbert, 30, rushed downstairs to call police, who were still nearby.
Sowerby's solicitor John Ellwood told the court Sowerby, who has a 30-year record of offending, roamed the streets at night because he was unable to sleep after mixing heroin and cocaine with his prescribed medication of an antipsychotic drug.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... r-bed.html
Just as well it wasn't a mad axeman under the bed...
A man was startled by a burglar hiding beneath his bed after police officers failed to find the intruder in a search of the house.
Published: 1:20PM BST 20 Jun 2010
Adam Magee, 30, had called the police after a neighbour reported seeing a man climbing into an opened window at the house on Stockton Road, Hartlepool.
But a search of the house turned up nothing unusual, and Mr Magee climbed into his bed for the night after being assured there was no threat.
Minutes later, as he lay in darkness, he heard a rustling noise coming from below him.
Mr Magee jumped out of bed and found William Sowerby, 42, crawling out from underneath the bed. :shock:
He struggled with the intruder and wrestled him to the ground, pinning him down until the police returned.
Sowerby was jailed for three-and-a-half years at Teesside Crown Court after admitting to the May 4 burglary.
Mr Magee, an out-of-work scaffolder, said: "I was just lying there when I heard a noise to the left of me.
"I looked across and saw a guy shuffling himself out from under my bed. It was awful and I did feel a bit scared.
"It was just the shock of someone crawling from under my bed. It was all a bit surreal.
"He rushed towards me and tried to get out of the door, but I grabbed him and opened the door and we just started to wrestle."
Mr Magee said he and Sowerby were "bashing around" on the landing for three minutes until his housemate Sam Gilbert, 30, rushed downstairs to call police, who were still nearby.
Sowerby's solicitor John Ellwood told the court Sowerby, who has a 30-year record of offending, roamed the streets at night because he was unable to sleep after mixing heroin and cocaine with his prescribed medication of an antipsychotic drug.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... r-bed.html
Just as well it wasn't a mad axeman under the bed...
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- 54,631
Mother smashed car window after locking her baby inside... because police ignored 999 call
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 4:36 PM on 24th June 2010
A mother who accidentally locked her baby in a hot car was forced to smash her way into the vehicle with a hammer after the emergency services failed to turn up.
Leeona Woodburn, 20, from Kendal, Cumbria, phoned 999 as soon as she realised her son Logan was trapped inside the car.
Almost thirty minutes later nobody had arrived to help her, so she grabbed a hammer from nearby National Tyres mechanic Steven Savage and smashed a rear car window.
She was able to rescue her seven-month-old son herself but he was suffering from dehydration and had to be taken to see a doctor.
Miss Woodburn said: 'I was waiting and waiting and getting really distressed. I was told a police car would be sent straight over.
'Twenty-five minutes later I called them again and this time the woman on the other end said they weren't coming at all. :shock:
'They said it was a matter for the fire service. At that point I knew I couldn't wait any longer, I thought my son was going to die.
'Thirty minutes in that situation is a lifetime. It was a baking hot day and my son was scared, crying and started to throw up he was so hot.
'By the time I got him out he was absolutely dripping with sweat. I got him to the doctor who said he was suffering from dehydration.'
Miss Woodburn said she called 999 because that was the only number she knew and she does not understand why a fire engine was not called out on her behalf.
'If the police couldn't help, why didn't they send someone else?'
Mr Savage said: 'That baby was in a bad way by the time we got to him, because he was so hot.
'You'd expect the emergency services to rush to a situation like that. We were more than happy to help by giving Miss Woodburn the tools, but I am shocked the fire service was not sent.'
Chief Inspector Gordon Rutherford, head of Cumbria police communications centre, said: 'We are extremely sorry for the distress caused to Ms Woodburn.
'I have spoken to her to offer my sincere apologies and inform her that an investigation has been launched.
'This is not an example of the high level of service that Cumbria Constabulary routinely delivers.
'I would have expected a call handler to reassure Ms Woodburn and either inform her that officers would be with her in a set period of time or contact the fire service or AA to gain entry to her vehicle.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z0rrAmJlbv
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 4:36 PM on 24th June 2010
A mother who accidentally locked her baby in a hot car was forced to smash her way into the vehicle with a hammer after the emergency services failed to turn up.
Leeona Woodburn, 20, from Kendal, Cumbria, phoned 999 as soon as she realised her son Logan was trapped inside the car.
Almost thirty minutes later nobody had arrived to help her, so she grabbed a hammer from nearby National Tyres mechanic Steven Savage and smashed a rear car window.
She was able to rescue her seven-month-old son herself but he was suffering from dehydration and had to be taken to see a doctor.
Miss Woodburn said: 'I was waiting and waiting and getting really distressed. I was told a police car would be sent straight over.
'Twenty-five minutes later I called them again and this time the woman on the other end said they weren't coming at all. :shock:
'They said it was a matter for the fire service. At that point I knew I couldn't wait any longer, I thought my son was going to die.
'Thirty minutes in that situation is a lifetime. It was a baking hot day and my son was scared, crying and started to throw up he was so hot.
