Time for a Royal Commission into British Policing ?

My apologies for the lack of postings of late but I have been on holiday in the Canary Islands and am only now getting back to my normal pattern of daily routine.

A comprehensive review of policing needs to be carried out to equip both senior officers and front line PCs with the powers they need for the 21st Century, according to the Chairman of the Association of Chief Police Officers.

Sir Hugh Orde said the last time a fundamental overhaul had been carried out was nearly 50 years ago, when the demands on officers and the dynamic of society were very different.

Orde’s views were shared by former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair, who believed that current structures and procedures, set up in the wake of the 1962 Royal Commission, were not up to scratch for the modern era.

The Commission’s findings, which led to the Police Act 1964, form the foundation of current law enforcement. The legislation reduced the number of forces through amalgamation and created new Police Authorities among other far-reaching changes.

However, in an interview with the BBC’s Radio 4 Today programme, Orde maintained that terrorism, new technology and social change meant that a new approach was needed.

He said: “Policing has moved on – with the international threat, the national threat and cyber crime, we are in a different place. We need an independent assessment.”

Orde said that leaders were making tough decisions about how to balance resources with “anti-social behaviour at one end, international terrorism at the other” on a regular basis.

He added: “I think it is important that we step back and look at this now rather than wait for some crisis that will drive change – it could be a multi-site terrorist attack.

“I would be more comfortable knowing that we have the best structure possible to deal with that threat because we’ve looked at it before the crisis, not on the back of it.”

Sir Ian Blair was also worried that the last review of policing was set up during an era that pre-dated even he threat posed by Irish Republican terrorism – and he pointed out that there had been vast technological and social changes since.

He believed that there needed to be “a situation in which policing is assessed again for the 21st Century”. Speaking at the PoliceOracle.com backed Future of Policing seminar in London, Blair added: “We have not had a review in a holistic way since 1962. Then the police did not have radios. There was no internet and no terrorism.

“The people that created the last Royal Commission took their recommendations to the Home Office. We have had three separate Home Office buildings since then.”

“I rest my case.”

Article courtesy of www.policeoracle.com

England my England

Goodbye to my England, So long my old friend

Your days are numbered, being brought to an end

To be Scottish, Irish or Welsh that's fine

But don't say you're English, that's way out of line.

The French and the Germans may call themselves such

So may Norwegians, the Swedes and the Dutch

You can say you are Russian or maybe a Dane

But don't say you're English ever again.

At Broadcasting House the word is taboo

In Brussels it's scrapped, in Parliament too

Even schools are affected. Staff do as they're told

They must not teach children about England of old.

Writers like Shakespeare, Milton and Shaw

The pupils don't learn about them anymore

How about Agincourt, Hastings, Arnhem or Mons ?

When England lost hosts of her very brave sons.

We are not Europeans, how can we be?

Europe is miles away, over the sea

We're the English from England, let's all be proud

Stand up and be counted - Shout it out loud!

Let's tell our Government and Brussels too

We're proud of our heritage and the Red, White and Blue

Fly the flag of Saint George or the Union Jack

Let the world know - WE WANT OUR ENGLAND BACK!!!!

The Farmer and his beloved old Rooster!

A FARMER DECIDED HE WANTED TO GO TO TOWN AND SEE A MOVIE. THE TICKET AGENT ASKED,

"SIR, WHAT'S THAT ON YOUR SHOULDER?" THE OLD FARMER SAID, "THAT'S MY PET ROOSTER, CHUCK. WHEREVER I GO, CHUCK GOES."

"I'M SORRY SIR," SAID THE TICKET AGENT. "WE CAN'T ALLOW ANIMALS IN THE THEATRE."

THE OLD FARMER WENT AROUND THE CORNER AND STUFFED CHUCK DOWN HIS OVERALLS. THEN HE RETURNED TO THE BOOTH, BOUGHT A TICKET, AND ENTERED THE THEATRE.

HE SAT DOWN NEXT TO TWO OLD WIDOWS NAMED MILDRED AND MARGE.



THE MOVIE STARTED AND THE ROOSTER BEGAN TO SQUIRM. THE OLD FARMER UNBUTTONED HIS TROUSERS SO CHUCK COULD STICK HIS HEAD OUT AND WATCH THE MOVIE.

