Police Fail To Rescue Sex Dolls

I am sure we have all been greatly moved by the images on television of the devastating floods in Eastern Australia. I have been extremely impressed by the stoicism of the victims in the face of horrendous hardship and disaster. However, on a lighter note, this story brought a smile to my face on the basis of incredulity.

Sex toy river stunt backfires as police pull couple from swollen river...



An Australian couple had to be rescued - after they tried to float down a flood-swollen river on two inflatable sex dolls.

The bizarre attempt to navigate the Yarra River in Queensland backfired when the woman lost her doll in rough water, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.

The incident prompted a warning from police that blow-up sex toys are "not recognised flotation devices".

Police and a State Emergency Services crew were called to the rescue when the pair, both 19, got into trouble at Warrandyte North.

They clung to a floating tree in the river, calling for help, and luckily a passer-by was on hand to call emergency services while a kayaker brought them life jackets.

Police and the SES crew eventually arrived to haul the thrill-seekers to safety.

With Queensland in the grip of its worst flooding in living memory, police said they were not amused at the pair's "stupid" actions.

"We've got people busy with rescues and to have to divert resources to that sort of thing is not ideal," said Senior Constable Wayne Wilson

"Most rescue organisations would frown on people behaving in such a manner because there are people out there who are in genuine need of assistance."

The rescued pair were checked by ambulance officers but did not require medical attention. "The fate of the inflatable dolls is unknown," added Senior Constable Wilson.

Article courtesy of www.policeoracle.com

Hampshire named as top 'Gay' Police Force

Hampshire Constabulary has once again been named as the UK’s most ‘gay-friendly’ police force.

It came fourth overall in this year’s Stonewall Workplace Equality Index.

Chief Constable Alex Marshall, who is the force’s lead on Fairness and Equality, said: “This is the fourth year in a row Hampshire Constabulary has been named as the UK’s top performing police force for lesbian, gay and bisexual people.

“Not only is it a great honour, it’s also testament to our year-on-year commitment to providing an excellent service to every one of the diverse communities we serve.

“Naturally, having come second nationally in previous years, we would have liked to have made the top spot this time round, but to remain in the top five, and to do so consistently, is a huge achievement.”

‘Challenging times’

Although Hampshire Constabulary’s score increased this year, the competition was also much tougher.

A record number of organisations entered the index, up from 352 in 2010 to 378, and the threshold score to get into the top 100 increased from 66 to 73 per cent.

Mr Marshall continued: “The police service as whole is going through a period of significant change and will face many challenges over the coming years.

“I’m confident, however, that Hampshire Constabulary can continue to lead the way in delivering equality for LGB people and will remain an employer of choice for police officers and police staff regardless of sexual orientation.”

Achievements

For a fourth year running, Hampshire Constabulary’s police officers were permitted to march in uniform in the Brighton Pride parade. The force was represented at the event in August by police officers, police community support officers and police staff and led by Assistant Chief Constable Steve Dann.

Their involvement in the march was organised by the constabulary’s Hampshire Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGB&T) Resource Group, which was established in 2000.

The group was once again honoured by Stonewall as a Star Performer and chair, Inspector Julie Fry, said: “I’m proud of the achievements the Resource Group has made over the last decade. We’re the driving force that ensures the police service in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight continues to treat LGB&T people fairly and equally.

“It’s not about political correctness or bringing our personal lives to work: it’s about making sure staff can do their job to the best of their abilities and that LGB&T people who come into contact with the police, whether as a victim, witness or suspect, for example, are treated no differently than anyone else.

“We’ve got an extensive network of Lesbian and Gay Liaison officers (LAGLOs) across the force who work closely LGB&T communities and help get justice for the victims of homophobic and transphobic hate crimes.

“Our continued success with Stonewall over the last few years prompted our partners in the fire service, military and other police forces to approach us for advice in developing their own services for LGB&T people.

“In the same way, we’ll be looking at those organisations who topped this year’s index to see how we can continue to improve our own standing.”

