Memorial Service For Tragic Officer

The life of Police Constable David Rathband will be celebrated at Newcastle Cathedral with friends, family and the public to pay tribute.

A Memorial service dedicated to the life of PC David Rathband is to be open to the public, it has been confirmed.

PC Rathband (44) was found hanged at his home in Blyth, Northumberland on February 29, his inquest heard.

A memorial service organised by his family is to be held in St Nicholas Cathedral in Newcastle on Saturday March 10 - open to “all who want to say farewell”, his brother Darren has said.

The Cathedral has prepared for as many as 800 people to attend the service at 12pm and outside seating will also be provided if necessary.

PC Rathband, who was shot and blinded by Raoul Moat in 2010, will then be buried in his home town of Stafford on March 17.

The Very Reverend Christopher Dalliston, who is presiding, said friends of the family are to deliver eulogies, and the story of PC Rathband’s life was also set to be read out.

He said: “It is very public and a well known story – people have a large amount of respect and sympathy for David Rathband and I think we will have a lot of people turn up.”

He added that the service was being organised by PC Rathband’s brother, Darren and father, Keith.

Northumbria Police has also announced its own memorial service for PC Rathband at a date yet to be confirmed. It said: “On behalf of his widow Kath and their children, all his colleagues will be invited to attend.”

This is set to take place in the week beginning March 18.

Article Courtesy of - Nic Brunetti - www.PoliceOracle.Com

Addendum following today's Memorial Service:



Pc Rathband's children Mia, 13, and Ashley, 19, were at the cathedral, along with actor Tim Healy, Northumbria Police chief constable Sue Sim, police minister Nick Herbert, members of the emergency services, and hundreds of members of the North East public who took the Midlander to their hearts.

He was shot and blinded while unarmed in his patrol car in July 2010 by gunman Raoul Moat.

He was found hanging at his home in Blyth, Northumberland, on February 29.

Six pallbearers from the police, fire and ambulance service carried his coffin through the cathedral.

In a heart-breaking speech, his twin said: "I have lost half of me.

"You don't get over it, you just get through it.

"Every day grief puts on a new face.

"My brother said to me 'you're a good brother', I say to my brother 'you're a great brother'.

"It is time to take my brother home."

PC David Rathband's Blue Lamp Foundation was established by him to raise funds for those members of all the Emergency Services injured in the line of duty as a result of a criminal act.

David ran, together with his guide Steve White, in last year's London Marathon on the 17th April, 2011, in aid of his Foundation. He completed this arduous task in a magnificent 6 hours and 49minutes. A giant of a man!

Registered charity number 1138319. He set a target of £10,000 and money raised so far amounts to £18,541.97 (185%) . On JustGiving since Oct 2010.

You can still donate at www.justgiving.com/pc-david-rathband

See The Funniest Hospital Sign in the UK !

Well Done, Northampton!!! Where else but the National Health in the UK?

Thank you Dr. Jane Richards & my friend & former colleague Derek Fisher for sending me this little gem which made me smile and LOL !

The Best Golfing Story I Have Heard !

Toward the end of the Sunday service, the Minister asked,"How many of you have forgiven your enemies?" 80% held up their hands.

The Minister then repeated his question.All responded this time, except one man,an avid golfer named Walter Barnes, who attended church only when the weather was bad.

"Mr. Barnes, it's obviously not a good morning for golf. It's good to see you here today. Are you not willing to forgive your enemies?"

"I don't have any," he replied gruffly. "Mr Barnes, that is very unusual. How old are you?"

"Ninety-eight," he replied. The congregation stood up and clapped their hands.

"Oh, Mr. Barnes, would you please come down in front & tell us all how a person can live ninety-eight years & not have an enemy in the world?"

The old golfer tottered down the aisle, stopped in front of the pulpit, turned around, faced the congregation, and said simply,

"I outlived the bastards."

When Hunger and War will pass away

If you have never heard this little girl sing, you won’t believe your eyes and ears! Speakers on !!! Jackie Evancho sings "To Believe" NB. The video may not play on some interface sites. Simply click on the YouTube link to watch but please do come back to my blog after viewing. Nearly one million people worldwide have watched the clip so far.

Artist's Biography

Like Hayley Westenra, Charlotte Church, and Sarah Brightman, soprano Jackie Evancho operates in the classical crossover realm. The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania native (who also plays violin and piano) wowed both the judges and the audience during the fifth season of America's Got Talent. Evancho began taking vocal lessons in 2008 at the age of eight. By 2010, she had already breezed through a local singing contest, started her own YouTube channel, released an album, and held the record as the world's youngest opera singer. Her independent debut, Prelude to a Dream, was released in 2009, followed by the holiday EP/DVD O Holy Night, the latter of which arrived via Columbia Records. In spring 2011, Evancho released Dream with Me, her full-length (non-seasonal) debut, which was produced by David Foster and featured a mix of arias, show tunes, and pop classics. Jackie Evancho: Dream with Me in Concert, a live performance of the songs that first captured the hearts of her audiences, along with new classical crossover selections, followed that fall. ~ James Christopher Monger, Rovi

Olympic Outing For Met Police And Royal Marines

A joint exercise involving the London Metropolitan Police and the British Royal Marines ahead of the Olympics has been hailed as a success by those responsible for Games security.

Officers from the Force's Marine Unit and military personnel rehearsed the skills and drills they will need to operate together in a week long package of manoeuvres.

The exercise focused on the River Thames, which will form an outer ring of security during the Games, and made use of assets including rigid boats and air support.

