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UK police banned from wearing 'Miami Vice' style sunglases
Essex Police Chiefs have had enough, and in a bid to scrub out 'scruffy' officers, they've demanded that officers in their force stop wearing "Miami Vice-style reflective sunglasses" and stick to normal, less reflective, shades.
You've gotta love police guidelines, officers are now not allowed to tint their hair colour or use accessories, and jewellery should 'be kept to a minimum' in case it causes injury in a "conflict management situation."
No more playing CSI for you Officer, eh! Essex Police Chiefs have had enough, and in a bid to scrub out 'scruffy' officers, they've demanded that officers in th... more -
UK police bust plot to kill Queen, Prince Charles
London, Aug 20: An Islamist terror cell busted with details of bomb-making and suicide vests is said to have been plotting to kill the British Queen and some high-profile members of the royal family, including Prince Charles.
This suspicion has been drawn from a list, containing information about the queen, the duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of York and Princess Royal, which police have recovered from the possession of the arrested members of the terror cell, the Daily Telegraph reported on Tuesday.
Also on the list were the names of Princess Michael of Kent, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and the Duke and Duchess of Kent.
"They had details of explosives and poisons along with information about London landmarks and a computer folder on royal residences. We'd be foolish to rule out the fact that they may have been planning an attack," the newspaper quoted a counter-terrorism source as saying.
In fact, the arrested members had in their possession pictures, maps and details of the opening hours of official residences of the royal family, and prominent landmarks like the houses of parliament, Tower Bridge, apart from a home-made video of the Washington Memorial and World Bank in the US. According to Detective Chief Superintendent John Parkinson, the head of the counter terrorism unit in Leeds, the men posed a "very real threat".
"Let there be no doubt these are dangerous individuals. These men were not simply in possession of material, which expressed extremist views. They were also in possession of material that was operationally useful to anyone wishing to carry out an act of violence or terrorism," he said. London, Aug 20: An Islamist terror cell busted with details of bomb-making and suicide vests is said to have been plotting to kill the... more -
Council snoopers to get new powers to seize phone and email records
Council snoopers will be given even greater powers to pry into our phone, email and internet records - landing the taxpayer with a bill of almost £50million.
Town halls, along with the police, security services, health authorities and other public bodies, will have access to ' communication' records of anyone suspected of involvement in even the most minor crime.
The powers, which stem from an EU directive supposedly designed to catch terrorists, will even allow police to track down those who have told friends they are planning to harm themselves.
But it will cost the taxpayer £46.58million over eight years to compensate mobile phone companies and internet firms for storing and providing the data.
Critics said the measure took Britain a step closer to becoming a surveillance state.
Shadow home secretary Dominic Grieve said: 'Yet again the Government have proved themselves unable to resist the temptation to take a power quite properly designed to combat terrorism to snoop on the lives of ordinary people in everyday circumstances. Council snoopers will be given even greater powers to pry into our phone, email and internet records - landing the taxpayer with a b... more -
Sir Ian Blair, Metropolitan Police commissioner, had his rival bugged
The papers allege Tarique Ghaffur, an assistant commissioner, had more than 300 of his telephone calls tapped in an elaborate operation overseen directly by Blair.
He was also photographed and taped attending more than 30 meetings with a fellow officer at restaurants and cafes in west London.
Ghaffur's lawyers are preparing this week to announce formal legal proceedings for race discrimination against Blair, who was placed under formal investigation by the Home Office this month.
Blair is under investigation over £3 million worth of police work awarded to close friend Andy Miller.
The documents prepared by Ghaffur's lawyers state: "AC Ghaffur was the subject of direct surveillance and given a pseudo name. This was a direct attack on his honesty and integrity."
Although the surveillance operation officially targeted another officer, Ghaffur believes it was designed to trap him in a compromising position. The papers allege Tarique Ghaffur, an assistant commissioner, had more than 300 of his telephone calls tapped in an elaborate operatio... more -
RoboCop on Britain's streets in 75 years?
Researchers studying AI and robotics believes that we could have robot security guards, autonomous police cars, and humanoid traffic wardens patrolling Britain's streets within the next 75 years.
[read link article more] Researchers studying AI and robotics believes that we could have robot security guards, autonomous police cars, and humanoid traffic w... more -
Unmanned spy planes will police Britain
The Government is drawing up plans to use unmanned "drone" aircraft currently deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan to counter terrorism and aid police operations in Britain.
The MoD is carrying out research and development to enable the spy planes, which are equipped with highly sophisticated monitoring equipment that allows them to secretly track and photograph suspects without their knowledge, to be deployed within three years.