'By the time I got him out he was absolutely dripping with sweat. I got him to the doctor who said he was suffering from dehydration.'
Miss Woodburn said she called 999 because that was the only number she knew and she does not understand why a fire engine was not called out on her behalf.
'If the police couldn't help, why didn't they send someone else?'
Mr Savage said: 'That baby was in a bad way by the time we got to him, because he was so hot.
'You'd expect the emergency services to rush to a situation like that. We were more than happy to help by giving Miss Woodburn the tools, but I am shocked the fire service was not sent.'
Chief Inspector Gordon Rutherford, head of Cumbria police communications centre, said: 'We are extremely sorry for the distress caused to Ms Woodburn.
'I have spoken to her to offer my sincere apologies and inform her that an investigation has been launched.
'This is not an example of the high level of service that Cumbria Constabulary routinely delivers.
'I would have expected a call handler to reassure Ms Woodburn and either inform her that officers would be with her in a set period of time or contact the fire service or AA to gain entry to her vehicle.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z0rrAmJlbv
PeniG
Justified & Ancient
- Joined
- Dec 31, 2003
- Messages
- 2,434
I don't know anybody who would have waited thirty minutes; or would have had to. A friend of mine once locked her baby in the car while loading groceries and 911 never got called - everyone in the parking lot around her was galvanized into action, and they had the door open in under fifteen minutes. She would have gladly smashed the glass out, but it turned out not to be necessary.
Patience is not always a virtue.
Patience is not always a virtue.
Fluttermoth
Cult of Jari
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2008
- Messages
- 1,365
Had no idea where to post this, so;
'Suspicious' finds on Wearside not dangerous
Military experts called in to assess "suspicious items" found in a Wearside house have said the items posed no risk to the public.
Police made the discovery at a Housing Association property in Moor Court, Bournmoor, Houghton le Spring, on Friday evening.
The tenant of the property was not at home when the discovery was made.
Residents living nearby were evacuated from their homes but were later allowed to return following the investigation.
A spokeswoman for Durham Police said the items were a "cause for concern" but officers could not identify them.
:?:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wear-10826648[/b]
'Suspicious' finds on Wearside not dangerous
Military experts called in to assess "suspicious items" found in a Wearside house have said the items posed no risk to the public.
Police made the discovery at a Housing Association property in Moor Court, Bournmoor, Houghton le Spring, on Friday evening.
The tenant of the property was not at home when the discovery was made.
Residents living nearby were evacuated from their homes but were later allowed to return following the investigation.
A spokeswoman for Durham Police said the items were a "cause for concern" but officers could not identify them.
:?:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wear-10826648[/b]
OneWingedBird
Beloved of Ra
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- Aug 3, 2003
- Messages
- 15,431
I guess we all drop a ball sometimes, but this one is very embarrassing:
http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/n ... 6450305.jp
http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/n ... 6450305.jp
Vardoger
Make mine a 99
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- Jun 3, 2004
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- 6,650
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- Valaskjalf (Ex. pat.)
Toronto's 'Officer Bubbles' gains web notoriety
Surprised this one hasn't been mentioned:
Article
Officer Bubbles - Youtube
Surprised this one hasn't been mentioned:
Article
Officer Bubbles - Youtube
OneWingedBird
Beloved of Ra
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2003
- Messages
- 15,431
That had me thinking of Bioshock Vardodger, "Mister Bubbles!"
Follow up on the 72 year old guy who evaded armed police, they had the helicopter out after him:
http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/n ... 6450305.jp
Follow up on the 72 year old guy who evaded armed police, they had the helicopter out after him:
http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/n ... 6450305.jp
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
This is a sort of two-level 'dumb cop' story. At one level, the Manila police admit they handled a hostage situation badly. But at another level, what made a dismissed police officer think he could get his job back by committing a crime? :shock:
Manila police admit bungling deadly bus siege
Philippine police have admitted they did not have the skills, equipment or training to handle Monday's bus siege, in which eight Hong Kong tourists were killed after being taken hostage.
The force said talks with the gunman had been handled poorly, and relations with the media had broken down.
Security experts, survivors and Chinese officials have all criticised the Philippine authorities.
The hostage drama came to an end when police marksmen killed the gunman.
He was identified as 55-year-old Rolando Mendoza, a former policeman who had seized the bus in a desperate bid to get his job back. :?
In a statement, police spokesman Senior Superintendent Agrimero Cruz listed a number of shortcomings in the police's handling of the situation.
Among them were "inadequate capability, skills, equipment and planning of the assault team" and "inadequate training and competence of assault team leader".
He also said another problem was "non-compliance to media relations procedures in hostage situations".
Police believe the hostage-taker was monitoring TV coverage from inside the bus, which contributed to his agitation as the crisis came to a head.
He was also able to conduct an interview with a local radio station during the siege, and warned the police that he would kill the hostages if they did not pull back.
In an interview with the Philippine Inquirer, Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo admitted that mistakes had been made.
"We recognise that we lack equipment; we could have been better trained, better equipped and there should have been better response," he told the newspaper.