Assistant Commisioner Chris Allison, the National Olympic Security Co-ordinator, was satisfied at the results. He added: "There is no specific threat from the River but we would be failing in our duty if we did not consider this for Games time."

"All of the exercising is to get people to understand their roles and responsibilities – we need to know how we would work with those who would come and assist us if we have to deal with something beyond our capability and capacity.

AC Allison pointed out that the exercises not only focused on the practical capabilities of assets at his disposal during the Olympics, but also rules of engagement.

He said: "This is the wet-way into London and we need to make sure that we have tactics we can use on the River, many of which have been developed by the police."

The exercise saw a number of scenarios, ranging from a compliant stop to the use of armed officers boarding a moving vessel at speed, played out. Assets including police river launches plus rigid boats and landing craft from the Royal Marines were used along with a Royal Navy Lynx helicopter.

AC Allison said that the security of the Olympics remains the responsibility of the police, but that there will be niche military assets in support of that operation.

He concluded: "I know police officers will do their level best to ensure the Games pass off safely and securely. They will be the professionals they are, day in-day out."

Article Courtesy of: James Deller - www.PoliceOracle.com

The Beauty of Pollination

Beautiful video to watch
TRULY AMAZING !
I'm sure you will enjoy.

Check out the hummingbird doing the barrel roll, and the bat carrying the baby
(is the shot of one on white catcus flower blossom).

This is an incredible little video, and the beauty of it will take your breath away.

I have never seen anything quite like this before. Slow motion captures each of these wondrous creatures at their best. Awesome! Make sure your speakers are turned on. Best viewed full screen.

Fuel Theft Is Latest Crime Trend

Motorists whose cars refuse to start this Christmas could be victims of the latest austerity trend – fuel and catalytic converter theft.

Insurers and car rescue services are reporting a small but rising number of thefts, predominantly from commercial vehicles but increasingly from domestic cars. The AA says its officers are being called out about once a week to cars that have been damaged during a fuel theft, while police in North Lincolnshire have warned motorists to keep their vehicles secure after a spate of thefts in December.

In some areas of the country, motorists have been advised to get their catalytic converters marked to prevent thieves from selling the items on to scrap dealers.

Thieves steal fuel by cutting through fuel lines, smashing open fuel caps, removing petrol tanks or, in some cases, drilling into the fuel tanks and pumping out the contents. Big cars, such as people carriers and 4x4s, are particularly vulnerable because they are higher off the ground, giving easier access, and they have bigger fuel tanks.

Joe Hind – not his real name – from north London discovered his fuel had been stolen when he took his car, a 10-year-old people carrier, into the garage to have it checked because of a persistent smell of petrol.

"I had been smelling petrol for a couple of weeks, and the garage said the car was likely to need a new fuel tank. But when they looked at it, they found someone had tampered with the fuel lines, pulling them out to get at the fuel but not reinserting them properly," he said. "The garage said the petrol was unlikely to have ignited, but it's still worrying. It's even possible they did this more than once."

Martin Smith, technical claims manager for insurance company Aviva, said the theft of fuel was a "reaction to high fuel prices and the economic downturn". But he added that most people would not claim for the cost of repairs, because these were lower than or close to the value of the excess on their insurance policy.

Miranda Schunke, spokeswoman for recovery service Green Flag, said: "We were called out to a number of incidents earlier in the year, where the fuel lines had been cut. From our experience, the driver is unaware initially they have been involved in a fuel theft. Customers generally ring the call centre to say 'I have a fuel leak,' or 'I have run out of petrol."

Ms Schunke said most incidents involved the fuel line being cut or the petrol cap being prised off, and that older vehicles with a key-opened fuel cap were most at risk. "Drilling into the fuel tank is another potential access point but is very dangerous and could cause an explosion from one spark," she added.

Red diesel – fuel sold to farms that carries a lower tax duty than standard fuel – and domestic heating oil, another form of diesel, are also sometimes stolen for use in cars.

Figures collated by NFU Mutual, an insurer specialising in farm insurance, show the value of claims for heating oil theft increased by 153% in the first six months of 2011 compared with the same period in 2010. The east of England was the worst affected region.

Costs were partly due to an increase in the number of crimes, which doubled in the first six months of this year, but also due to the cost of cleaning up any environmental damage caused by thieves.

The most expensive claim dealt with by NFU Mutual this year for clean-up costs as a result of a damaged tank following an oil theft was over £30,000.

Will Howell, spokesman for the insurer, said that red diesel is sometimes mixed with heating oil and engine oil to disguise the dye, to prevent detection during spot checks by the police and Revenue & Customs.

Catalytic converters are stolen because they contain precious metals – platinum, palladium and rhodium – which can be recycled. The AA says it has seen an increase in thefts since the beginning of the credit crunch in 2008, when prices for precious metals started spiralling.

The catalytic converter was stolen from Jane Green's Land Rover Freelander while it was standing in a car park near her workplace in Wolverhampton. She said: "When I got back to my car, the police had left a note on the windscreen telling me not to turn the car on but to call them as soon as possible. I did and was told a witness had seen a man with a drill around my car."

Ms Green's catalytic converter had been removed with a saw and drill, causing damage that cost £900 to repair.

Aviva's Mr Smith advises that car owners should ideally use garages, or if that is not possible, park in busy, well-lit locations to deter thieves from tampering with their vehicles.

Article courtesy of: Guardian Unlimited and www.policeoracle.com