News and views from People for Proper Policing North Wales (PPP)
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North Wales Police Blasted By IPCC
Story via the Police Oracle 08-Jul-10
The Independent Police Complaints Commission independent investigation into North Wales Police’s response to concerns for the welfare of Brita Burns, who was found dead, found both individual and corporate failure, with officers failing in their duties and deficient force procedures and policies. The Coroner's narrative verdict of death by misadventure at the Inquest found that the deceased took an overdose and alcohol to draw attention to herself.
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Police Commissioners
Elected Individuals ‘Will Hire and Fire Chiefs’.This story via The Police Oracle 29-Jun-2010
Home Secretary Theresa May has confirmed the government will begin pushing through legislation to replace police authorities with directly elected individuals later this year.
Despite strong criticism from some senior officers and opposition MPs, May told the APA-ACPO conference in Manchester that a single post would be created in each force and those elected would have the power to hire and fire chief constables.
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Gareth Pritchard appointed ACC
North Wales Police Authority has appointed Gareth Pritchard as its new Assistant Chief Constable.
Gareth, who had been the Temporary Chief Constable for North Wales Police for 9 months, brings to the role a depth of experience gained over 26 years with the Force. From 1998 to 2003 he served as a Chief Inspector and Superintendent in the Operational Support Division where he was responsible for armed response vehicles, firearms team, roads policing. From 2003 to 2008 he was the Divisional Commander for the Western Division.
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Cameras to no longer be used as ‘cash-cow’
MCN By James Sharpe - General news 18 June 2010
New Transport Minister Mike Penning has told MPs that the government will stop handing millions of pounds in grants to local authorities for new speed cameras. The number of speed cameras has trebled over the last 10 years, and raise around £110million a year. However Mr. Penning has warned the local authorities to use other effective means of road safety measures.Local authorities will still be able to install new cameras but only funded from council tax.
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Police overtime has nearly doubled in 10 years
Overtime payments in England and Wales rose by around 90% between 1999 and 2009, hitting £400m last year, according to the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies. The increase came as the number of officers reached an all-time high of 142,151 in 2009: 15,337 higher than a decade ago. Researchers said overall policing costs had also grown by almost 50% over the 10-year period, from £98bn to £14.5bn. There is a wide variation between forces in the size of their overtime bills ....
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The Police watch dog growls
Costs criticism for ex-police chief Richard Brunstrom
Ex-North Wales Police chief Richard Brunstrom has been criticised over costs incurred under his leadership.
It came as North Wales Police Authority (NWPA) backed a decision to scrap the mounted unit at a cost of £132,000. The mounted unit will cost £132,000 to scrap, mainly in rent paid to the National Trust at Erddig.
Chris Drew, NWPA member, said it was estimated around £1m was spent on the section since it was set up in 2007 in line with PPP estimates 4 years ago
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A Message from driving standards agency
A Message from driving standards agency www.dsa.gov.uk/
Remember, the Highway Code is for life - not just for learners. Check out the online version at ….
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Highwaycode/index.htm
Online version
This version has been adapted for online use from the Department for Transport's current printed version of the Highway Code. In any proceedings, whether civil or criminal, only the Department for Transport's current printed version of the Code should be relied upon.
MCN reader's licences prove DVLA wrong
MCN By Steve Farrell - 16 April 2010. MCN readers have come forward to show their licences are identical to one DVLA said was forged because the vehicle symbols were wrong. Marcus Mee, 38, was charged with fraud after producing photocopies of a licence which appeared to prove DVLA had lost record of his motorcycle entitlement. He is one of scores of riders to complain of the DVLA issuing a replacement licence with motorcycle entitlement missing, then denying they ever had it. 20 readers came forward with similar licences ...
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The £800,000 speed camera fiasco
MCN By Steve Farrell - 25 April 2010. High-tech new speed cameras on one of the country’s most popular bike routes are useless due to an apparent oversight. The new cameras are aimed at catching motorcyclists on the A537 Cat and Fiddle road from Macclesfield to Buxton, Derbyshire. They have been installed at five points along the road and riders are timed between them to calculate their average speed. Camera bosses have failed to take into account that between two of the sites there is a shortcut with a higher speed limit.
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The new HMIP report card scheme needs improving
The new report card scheme rolled out by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary needs improving if it is to accurately show how Forces are performing. Peter Fahy – Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police – admitted in an interview that the initiative was “a good attempt” at showing the complexities of policing but he did not believe it showed the public the full picture. He told PoliceOracle.com: “Policing is clearly a very complex business and you have to ask questions about how you report results in a document ..
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New evidence in Jill Dando murder case
Police have found "conclusive" DNA evidence that could catch TV girl Jill Dando's killer - 11 years after she was shot. It has led officers to pinpoint a suspect for the shooting of Crimewatch presenter Jill, 37, in April 1999. Forensic scientists have discovered tiny particles of evidence that could point to the gunman. Barry George, now 50, was convicted of Jill's murder at the Old Bailey in 2001 but was cleared on appeal in 2008. Detectives on the believed she was the victim of an obsessed stalker who had shadowed her ..
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The completion of a major criminal trial without a Jury
April 2010 What a wonderful week for UK Justice. …… a supporter comments
One of the fundamental pillars of our system of Justice is that we have the right to be tried by a jury of our peers (ordinary folks like ourselves). This simple requirement is there as one of the defences against being imprisoned or otherwise punished by the establishment..The reason given for the trial being held without a jury was that the jury members could not be protected from intimidation. So it is only because the Police cannot keep us safe.