Buddhist monks led prayers for the victims in Manila on Tuesday, while angry demonstrators converged on the Philippine embassy in Hong Kong.
The Philippines has promised a thorough investigation and is sending a delegation to Hong Kong to explain what happened.
Of 25 people initially taken hostage, nine were freed after initial negotiations. The UK Foreign Office said two of them were British nationals.
The Philippine driver then fled the bus, leaving 15 people on board with the gunman until the end of the siege.
Unconfirmed reports say at least one of the dead was a dual Chinese-Canadian citizen.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11076735
Manila police admit bungling deadly bus siege
Philippine police have admitted they did not have the skills, equipment or training to handle Monday's bus siege, in which eight Hong Kong tourists were killed after being taken hostage.
The force said talks with the gunman had been handled poorly, and relations with the media had broken down.
Security experts, survivors and Chinese officials have all criticised the Philippine authorities.
The hostage drama came to an end when police marksmen killed the gunman.
He was identified as 55-year-old Rolando Mendoza, a former policeman who had seized the bus in a desperate bid to get his job back. :?
In a statement, police spokesman Senior Superintendent Agrimero Cruz listed a number of shortcomings in the police's handling of the situation.
Among them were "inadequate capability, skills, equipment and planning of the assault team" and "inadequate training and competence of assault team leader".
He also said another problem was "non-compliance to media relations procedures in hostage situations".
Police believe the hostage-taker was monitoring TV coverage from inside the bus, which contributed to his agitation as the crisis came to a head.
He was also able to conduct an interview with a local radio station during the siege, and warned the police that he would kill the hostages if they did not pull back.
In an interview with the Philippine Inquirer, Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo admitted that mistakes had been made.
"We recognise that we lack equipment; we could have been better trained, better equipped and there should have been better response," he told the newspaper.
Buddhist monks led prayers for the victims in Manila on Tuesday, while angry demonstrators converged on the Philippine embassy in Hong Kong.
The Philippines has promised a thorough investigation and is sending a delegation to Hong Kong to explain what happened.
Of 25 people initially taken hostage, nine were freed after initial negotiations. The UK Foreign Office said two of them were British nationals.
The Philippine driver then fled the bus, leaving 15 people on board with the gunman until the end of the siege.
Unconfirmed reports say at least one of the dead was a dual Chinese-Canadian citizen.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11076735
- Joined
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- 54,631
'Ello, 'ello, 'ello, what's going on 'ere then? Passerby spots fleet of police cars illegally parked
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 1:37 AM on 29th August 2010
Where is a traffic warden when you need one? This dramatic picture shows an entire fleet of cop cars parked illegally on double yellow lines.
A passer-by spotted the marked Greater Manchester Police vans and cars at the side of Collyhurt police station in Manchester.
Bosses at GMP have now ordered an investigation into why the vehicles were parked illegally on Peary Street earlier this month.
The onlooker, who wants to remain anonymous, has hit out at those responsible saying: 'Why is it one rule for them and another for us?'
It is understood officers were attending a midday briefing at the station after a shooting incident.
But Chief Inspector Dean Stott said they would be looking into what had happened.
He said: 'All GMP members of staff are reminded of their responsibilities when they are parking police vehicles. It not acceptable for any member of staff to park on double yellow lines unless it is an officer responding to an emergency.
'We are examining the circumstances surrounding this case and ensuring all police staff and officers are advised with regard to their responsibilities when parking their vehicles.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z0xzSVHjZK
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 1:37 AM on 29th August 2010
Where is a traffic warden when you need one? This dramatic picture shows an entire fleet of cop cars parked illegally on double yellow lines.
A passer-by spotted the marked Greater Manchester Police vans and cars at the side of Collyhurt police station in Manchester.
Bosses at GMP have now ordered an investigation into why the vehicles were parked illegally on Peary Street earlier this month.
The onlooker, who wants to remain anonymous, has hit out at those responsible saying: 'Why is it one rule for them and another for us?'
It is understood officers were attending a midday briefing at the station after a shooting incident.
But Chief Inspector Dean Stott said they would be looking into what had happened.
He said: 'All GMP members of staff are reminded of their responsibilities when they are parking police vehicles. It not acceptable for any member of staff to park on double yellow lines unless it is an officer responding to an emergency.
'We are examining the circumstances surrounding this case and ensuring all police staff and officers are advised with regard to their responsibilities when parking their vehicles.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z0xzSVHjZK
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
A strange story all round:
Bomb team called in after arms hoard found by woman digging in allotment
A bomb disposal squad was summoned after a librarian unearthed a massive arsenal of weapons in her allotment.
By Nick Collins
Published: 7:30AM BST 09 Sep 2010
Joanne Radley, 39, began digging in the patch belonging to a fellow gardener after he agreed to share it with her, on the condition that she did not dig too deep.
The man told the mother that he had buried his dead pet dog there, but as she turned over the soil with her daughter, Mrs Radley discovered a gun buried beneath the earth. :shock:
Mrs Radley, from Liverpool, notified police and officers inspected the allotment, turning up three more guns, before telling her it was safe to return.
