written by 200 from 200 Weeks
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The original post can be found http://200weeks.police999.com/archives/2512
Monthly Archive for January, 2010
written by Posse Galore from Travails across Safer Neighbour hoods
What a month. The weather probably increased our volume of calls by a third. OK the roads were icy, but you didn’t need to be clairvoyant to work that out – the weather forecasts, the news reports of chaos across the country and the fact that if you went out without trousers your testicles fell off were all clues leading to the inescapable conclusion that the roads might be a tad on the icy side . . . except that conclusion clearly did escape a significant minority of drivers.They were easy to spot though – travelling sideways, embedded in hedges, wrapped around lampposts, upside down in ditches, and dialing 999.
Add to the spike in RTCs, an avalanche (ho ho ho) of "Anti Social snowballing" calls and you get the idea.
Similarly busy at home . . . . it’s now 5 weeks to due date and counting. Little scare last weekend – loved one hadn’t felt the baby move all day and was getting worried. At one level we knew we were being paranoid, but that doesn’t stop the irrational fear – so we went to the hospital. They popped the monitor on for twenty minutes and all was well . . . . baby’s heartbeat between a sleeping 108 and a jiving 150. Glass of wine to celebrate (me that is).
I must learn to look more carefully though . . . .
Me: "Oh, you’ve stripped the bed and put the sheets in the machine? I was going to do that!"
(Pinteresque pause . . . . )
Loved one: "That's my new underwear I'm washing."
Oops.
The original post can be found http://prolege.blogspot.com/2010/01/stress-code.html
written by PC Blogs A Lotte from Southernshire Constabulary
Well of course it's long gone now but I felt that it was about time that I said Happy New Year to all my readers.I'm sorry but things have been a little busy what with New Year and the good fun weather and all that sort of stuff but it brings to mind an interesting thought about just how UNPREPARED the UK really is to deal with adverse weather conditions.
I remember last winter (you know, the coldest one the UK had seen for 20 years) when the Highways Authority said that it was "well prepared" for winter and then promptly the entire UK seemed to run out of road grit (that horrible stuff they put on the roads to stop them freezing up) and grit had to be purchased from Germany or somewhere like that.
The roads stopped up, people were stranded on motorways for hours at a time and no one could even get a bus to them to get them out of their cars...
People sit in cars freezing because they've got nothing prepared for themselves...
Good god people, if you are going out and there is a possibility of adverse weather (and get real, it's Europe, it happens all the time, rain, wind, floods, snow, etc etc) then you should be prepared. Perhaps that means a couple of blankets in the boot, a couple of cans of those self warming meals (you'll find them in Tesco or a camping shop) and a couple of sealed bottles of water (which keep for a longtime unlike refilling bottles which don't keep for as long).
But what shocked me more was just how unprepared we were, the police. We had very few 4WD vehicles available to us and even fewer people who were allowed to drive them. The 4WD vehicles that we did have didn't have sirens so couldn't be used to respond to anything or get around other traffic etc.. I complained to my supervisors but of course it falls on deaf ears. Guess what? It all happened again.
I think that we should all wake up, the weather is NOT predictable and it has a nasty habit of doing what it likes and when it likes. As such we should be prepared, no matter what the cost - because people's lives are at stake.
Oh well, see what happens next winter!
The original post can be found http://southernshireconstabulary.blogspot.com/2010/01/and-happy-new-year-to-all.html
written by policeboy from The Adventures of Policeboy
First of all, sorry for the pun. Secondly, cast your eyes over the picture to the left. No doubt you’ll have worked out what it shows in all its glory; a sight we’re all sick of seeing in towns and cities across the length of Britain.
My gripe here isn’t exclusively with what this chap is doing, nor the time of the day at which he is; more where he’s doing it. and appears to be getting away with it. The Sun posted this story with suitable venom in the text, which was rightly backed up in the comments section by some people who felt the disbelief intended by the tale. For ten points, guess where this is taking place.
- Against another war memorial.
- Against a school wall.
- Against a convent wall.
- Against the wall of Swindon Crown Court, prior to going inside to face charges of Affray.
Any ideas? Follow the link above for the full(er) story. Personally, I think the bobbies should slap him with some sort of something. For this to happen where it did, it really is taking, or leaving, the piss.
Tagged: in the news
The original post can be found http://policeboy.wordpress.com/2010/01/30/urine-trouble-or-not/
written by 200 from 200 Weeks
Joey Barton, Michael Thomas, Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, Steven Gerrard, Jermain Defoe (twice), Ledley King & Marlon King. What have they all got in common?