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Policing the UK
We are within 6 weeks of a general election. This election will determine if the UK can remain a 1st (or 2nd) world country or continue the slide into the third world with all the corruption in government & public life that those who travel widely recognise as third world. In 6 years the PPP have had no significant support from any Labour, Liberal or Plaid Cymru politicians. Only a few conservative MPs & AMs have met with us and debated the issues as our democracy intended. We list a few key paragraphs from their manifesto
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NWPF switchboard is beating most targets
Emergency 999 calls … Emergency calls 242/day or 10/hr = one every 6 minutes
target is to answer 92% within 10 secs 96.3% In Target
Total Non-emergency calls YTD 423,441 or 1160/day or 48/hour = one every 1.25 minutes
The target is to answer 91% within 40 secs 93.3% within Target
The above stats are from the latest management information on the NWPF website. We must compliment the staff and system managers on a job well done.
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HERMES for driver intructors
High Impact approach for Enhancing Road safety through More Effective communication Skills for driving instructors"
research and a report Funded by the European Commission. Quote p32 … Car accidents are a result of human behaviour. car driving implies constantly making choices. In this sense car driving is a challenging task and it
becomes obvious when we compare it for example with a captain of an airline plane whose freedom of choice is a great deal smaller. Human behaviour is in addition to knowledge and skills .....
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SHERIFF JOE IS AT IT AGAIN!
You may remember Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County Arizona , who painted the jail cells pink and made the inmates wear pink prison garb. Well.......... there's MUCH more to know about Sheriff Joe!.Sheriff Joe Arpaio who created the 'Tent City Jail': He has jail meals down to 40 cents a serving and charges the inmates for them. He stopped smoking and porno magazines in the jails. He took away their weights and cut off all but 'G' movies. He started chain gangs so the inmates could do free work on county projects ...
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ANPR National Day of Action
16-Mar-2010 ACPO report on impressive national figures. Police made 249 arrests and seized 431 vehicles using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) equipment during a national day of action last Friday (12 March 2010). results during the day included the recovery of a large bag of cannabis from a vehicle which led to a house search and the discovery of a cannabis factory.A stolen vehicle with false number plates that is thought to have been involved in several burglaries and the discovery of 40,000 contraband cigarettes
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Second-hand car warning: know your rights
Consumers are paying an average of £425 each to fix faults with second-hand cars that are the dealer's responsibility to correct. A study by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) also found that many dealers are using illegal disclaimers like 'No Refund'. Make sure you know your rights when buying a second-hand car.
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Campaign to turn A55 into North Wales motorway
North Wales Daily Post Mar 16 2010.
A CAMPAIGN to make the A55 a motorway has been launched in a bid to cut deaths and injuries on the road and reduce congestion. A petition has been lodged on the 10 Downing Street website. The change of status would require installing a hard shoulder along the route, upgrading lighting and signage, and the strengthening of road barriers and the central reservation. It would also prohibit vehicles like tractors. The Welsh Assembly Government would not be drawn on the road’s status ....
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Two more drivers die in Gwynedd
Mar 15 2010 by Owen R Hughes, Daily Post
TWO drivers were killed and a teenage girl seriously injured in separate road crashes in Gwynedd over the weekend.
Peter Dacre, 28, from Bangor, died in an horrific smash near Deiniolen on Friday night that left his 18-year-old friend Rebecca Jones critically ill in hospital. Peter was driving a red Ford Focus on the A4244 when the crash happened at 9.10pm.On Saturday an elderly man died after his Renault Clio crashed through a wall after leaving the A5 in the Ogwen Valley ....
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Bikers parade to pay tribute to our fallen troops
AOL news Sunday, 14 March 2010.
15,000 bikers have roared through a market town on Mothering Sunday to honour troops killed in Afghanistan in the biggest ride of its kind. Crowds gathered along the High Street in Wootton Bassett to hear the roar of over 10,000 motor bikers with about 5,000 pillion passengers pass the war memorial on route. The ride, believed to the biggest of its kind, has raised more than £100,000 so far for the charity Afghan Heroes.Wootton Bassett Mayor Steve Bucknell said the majority support the bikers
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High Speed Rail - £billions for whom
This story courtesy of the Drivers alliance.
Lord Adonis the Transport Secretary yesterday announced plans for a High Speed Rail link
between London and Birmingham. On the surface, this seems like an inspiring and ambitious project which should be welcomed but why would we want to spend some £40 Billion on a train when the roads are in such a mess? The cost of this new train is half the value of the entire motorway network. For £40 billion we could build every bypass and every road we need for a 21st century system.
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Fury at release of Police Constable’s killer
This story initially courtesy of the Police Oracle 6-Mar-10.
Fury erupted last night over the release of a gunman who killed a PC and wounded two others 36 years ago. It is thought to be the first time anyone who directly murdered a police officer has been released from jail in Britain. He was jailed for life three times over in 1975. Eight years later he tried to kill Moors Murderer Ian Brady in a psychiatric unit. He will be placed in an undisclosed bail hostel in the community and allowed to roam the streets...
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NWPF continue with Operation Focus
This story current on NWPF website 26/02/10
At the request of Chief Constable Mark Polin, a review of Operation Focus and associated tactics was undertaken. That review concluded that Operation Focus has been a great success and has contributed greatly to the tremendous reductions seen in the number of motorcyclists killed or seriously injured. Despite the success of the 2009 operation more needs to be done to protect the interests of the law abiding responsible rider in line with the ACPO Motorcycle Enforcement Strategy.
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Parking and traffic enforcement
A MANIFESTO ON THE REFORM OF PARKING AND TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT
this manifesto deals with another aspect of the war against the motorist. We support the principle because of our core belief in SENSE and REASON. We have all been victims of the abusive system described here and these people are campaigning on our behalf. The war is against the majority who attempt to conduct their business in our towns and cities throughout the UK. Even today the opposition claims that they will support businesses in town centres ....
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