But in the following month Mrs Radley continued to dig up further weaponry, turning up a handgun, parts of guns, boxes of bullets and magazines of ammunition, a flare gun and a shotgun silencer along with mysterious powders and chemicals within four weeks.
Mrs Radley said she was forced to take the cache to the police station because police appeared reluctant to take her complaints seriously.
She said: "They weren't doing anything about it. I rang the bell and left it on the counter and said, 'you can have this'.
"They arranged for the allotment to be searched and they found more guns, more bullets and a silencer for a shotgun and this powder and they didn't know what it was.
"But the allotment committee were sent a bill for about £2,000 for the removal of the chemicals, including cyanide." :shock:
A police bomb squad was called in to seal off the area and evacuate residents from a block of flats, which included the property belonging to the allotment owner.
Police searching the flat of a 60 year old man found three 500ml bottles filled with an unknown liquid, which is being tested by experts.
The man has been arrested and is being questioned by officers.
Det Supt Richie Davies of Matrix, explaining the need for bomb disposal and chemical experts, said: "We have to establish whether they are precursor chemicals for explosives. But we do not believe that they are, and we do not believe they are dangerous."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... tment.html
Bomb team called in after arms hoard found by woman digging in allotment
A bomb disposal squad was summoned after a librarian unearthed a massive arsenal of weapons in her allotment.
By Nick Collins
Published: 7:30AM BST 09 Sep 2010
Joanne Radley, 39, began digging in the patch belonging to a fellow gardener after he agreed to share it with her, on the condition that she did not dig too deep.
The man told the mother that he had buried his dead pet dog there, but as she turned over the soil with her daughter, Mrs Radley discovered a gun buried beneath the earth. :shock:
Mrs Radley, from Liverpool, notified police and officers inspected the allotment, turning up three more guns, before telling her it was safe to return.
But in the following month Mrs Radley continued to dig up further weaponry, turning up a handgun, parts of guns, boxes of bullets and magazines of ammunition, a flare gun and a shotgun silencer along with mysterious powders and chemicals within four weeks.
Mrs Radley said she was forced to take the cache to the police station because police appeared reluctant to take her complaints seriously.
She said: "They weren't doing anything about it. I rang the bell and left it on the counter and said, 'you can have this'.
"They arranged for the allotment to be searched and they found more guns, more bullets and a silencer for a shotgun and this powder and they didn't know what it was.
"But the allotment committee were sent a bill for about £2,000 for the removal of the chemicals, including cyanide." :shock:
A police bomb squad was called in to seal off the area and evacuate residents from a block of flats, which included the property belonging to the allotment owner.
Police searching the flat of a 60 year old man found three 500ml bottles filled with an unknown liquid, which is being tested by experts.
The man has been arrested and is being questioned by officers.
Det Supt Richie Davies of Matrix, explaining the need for bomb disposal and chemical experts, said: "We have to establish whether they are precursor chemicals for explosives. But we do not believe that they are, and we do not believe they are dangerous."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... tment.html
ramonmercado
CyberPunk
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- Eblana
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
Cop v. cops!
Where have all the police gone? THREE officers turn out to arrest PC involved in parking dispute with ex-superintendent neighbour
By James Tozer
Last updated at 10:52 PM on 27th October 2010
It was not, it has to be said, one of the police’s finest hours.
A traffic officer ended up arrested outside his own home by a squad of three of his colleagues… who had swooped on the address after a neighbour complained about nothing more than the way his car was parked.
Unfortunately for traffic cop Roderick Lund his neighbour happened to be one of the constabulary’s retired superintendents, Anthony Green.
The three-man parking squad began using tape measures and chalk to ascertain exactly where PC Lund’s Range Rover was, relative to the entrance to Mr Green’s driveway.
When PC Lund refused to move his 4x4 with its personalised number plate, he was arrested for obstructing the police. :shock:
The farcical episode only ended yesterday when it emerged that PC Lund, 40, has won £5,000 in damages from his own force. The climbdown came after video footage showed that his Range Rover – parked in the road in front of his house – wasn’t overlapping his neighbour’s drive.
The police descended on the road in the village of Catterall in Lancashire last October when Mr Green complained he couldn’t get on his driveway.
He said the narrow road meant it was impossible to drive his outsized American-built Dodge Nitro truck on to his property without mounting the kerb.
Three officers arrived led by Inspector Dave Vickers, and – prudently, as it turned out – PC Lund began filming what unfolded with his video camera.
PC Lund – who is married with three step-children – is recorded complaining he’d be breaking the law if he moved the vehicle, saying: ‘I can’t move it, I had a drink last night.’ With the camera continuing to point at his senior colleague, Inspector Vickers tells him: ‘I’m warning you now, you will be arrested for police obstruction if you continue to do that.’
The constable then retorts ‘Go for it then’ at which the inspector begins reading him his rights as he pleads: ‘I’m not being aggressive - how is this aggressive?’ After being led away in handcuffs, PC Lund was taken to a police station in Morecambe, put in a cell and detained for ten hours before being released on bail.