They’re all professional footballers who have been charged with criminal or traffic offenses & been mentioned on this blog. I also mentioned Ashley Cole 3 weeks ago when he was convicted of doing 104mph in a 50 limit. His case was adjourned so he could appear in person & today he didn’t (appear, that is) but was banned for 4 months anyway.
His solicitor Katherine Hodson, said: “There was no suggestion given by police that there was any cause for concern about Mr Cole’s driving, except for his speed.” Like doing 104 in a 50 isn’t sufficient concern on its own. He also received a £1,000 fine.
The original post can be found http://200weeks.police999.com/archives/2535
written by inspectorgadget from POLICE INSPECTOR BLOG
In a conversation which I recorded on my mobile for a “rainy day”, and a “blanket” email which I have kept to show HMIC, we have been told that the proactive teams are to come back into Jack Straws warmth, and start clearing up any outstanding crime reports.
They must not, under any circumstances, get out on the street and find any more crime. Not until the next financial year anyway. All their accumulated leave (and there is lots of it being as we don’t pay overtime any more) is to be taken between now and April. It’s best to have them out-of-the-way, they just cant be trusted to stay indoors.
You see, when a proactive team get outside, be it CID or uniform, they just will insist on executing warrants, finding stolen property, stopping known criminals on the road and discovering nicked motors. Each time this happens, they have to put on a crime report. Being as we don’t care about detecting crime any more, and its all about the amount of crime, this kind of behaviour is a nightmare for senior police officers and their annual cash bonus.
What really gets me angry is the way we are told that an increase in crime can “really hurt us” towards the end of the year. The people who actually get “hurt” are surely the victims! I am sure that these conversations go on up and down the country, in every nick. At least on the management floor that is.
How do they make sure that these operations stop until next year? they simply stop the budgets and allocate the people to other things. In today’s modern police service, you really do have your business ethics now. Everything is geared towards the personal profits (cash bonus for achieving targets) for a very small number of senior officers.
“If a team is unfortunate enough to happen across a crime in progress” we are told “it must not go on the system unless it can be easily detected”. In any other scenario, advice must be sought, in person, from the DCI himself. “We are counting every broken wing mirror from now untill April” says the email in a rather threatening way, as if we went out and smashed them ourselves just to be difficult.
My God, it is tempting………
The original post can be found http://inspectorgadget.wordpress.com/2010/01/29/see-no-evil-at-least-until-the-next-financial-year/
written by PC Bloggs from PC Bloggs - a Twenty-first Century Police Officer
At what stage during an investigation is it appropriate to arrest the victim?
Victims of certain offences often behave quite strangely, in particular in cases of domestic violence and rape. Having made an allegation, they will often retract, alter or exaggerate what was said initially, until the investigating officer has no idea what is true and what is not. My opinion on these situations is that the credibility or lack thereof of the victim often bears little relationship to whether or not the offence actually took place. Either they act strangely because they are traumatised, or because the stress of reporting it is too much, or because they made it up. You cannot read too much into it either way.
Which makes it a tough call as to when you decide to arrest the victim for a false allegation. If a woman has been beaten up/raped, and then comes forwards saying she made it up when in fact the offender has terrorised her into withdrawing, or she just finds it all too embarrassing, it would be rather harsh for the police to turn around and arrest her.
Anyone who reads my blog will know that I am firmly in the camp that believes the false allegation is a rarity, and more often we just can't prove it either way.
Which is why there must be fairly good evidence for Kent Police to have arrested PC Fran Croucher on suspicion of faking her own assault. It would be too horrific for words to have been brutally attacked in the manner she alleged, and then to be arrested because no one believed you, if it really had happened.
Therefore assuming the worst, what drives a police officer to falsify a report in such a drastic manner, knowing herself how such allegations are viewed, and how much harder they make it for real victims to come forwards? Knowing the support there would be nationwide for her predicament, how colleagues would castigate themselves, how her supervisors would lament, how bloggers and federation reps would leap to her cause? However stressed, tired, confused, depressed, neglected, even traumatised, she may have found herself, surely she still knew all that.
PC Fran Croucher, how could you?
Victims of certain offences often behave quite strangely, in particular in cases of domestic violence and rape. Having made an allegation, they will often retract, alter or exaggerate what was said initially, until the investigating officer has no idea what is true and what is not. My opinion on these situations is that the credibility or lack thereof of the victim often bears little relationship to whether or not the offence actually took place. Either they act strangely because they are traumatised, or because the stress of reporting it is too much, or because they made it up. You cannot read too much into it either way.
Which makes it a tough call as to when you decide to arrest the victim for a false allegation. If a woman has been beaten up/raped, and then comes forwards saying she made it up when in fact the offender has terrorised her into withdrawing, or she just finds it all too embarrassing, it would be rather harsh for the police to turn around and arrest her.