For more information about Hampshire Constabulary’s LAGLOs, and for details of how to report hate crime, log on to the website www.hampshire.police.uk

Article courtesy of www.policeoracle.com

Put Police ‘At Heart’ Of ASB Solution

Federation trusts officers’ pivotal role will be recognised in new initiative ...

The Police Federation of England and Wales has thrown its support behind the new anti-social initiative to be piloted in eight forces but has stressed that officers need to be “at the heart” of the solution.

The seven-month trial aims to improve the protection of vulnerable victims of anti-social behaviour through better information sharing and changing the way complaints are handled.

The Federation welcomed the move that will implement changes to the IT and complaints logging systems to identify and support people subjected to the abuse.

“We totally support anything that tackles the evils of anti-social behaviour and recognises the blight it puts on many people's lives,” a Federation spokesman told PoliceOracle.com.

However, the Fed also highlighted that improving the use of IT must be complemented with the appropriate human resources if forces were going to be successful in protecting vulnerable victims.

“In order for these pilots to work effectively we need to ensure we have sufficient resources and police officers available to deal with this problem.

“IT is part of a solution to a problem that still requires men and women to deal with this issue face-to-face. We trust that this initiative recognises that and is a measured and considered approach that will place police officers at the heart of the solution,” the spokesman added.

ACPO have issued a statement outlining the key principles behind the pilot scheme that will run until July in Avon and Somerset, Cambridgeshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, London, South Wales, Sussex and West Mercia.

In addition to technical and procedural changes, the trials will strengthen links between the police, their neighbourhoods and local agencies.

ACC Simon Edens, ACPO lead on anti-social behaviour, confirmed senior officers had been working with community partners to ensure a joined-up system was established.

In a statement he said: “The results of the pilot will help us shape a more consistent approach to dealing with the policing response to local concerns.

“Anti-social behaviour is not something that the police can tackle in isolation. We need to ensure that we are working with all local agencies and sharing information where necessary, and are fully in support of all approaches to encourage greater personal and community involvement in neighbourhoods.”


At a glance - The five key principles include:

1. Creating an effective call handling system where each individual has a log of complaints created from the very first call

2. Introducing risk assessment tools to quickly identify the most vulnerable victims

3. Installing off-the-shelf IT systems to share information on cases between agencies, removing the need for meetings

4. Agreeing a protocol across all local agencies setting out how they will manage cases

5. Engaging with the community to clearly set out the issues which are causing the most harm to individuals and neighbourhoods, and setting out how the police, other local agencies and the public can work together to address them

Article courtesy of www.policeoracle.com

Wishing Everyone a Happy Christmas & a prosperous New Year

Jesus is the reason for the season. Happy Birthday to my Lord & Saviour

Enquiry desks cuts will keep more officers on the beat, say police

Devon and Cornwall Police had to choose between "front counters and constables", a senior officer said yesterday, as the force announced the closure of more than half of its enquiry desks.

Front offices at 34 stations, manned by civilians, are to close by June next year in a move which will save the force £5.4 million over the next four years. The number of posts will be halved from 120 to 60.

It follows a major review of the service, which Assistant Chief Constable Paul Netherton said revealed falling footfall at its front desks as people increasingly contacted the police by phone or the Internet.

"Over a year ago we began a review of our front offices, what people used them for, what the footfall was, to see how we could improve the service," Mr Netherton said.

"That review was taking place, then half way through we had the comprehensive spending review which added finance and efficiency into the mix."

Mr Netherton said the review had revealed "a dramatic change" in the way people contacted the force ,with 90 per cent of inquiries being made over the phone. Only four per cent of callers at front desks, he explained, were actually reporting a crime.

"The footfall survey showed that a significant number of offices got less than 10 callers a day," Mr Netherton said. "One station, Redruth, got an average of less than two callers a day, which means that each single inquiry cost £95-100."

He said wall phones connecting to the police control room would continue to be provided. Members of the public could also request appointments with officers, or contact them through 'beat surgeries' and public meetings.

In all 34 front counters, mainly in smaller towns, will be closed. Only 23 are being retained – chosen to ensure people are less than 15 minutes away from their nearest front desk – with differing opening times to better suit the demands of the public. .