The other police officers all knew he was a member of the Lancashire Constabulary’s traffic division. Mr Lund feared that the incident could lead to charges, so he began legal action against Lancashire Constabulary for unlawful arrest, false imprisonment and using unreasonable force. In an out-of-court settlement he was awarded £5,000. 8)
His solicitor Rex Makin said his client had been humiliated by the officers who visited his home and suffered severe anxiety following his arrest.
He added: ‘It’s a real shocker of a case that demonstrates precisely how police should not conduct themselves.’
Neither PC Lund nor Mr Green was available for comment last night, but a neighbour said: ‘They’ve been arguing over parking for ages, it’s been the talk of the street.
‘As a retired superintendent it seems Anthony tried to pull rank on him, but it turned out to be rather an expensive mistake.’
Lancashire police refused to comment.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z13e10utaL
Where have all the police gone? THREE officers turn out to arrest PC involved in parking dispute with ex-superintendent neighbour
By James Tozer
Last updated at 10:52 PM on 27th October 2010
It was not, it has to be said, one of the police’s finest hours.
A traffic officer ended up arrested outside his own home by a squad of three of his colleagues… who had swooped on the address after a neighbour complained about nothing more than the way his car was parked.
Unfortunately for traffic cop Roderick Lund his neighbour happened to be one of the constabulary’s retired superintendents, Anthony Green.
The three-man parking squad began using tape measures and chalk to ascertain exactly where PC Lund’s Range Rover was, relative to the entrance to Mr Green’s driveway.
When PC Lund refused to move his 4x4 with its personalised number plate, he was arrested for obstructing the police. :shock:
The farcical episode only ended yesterday when it emerged that PC Lund, 40, has won £5,000 in damages from his own force. The climbdown came after video footage showed that his Range Rover – parked in the road in front of his house – wasn’t overlapping his neighbour’s drive.
The police descended on the road in the village of Catterall in Lancashire last October when Mr Green complained he couldn’t get on his driveway.
He said the narrow road meant it was impossible to drive his outsized American-built Dodge Nitro truck on to his property without mounting the kerb.
Three officers arrived led by Inspector Dave Vickers, and – prudently, as it turned out – PC Lund began filming what unfolded with his video camera.
PC Lund – who is married with three step-children – is recorded complaining he’d be breaking the law if he moved the vehicle, saying: ‘I can’t move it, I had a drink last night.’ With the camera continuing to point at his senior colleague, Inspector Vickers tells him: ‘I’m warning you now, you will be arrested for police obstruction if you continue to do that.’
The constable then retorts ‘Go for it then’ at which the inspector begins reading him his rights as he pleads: ‘I’m not being aggressive - how is this aggressive?’ After being led away in handcuffs, PC Lund was taken to a police station in Morecambe, put in a cell and detained for ten hours before being released on bail.
The other police officers all knew he was a member of the Lancashire Constabulary’s traffic division. Mr Lund feared that the incident could lead to charges, so he began legal action against Lancashire Constabulary for unlawful arrest, false imprisonment and using unreasonable force. In an out-of-court settlement he was awarded £5,000. 8)
His solicitor Rex Makin said his client had been humiliated by the officers who visited his home and suffered severe anxiety following his arrest.
He added: ‘It’s a real shocker of a case that demonstrates precisely how police should not conduct themselves.’
Neither PC Lund nor Mr Green was available for comment last night, but a neighbour said: ‘They’ve been arguing over parking for ages, it’s been the talk of the street.
‘As a retired superintendent it seems Anthony tried to pull rank on him, but it turned out to be rather an expensive mistake.’
Lancashire police refused to comment.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z13e10utaL
OneWingedBird
Beloved of Ra
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2003
- Messages
- 15,431
They do keep getting false positives with their infra red kit, so far they've raided a PCSO with bad loft insulation, a guy with a kiln in his shed, and now a lady with pamphered guinea pigs!
Yorkshire Evening Pest
Yorkshire Evening Pest
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
The police who are afraid of the dark: Park plagued by young yobs won't be patrolled after 8pm 'because the officers can't see what's going on'
By Andrew Levy
Last updated at 7:24 AM on 28th January 2011
In the line of duty, police officers routinely risk life and limb in all sorts of dangerous situations to protect and serve.
So patrolling an area plagued by teenage yobs should be child’s play by comparison.
But constables and PCSOs have been banned from keeping the peace at an adventure playground at night because it is considered dark and dangerous. :shock:
A senior officer told stunned councillors there would be no patrols after 8pm at newly-built Waterlees Park in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, for health and safety reasons.
‘The place has no lighting and it is still, in effect, a building site,’ Inspector Andy Sullivan told a meeting of Wisbech Town Council.
‘I am not going to put my staff - police officers or PCSOs - into an area where they can’t see what is going on.’
Speaking after the full council meeting on Monday, he added: ‘If kids play in the park at night we will not go in. It is not our job to get kids out of the park.
‘If it was any other building site, would people be happy if police tried to get people out?’