Anyone who reads my blog will know that I am firmly in the camp that believes the false allegation is a rarity, and more often we just can't prove it either way.
Which is why there must be fairly good evidence for Kent Police to have arrested PC Fran Croucher on suspicion of faking her own assault. It would be too horrific for words to have been brutally attacked in the manner she alleged, and then to be arrested because no one believed you, if it really had happened.
Therefore assuming the worst, what drives a police officer to falsify a report in such a drastic manner, knowing herself how such allegations are viewed, and how much harder they make it for real victims to come forwards? Knowing the support there would be nationwide for her predicament, how colleagues would castigate themselves, how her supervisors would lament, how bloggers and federation reps would leap to her cause? However stressed, tired, confused, depressed, neglected, even traumatised, she may have found herself, surely she still knew all that.
PC Fran Croucher, how could you?
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'Diary of an On-Call Girl' is available in some bookstores and online.
Copyright of PC E E Bloggs
The original post can be found http://pcbloggs.blogspot.com/2010/01/youd-have-to-be-sure.html
written by kkop from kKop's Blog
Okay, so I’m not going to reiterate what Inspector Gadget and other blogs are talking about – instead I’m going to post something slightly different.
The Sun are running an interesting article on that much-maligned group of innocents, the travelling fraternity.
I for one am not keen to generalise based on very little information. But I have to say, anybody is going to have a very, very hard time convincing me that travellers are anything other than the dregs of society. This one gang were responsible for half of the caravan crime in the entire country. Nice to see the McDonagh’s are still going strong, though – I had lots of fun as a PC chasing them through muddy fields and dark country lanes, for them to ram my police car repeatedly so that I was unable to follow. Nice people, really.
There are always exceptions, naturally, but I’ve yet to meet a decent, honest, law-abiding one.
Four members of the gang – Charlie Ward, 27, Martin Ward, 21, John McDonagh, 31, and Martin McDonagh, 29 – face long jail terms after being convicted of conspiracy to steal at Winchester Crown Court.
I’m sure I won’t be the only one interested in seeing exactly how many years these prolific and indiscriminate offenders get locked away for.
Remember guys, don’t bend over to pick up the soap.
"Where's the soap?" "Yes it does, doesn't it?"
The original post can be found http://kkop.wordpress.com/2010/01/29/gypsys-tramps-and-thieves/
written by policeboy from The Adventures of Policeboy
Right then. Gadget has proved once more that he has ears listening to grapevines that I’ve not even seen! Newspaper reports are dripping in that PC Fran Croucher has been arrested for ‘misconduct in a public office’, after allegedly making up the allegations of being viciously assaulted on duty. If The Mirror website is down, then try the BBC link at the bottom of this post.
If this is true, then I am in a state of numb shock really. Not to be overly dramatic, by why on earth would somebody do this? It was banded around that it might have been for compensation, time off or to cover up the truth of what happened. It’s been reported that she did have injuries, but what’s actually gone on, is unsure at this moment.
I feel ashamed, of feeling silly, for falling for this, whatever this is? It’s a bit very insulting towards the response officers that put the safety of others, before that of themselves, and come out with genuine injuries. Also, spare a thought for the terrified CC of Kent; he must be watching his ‘public confidence’ figures slip through his fingers.
On a serious note, I expect this will only lead to increased disbelief of Police in courtrooms up and down the country. Fran, I don’t think you know the damage you might have done. What a shame. What a terrible, saddening shame.
Edit – BBC News has got on board with an understandably vague article regarding the developments. Obviously, Kent Police won’t be saying anything until the internal investigation is over, and then even after that, I’m not holding my breath for much information.
Further Edit – PC Bloggs does a good job of getting most of The Job’s feelings across. Good to see that Gadge has closed the comments section for now, and put some more screenshots up. See the link at the top for his post.
Even Further Edit – Click here to read the follow-on post; Crouchergate » The backlash.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/8487330.stmhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/8487330.stm
Tagged: in the news 
The original post can be found http://policeboy.wordpress.com/2010/01/29/crouchergate/
Smoke & Mirrors?
written by 200 from 200 Weeks
Around two weeks ago many police bloggers reported a story of a single-crewed officer getting beaten unconscious during a stop check in Kent. A photo of the female officer concerned was published on many blogs. Inspector Gadget received some 200 messages of sympathy for the officer. The story was used as evidence that single-crewing is an inherently dangerous practice.
Several police bloggers encouraged others to post the same photo on their blogs. I chose not to, despite a direct request to do so from one or two bloggers.
Last week the story of the attack on the officer disappeared from the Kent Police website. It seems some wool may have been pulled over some eyes.
The original post can be found http://200weeks.police999.com/archives/2537