The plans have been backed by the House of Commons Defence Committee but have attracted criticism from civil liberties campaigners concerned about the implications of covert surveillance of civilians.
The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) can obtain clear images while flying at up to 50,000ft. If ministers give the scheme the go-ahead the UK will be among the first countries to use UAVs to monitor its own citizens.
The Israeli military operates them over Palestinian cities such as Gaza and Ramallah, while the US Customs and Border Protection agency flies them over the Mexican border to detect illegal migrants along specified routes. The Government is drawing up plans to use unmanned "drone" aircraft currently deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan to counter te... more -
Tasers to be issued to every police officer in UK?
The title says it all...
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Police should harass young thugs - Home secretary
According to the Guardian, the home secretary is to talk today about how she believes badly behaved youths should be openly filmed and hounded at home to 'make their home lives as uncomfortable as possible'.
She is to recommend police forces across the country follow Essex police's initiative in which regular offenders have been 'framed and shamed' - been filmed and repeatedly stopped in notoriously bad estates. The operation in Essex has reportedly being successful, but has raised human rights issues about such tactics.
Jacqui Smith is also set to announce that people being reprimanded with an ASBO isn't working, but will counteract these failings by stressing the use of parental orders has increased. According to the Guardian, the home secretary is to talk today about how she believes badly behaved youths should be openly filmed and... more -
London police shoot man dead
A 32-year-old barrister, named as Mark Saunders, was shot dead in the west London suburb of Chelsea yesterday following a tense stand-off police armed police.
Police responded to reports of gunshots from Saunder's £2.2m Markham Square flat at around 4.50pm. The gunman reportedly opened fire on police who subsequently fired back.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene and and independent investigation is to be launched into what is believed to be the first person shot dead by Met officers since Jean Charles de Menezes was mistaken for a terror suspect and killed in July 2005.
Military sources have confirmed that the gunman was an ex-territorial army soldier who had served in Iraq. A 32-year-old barrister, named as Mark Saunders, was shot dead in the west London suburb of Chelsea yesterday following a tense stand-... more -
Police respond to Brown: "Don't criminalise young people who are experim...
In a response to Gordon Brown's expected u-turn on the classification of cannabis in the UK, police chief constables have reportedly indicated that they will not prosecute "young people who are experimenting".
Instead the police officers have said that they will continue to give a warning for anyone found in possession as well as confiscating their herbs.
Under guidance from the Acpo (Association of Chief Police Officers) officers will be told that the "The key will be the discretion for officers to strike the right balance," but that they should be aware of the greater powers they have available when there are 'aggravating factors.' In a response to Gordon Brown's expected u-turn on the classification of cannabis in the UK, police chief constables have reporte... more -
Police 'too busy' to help axe-attack emergency call
Reports claim that a family who made a desperate 999 call as axe-wielding burglars broke into their home were told that the police were 'too busy' to help, and kept waiting three hours.
The thieves made off with their PlayStation 3, a satellite navigation system, phones and a bag containing house and car keys and bank cards. Their car was stolen four days later.
Speaking on the shocking experience, the victim said: 'We've got a police station less than a mile from the house, yet it took them more than three hours to come out. Reports claim that a family who made a desperate 999 call as axe-wielding burglars broke into their home were told that the police wer... more -
Man held under terror laws following controlled explosion in Bristol
It is being reported that police have carried out a controlled explosion at a house in Bristol following the arrest of a 19-year-old man under suspicion of terrorism offences.
Avon and Somerset Police said they evacuated 30 people from 14 homes in the suburb of Westbury-on-Trym before bomb disposal officers carried out the explosion at 2 a.m. It is being reported that police have carried out a controlled explosion at a house in Bristol following the arrest of a 19-year-old m... more -
Drugs bust misses drug den, but gets 50-year-old woman's house
Police officers carrying out a drugs raids have had to apologise to an innocent woman after smashing their way into her house by mistake.
Officers in Bolton were carrying out the early morning raids as part of an operation to tackle a notorious drug ring. Seven officers dressed in riot gear smashed through the front window of her house at 6.30am, only to realise that it wasn't the drug den they had anticipated, but rather the house of a nice lady in her 50s.
"GMP has apologised to the occupant and will ensure that the damage to the property is repaired.
I wonder if the drug den was next door, it'd give them dodgy dealers plenty of time to wake up, have a cup of coffee and then dispose of the things they know they shouldn' be selling... Police officers carrying out a drugs raids have had to apologise to an innocent woman after smashing their way into her house by mista... more
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