Critics of the policy pointed out the £1million park, which opened last year, was not a ‘building site’ as children were already allowed to play there during the day. Only minor work remains to be done.
And they complained the inspector’s announcement that the park was too dangerous for officers would mean a free-for-all for the dozens of children that sometimes converge there, causing noise and thousands of pounds worth of damage on a regular basis.
Town councillor Richard Fulcher said: ‘I and many other councillors were disgusted with his comments.
‘What on earth sort of society have we got where police officers refuse to go anywhere after 8pm?
‘What Inspector Sullivan has done is to declare this part of Wisbech a no-go area because of poor lighting.’
Another councillor, David Patrick, said: ‘I had to ask for confirmation from the inspector to ensure I had heard it right the first time.
‘He said police officers wouldn’t go into the park because it was dark. Don’t they carry torches?’
The park has traditional play equipment such as swings and climbing frames, as well as a 35ft tower with a slide and two 65ft barges that were hauled in and converted into a classroom and toilets.
But homeowners in the area - many of whom are old or disabled - complain it has become a magnet for young thugs and have reported dozens of incidents of anti-social behaviour. They have also found evidence of alcohol and drug use.
Residents say their homes and cars have been vandalised, leaving them scared to go out at night.
‘The barges were practically wrecked from the outset as all the windows were smashed in and fire extinguishers were set off. The fire brigade have been involved quite a few times.
‘Stones have been thrown and on top of all that, there has been an increase in noise, with people shouting and screaming.
‘There is quite an aged population around this field and people are fearful of going out at night.
‘The police are meant to keep the peace but in their opinion if kids are creating havoc in this area it’s not happening somewhere else, so they just let them get on with it.’
A Cambridgeshire Police spokesman insisted the play park was ‘effectively a building site’ and said it currently has a council-appointed security guard.
He added: ‘During the evenings there is no lighting so it is effectively pitch black.
‘It is not a police officer’s job to ensure the area is kept clear. However, if a crime is committed or there is a risk to life, officers would take appropriate action.’
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z1CJoMcK55
By Andrew Levy
Last updated at 7:24 AM on 28th January 2011
In the line of duty, police officers routinely risk life and limb in all sorts of dangerous situations to protect and serve.
So patrolling an area plagued by teenage yobs should be child’s play by comparison.
But constables and PCSOs have been banned from keeping the peace at an adventure playground at night because it is considered dark and dangerous. :shock:
A senior officer told stunned councillors there would be no patrols after 8pm at newly-built Waterlees Park in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, for health and safety reasons.
‘The place has no lighting and it is still, in effect, a building site,’ Inspector Andy Sullivan told a meeting of Wisbech Town Council.
‘I am not going to put my staff - police officers or PCSOs - into an area where they can’t see what is going on.’
Speaking after the full council meeting on Monday, he added: ‘If kids play in the park at night we will not go in. It is not our job to get kids out of the park.
‘If it was any other building site, would people be happy if police tried to get people out?’
Critics of the policy pointed out the £1million park, which opened last year, was not a ‘building site’ as children were already allowed to play there during the day. Only minor work remains to be done.
And they complained the inspector’s announcement that the park was too dangerous for officers would mean a free-for-all for the dozens of children that sometimes converge there, causing noise and thousands of pounds worth of damage on a regular basis.
Town councillor Richard Fulcher said: ‘I and many other councillors were disgusted with his comments.
‘What on earth sort of society have we got where police officers refuse to go anywhere after 8pm?
‘What Inspector Sullivan has done is to declare this part of Wisbech a no-go area because of poor lighting.’
Another councillor, David Patrick, said: ‘I had to ask for confirmation from the inspector to ensure I had heard it right the first time.
‘He said police officers wouldn’t go into the park because it was dark. Don’t they carry torches?’
The park has traditional play equipment such as swings and climbing frames, as well as a 35ft tower with a slide and two 65ft barges that were hauled in and converted into a classroom and toilets.
But homeowners in the area - many of whom are old or disabled - complain it has become a magnet for young thugs and have reported dozens of incidents of anti-social behaviour. They have also found evidence of alcohol and drug use.
Residents say their homes and cars have been vandalised, leaving them scared to go out at night.
‘The barges were practically wrecked from the outset as all the windows were smashed in and fire extinguishers were set off. The fire brigade have been involved quite a few times.
‘Stones have been thrown and on top of all that, there has been an increase in noise, with people shouting and screaming.
‘There is quite an aged population around this field and people are fearful of going out at night.
‘The police are meant to keep the peace but in their opinion if kids are creating havoc in this area it’s not happening somewhere else, so they just let them get on with it.’
A Cambridgeshire Police spokesman insisted the play park was ‘effectively a building site’ and said it currently has a council-appointed security guard.
He added: ‘During the evenings there is no lighting so it is effectively pitch black.
‘It is not a police officer’s job to ensure the area is kept clear. However, if a crime is committed or there is a risk to life, officers would take appropriate action.’