Mr Netherton admitted that the closures would be "sensitive" issues in the affected communities and conceded that the "onus" was on the force to make sure the public knew how to reach them.

"It is not just about closures," he added. "It is about providing a service which meets modern expectations and changing the way we do business. Do you want someone sitting behind a desk when no-one goes in or do we want them out on the ground, being seen, being visible? Those are the decisions we are having to make to meet the budget challenges."

The office closures are part of a package of measures being introduced by the force to meet budgets cuts of around £47 million over the next four years.

On Friday, the Devon and Cornwall Police Authority, which governs the force, discussed both the closures and implementing a controversial clause which will force officers to retire after their 30-year term of service. Its chairman Mike Bull said: "It makes sense to optimise our opening hours, using the resources available, to better meet local needs and provide in a way that offers best value for money for our communities

Article courtesy of http://www.thisisdevon.co.uk/news

Forced Retirement of 700 Police Officers in Devon & Cornwall

Devon and Cornwall Police are to forcibly retire 700 officers over the next four years after invoking a controversial clause to meet a £47 million budget cut imposed by the Government.

Members of Devon and Cornwall Police Authority (DCPA) yesterday approved use of a rarely-used pensions rule which will compel officers to retire after their 30-year standard term of service.

Chief Constable Stephen Otter said it was the only option available if the force was to achieve £47 million in cuts by 2015 – £3 million higher than previously estimated.

He also revealed that civilian job losses will also be heavier than predicted, with an extra 75 posts to be cut on top of the 300 which had already been announced. In all, 700 police officers are to be axed, from the force's compliment of 3,500, reducing the force to levels last seen in 1983. A recruitment freeze is also in place.

The Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, said that would lead to a "future policing crisis" in which the force didn't have sufficient resources to deal with major incidents.

"We will have less officers able to respond to emergencies in the future," federation chairman Sergeant Nigel Rabbitts said. "The chances are that we will be faced by a number of serious incidents when we are able to resource the first properly but not the second."

Sgt Rabbitts said officers were "disappointed" that the clause – known as Regulation A19 – had been invoked but recognised that the measure that been "forced" by the cuts handed down from central Government.

However, he warned that the blow would hit the frontline hardest.

A report before the police authority showed 100 officers will be forced to retire next year followed by a further 398 by 2015. Another 148 officers who reach the age of 60 over the same period, but have less than 30 years' service, will also go.

Around 60 officers who currently have 30 years service or more are likely to receive 90-day consultation notices early in the New Year and be forced to retire on April 1.

Members spent 45 minutes discussing the move in secret, for legal reasons, before voting overwhelmingly to approve it. They are only to fourth authority out of the 43 in England and Wales to vote for the cost-saving measure.

Chief Constable Stephen Otter told the meeting: "This does raise huge emotions within the force.

"A19 will lead to the loss of some very experienced people that we wouldn't have lost," he said. "But there are a lot who would have retired and we would have lost anyway."

After the meeting, Mr Otter admitted that he had "never felt we could do this without affecting the frontline". But he said the force should be measured on what it delivered "rather than the number of people we have".

He added: "This is not a decision we have made lightly and we have spent a great deal of time considering the options available to us.

"We understand that for those officers who have planned their career around staying with the force beyond 30 years, this will be a very difficult time.

"However, unfortunately when faced with the magnitude of the cuts we have been asked to make we simply do not have other options open to us which would ensure that we could deliver savings over the next four years while still continuing to provide a policing service to the people of Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly."

Mike Bull, the DCPA chairman, added: "The police authority deliberated long and hard but fully supports the constabulary's recommendation to invoke regulation A19.

"We are not the first police authority in the country to agree to use this regulation and we believe many others will be following suit over the coming months."

Article courtesy of http://www.thisisdevon.co.uk/news

SEASONAL GREETINGS TO BLOGGERS EVERYWHERE

I send warmest seasonal greetings to all Bloggers everywhere and wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy & Prosperous New Year.