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z1CJoMcK55
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
Police launch anti-burglary campaign... and police station is BURGLED hours later
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 2:53 PM on 25th February 2011
When police launched a high-profile anti-burglary campaign with the motto ‘Close it, Lock it, Check it’ they hoped to stamp out the crime by encouraging householders and business owners to be more vigilant and look after their own premises.
It was a shame then that the force failed to heed its own wise words, leading to red faces all round when just hours later one of its own police stations was burgled.
An intruder apparently sneaked through an open window and got into their offices in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.
Suffolk Assistant Chief Constable Paul Marshall had launched a 'special bus which will tour the county with the slogan on the side shortly before.
The senior officer said people could avoid becoming burglary victims by 'following simple crime prevention advice and checking that their doors and windows are locked every time they go out'.
Shortly after the break in, police arrested a 31-year-old man nearby on suspicion of burglary.
A Suffolk Police spokeswoman confirmed that items which might have come from the station were seized from him following the incident on Wednesday.
She added: 'Any police station has areas which are of higher security than others. For example some offices will be locked or keypad secured. Security at the station will now be reviewed.
etc...
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z1F9ggBLd6
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 2:53 PM on 25th February 2011
When police launched a high-profile anti-burglary campaign with the motto ‘Close it, Lock it, Check it’ they hoped to stamp out the crime by encouraging householders and business owners to be more vigilant and look after their own premises.
It was a shame then that the force failed to heed its own wise words, leading to red faces all round when just hours later one of its own police stations was burgled.
An intruder apparently sneaked through an open window and got into their offices in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.
Suffolk Assistant Chief Constable Paul Marshall had launched a 'special bus which will tour the county with the slogan on the side shortly before.
The senior officer said people could avoid becoming burglary victims by 'following simple crime prevention advice and checking that their doors and windows are locked every time they go out'.
Shortly after the break in, police arrested a 31-year-old man nearby on suspicion of burglary.
A Suffolk Police spokeswoman confirmed that items which might have come from the station were seized from him following the incident on Wednesday.
She added: 'Any police station has areas which are of higher security than others. For example some offices will be locked or keypad secured. Security at the station will now be reviewed.
etc...
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z1F9ggBLd6
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Messages
- 54,631
Police spend £11,000 on new slogan
A police force's decision to spend nearly £11,000 of public money creating a three-word ''brand'' slogan has been labelled ''absurd'' by a taxpayers' campaign group.
6:45AM GMT 28 Feb 2011
The TaxPayers' Alliance said Cumbria Police had ''wasted money'' by paying a marketing firm £10,880 to create the ''Safer Stronger Cumbria'' logo.
A force spokeswoman defended the spending, saying the ''brand and logo'' had helped police ''leave a footprint that people can easily recognise''.
Earlier this year, the Plain English Campaign (PEC) - which campaigns for better use of English by public bodies - said such police branding slogans served no purpose and should be scrapped.
PEC officials said the police service had nothing to sell and the word ''police'' told people all they needed to know.
The amount spent on the slogan was revealed after a local newspaper - the North West Evening Mail, which is based in Barrow - asked police questions under freedom of information legislation.
''Taxpayers want their money focused on fighting crime,'' said Matthew Sinclair, director of the TaxPayers' Alliance.
''It is absurd that Cumbria Police have spent thousands on rebranding, a waste of money that will do nothing to make Cumbria safer or stronger.
''If they want to build trust, they should be working to convince the public that they aren't distracted by this kind of presentational nonsense.''
Gill Shearer, Cumbria Police's head of marketing and communications, said the slogan was created after the force looked to update its image in 2007.
''Creating a 'Safer Stronger Cumbria' is not only a strapline but the overriding goal which our officers and staff strive towards alongside our communities, every single day,'' she said.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... logan.html
A police force's decision to spend nearly £11,000 of public money creating a three-word ''brand'' slogan has been labelled ''absurd'' by a taxpayers' campaign group.
6:45AM GMT 28 Feb 2011
The TaxPayers' Alliance said Cumbria Police had ''wasted money'' by paying a marketing firm £10,880 to create the ''Safer Stronger Cumbria'' logo.
A force spokeswoman defended the spending, saying the ''brand and logo'' had helped police ''leave a footprint that people can easily recognise''.
Earlier this year, the Plain English Campaign (PEC) - which campaigns for better use of English by public bodies - said such police branding slogans served no purpose and should be scrapped.
PEC officials said the police service had nothing to sell and the word ''police'' told people all they needed to know.
The amount spent on the slogan was revealed after a local newspaper - the North West Evening Mail, which is based in Barrow - asked police questions under freedom of information legislation.
''Taxpayers want their money focused on fighting crime,'' said Matthew Sinclair, director of the TaxPayers' Alliance.
''It is absurd that Cumbria Police have spent thousands on rebranding, a waste of money that will do nothing to make Cumbria safer or stronger.
''If they want to build trust, they should be working to convince the public that they aren't distracted by this kind of presentational nonsense.''
Gill Shearer, Cumbria Police's head of marketing and communications, said the slogan was created after the force looked to update its image in 2007.
''Creating a 'Safer Stronger Cumbria' is not only a strapline but the overriding goal which our officers and staff strive towards alongside our communities, every single day,'' she said.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... logan.html
ramonmercado
CyberPunk
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2003
- Messages
- 58,374
- Location
- Eblana
Mal_Adjusted
Justified & Ancient
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- Aug 6, 2003
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- Joined
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Wrong arm of the law: Woman driving to dying mum's side is arrested for a crime she didn't commit...then finds her car's been stolen when police release her SIX hours later!
By Andrew Levy
Last updated at 12:34 AM on 14th April 2011
A woman on the way to pick up her terminally-ill elderly mother for a hospital appointment was subjected to a nightmare ordeal by police who put her in a cell on suspicion of stealing petrol.
It was six hours before officers realised they had made a mistake because the theft was in fact carried out by two men.
And by the time they returned law-abiding grandmother Beverley Bennett to the spot where she was arrested, her car had been stolen.
When Mrs Bennett, 58, complained about her treatment, police said she could not take action against them because they were immune from prosecution in negligence cases.
But she has now been awarded £2,000 in an out-of-court settlement after she found a lawyer and the force admitted an ‘error’.
‘I have never been in trouble in my life,’ said Mrs Bennett, from Grays, Essex.
‘I don’t even have any points on my licence. How on earth did they end up arresting me, a little lady of 4ft 11in, when they should have been looking for two male suspects?
‘I cannot trust the police any more. I didn’t feel that way before but all they did was pass the buck.’
It was in May last year that staff at Tesco in Chadwell St Mary contacted Essex police to report that two men in a black Honda Accord had driven away without paying £20.70 for fuel. Mrs Bennett visited the same petrol station in her Honda Accord an hour later.
When police arrived to take details of the theft two days later, staff accidentally handed over her registration number and CCTV footage of her filling up and paying – although they did say the suspects were male.
Officers failed to view the footage, however, and the suspects’ sex was not put on to the Police National Computer. On June 24, Mrs Bennett was on her way to collect her 79-year-old mother Susanna Smith, who had cancer, for an appointment at King George Hospital in Ilford, East London.
She was pulled over in Dagenham by an officer who noticed her registration had been tagged as belonging to a crime suspect.
‘I honestly thought it was a joke – that someone was having a wind-up,’ she said. ‘But once I was in the cells I realised they certainly were not joking.’ Her £1,500 car was left in a layby beside the A13 dual carriageway while she was taken to Grays police station, where her handbag, shoes and reading glasses were confiscated before she was transferred to a cell await questioning.
The divorced mother of two, who is a registered carer for her disabled grandson, protested her innocence but was not freed until officers finally checked the CCTV footage they had been handed.
She was taken back to her car but it had disappeared and was never recovered, forcing her to make a claim on her insurance.
etc...
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z1JUd9FczD
By Andrew Levy
Last updated at 12:34 AM on 14th April 2011
A woman on the way to pick up her terminally-ill elderly mother for a hospital appointment was subjected to a nightmare ordeal by police who put her in a cell on suspicion of stealing petrol.
It was six hours before officers realised they had made a mistake because the theft was in fact carried out by two men.
And by the time they returned law-abiding grandmother Beverley Bennett to the spot where she was arrested, her car had been stolen.
When Mrs Bennett, 58, complained about her treatment, police said she could not take action against them because they were immune from prosecution in negligence cases.
But she has now been awarded £2,000 in an out-of-court settlement after she found a lawyer and the force admitted an ‘error’.
‘I have never been in trouble in my life,’ said Mrs Bennett, from Grays, Essex.
‘I don’t even have any points on my licence. How on earth did they end up arresting me, a little lady of 4ft 11in, when they should have been looking for two male suspects?
‘I cannot trust the police any more. I didn’t feel that way before but all they did was pass the buck.’
It was in May last year that staff at Tesco in Chadwell St Mary contacted Essex police to report that two men in a black Honda Accord had driven away without paying £20.70 for fuel. Mrs Bennett visited the same petrol station in her Honda Accord an hour later.
When police arrived to take details of the theft two days later, staff accidentally handed over her registration number and CCTV footage of her filling up and paying – although they did say the suspects were male.
Officers failed to view the footage, however, and the suspects’ sex was not put on to the Police National Computer. On June 24, Mrs Bennett was on her way to collect her 79-year-old mother Susanna Smith, who had cancer, for an appointment at King George Hospital in Ilford, East London.
She was pulled over in Dagenham by an officer who noticed her registration had been tagged as belonging to a crime suspect.
‘I honestly thought it was a joke – that someone was having a wind-up,’ she said. ‘But once I was in the cells I realised they certainly were not joking.’ Her £1,500 car was left in a layby beside the A13 dual carriageway while she was taken to Grays police station, where her handbag, shoes and reading glasses were confiscated before she was transferred to a cell await questioning.
The divorced mother of two, who is a registered carer for her disabled grandson, protested her innocence but was not freed until officers finally checked the CCTV footage they had been handed.
She was taken back to her car but it had disappeared and was never recovered, forcing her to make a claim on her insurance.
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