"MARGE!..." WHISPERED MILDRED.
"WHAT?..." SAID MARGE.
"I THINK THE GUY NEXT TO ME IS A PERVERT!...."
"WHAT MAKES YOU THINK SO?" ASKED MARGE?
"HE UNDID HIS PANTS AND HE HAS HIS THING OUT!....", WHISPERED MILDRED...
"WELL, DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT", SAID MARGE.. "AT OUR AGE WE'VE SEEN 'EM ALL"

"I THOUGHT SO TOO", SAID MILDRED, "BUT THIS ONE'S EATING MY POPCORN !!!!!!!!!...."

Death of PCSO Mark Marshall in Afghanistan

It is with deep regret that Devon & Cornwall constabulary has announced the death of Police Community Support Officer Mark Marshall on 14 February 2010, while on active service in Afghanistan. He leaves his mother, a sister and a brother.

Mark was born on 24 March 1980 and joined the Force on 24 April 2006. He served in Exeter within the Priory and latterly Countess Wear and Topsham neighbourhood policing teams.

He was a member of the Territorial Army and was killed by an explosion on patrol in Afghanistan on Sunday.

Devon district commander Chief Superintendent Jo Tennant said: "Mark was one of our most experienced PCSOs and will be hugely missed by all his colleagues across Exeter and by the communities he was so proud to serve.

“His work with young people was very much appreciated by all those he came into contact with; he had the ability to motivate and inspire youngsters and he really enjoyed his work with the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme.

“Mark was a great character and an important part of our team. We would like to send our sincere condolences to Mark's family at this very sad time."

Exeter Neighbourhood Inspector Brent Davison said: “Mark was an absolute gentleman who always surpassed expectations. He was an excellent PCSO and would have made a superb Police Officer which he aspired to.

“Mark was always smiling and particularly enjoyed helping young people. I remember being present at a Duke Of Edinburgh awards ceremony, where the recipients were young people from Mark`s patch who Mark and colleagues had mentored.

“He made such a difference to those young people and his legacy will go on with them. He was rightly proud of these young people and they, in common with the rest of Mark's community, thoroughly respected him. Mark will be very sadly missed by all who had the pleasure of meeting him.”

Article courtesy of:www.policeoracle.com

The Disgrace of Dizaei

Following the 'Guilty' verdict and subsequent sentence of 4 years imprisonment of Commander Ali Dizaei the parties involved in the investigation have been quick to issue statements explaining their respective positions.

MPS Commissioner, Sir Paul Stephenson, said "Commander Ali Dizaei has been a police officer for nearly 25 years. It is extremely disappointing and concerning that this very senior officer has been found guilty of abusing his position and power.

The public expect the police to treat them fairly and honestly and we are resolved to tackle corruption at every opportunity. He has breached that trust and damaged not only his own reputation but that of the entire police service. I am proud of the officers who gave evidence in this case and supported the IPCC investigation.

Bearing in mind his rank and disgraceful behaviour he should not be surprised at the severity of his sentence."

A Metropolitan Police Authority spokesperson said "The MPA has a statutory duty to consider all complaints and allegations of misconduct against senior MPS officers and takes this responsibility very seriously. The MPA’s Professional Standards Cases Sub-committee (PSCSC) considers all cases in full accordance with the Police Reform Act 2002 and associated Regulations.

Following consideration of a complaint by a member of the public against Commander Ali Dizaei, the PSCSC referred the matter to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

The IPCC determined to conduct an independent investigation. Having investigated the complaint the IPCC then referred the case to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). In May 2009, the CPS advised the IPCC that there was sufficient evidence to charge Commander Dizaei with misconduct in public office and perverting the course of justice in relation to events that took place on Friday 18 July 2008.

The trial concerning these charges has now concluded and found Commander Dizaei guilty on both charges.

At this time the matter remains an IPCC independent investigation. Therefore, the MPA is not in a position to comment further.

In due course the IPCC will refer it back to the MPA, at which time the PSCSC will consider what action (if any) is required.

The PSCSC continues, in line with its statutory duty, to review the decision previously taken to suspend Commander Dizaei."

Nick Hardwick, Chair of the IPCC said "When Mr Al Baghdadi tried to get Commander Dizaei to pay him the money he owed him, Dizaei assaulted and then arrested him. He went on to lie about what had happened and, if he had been successful, Mr Al Baghdadi may have been sent to prison.

Dizaei behaved like a bully and the only way to deal with bullies is to stand up to them. Mr Al Baghdadi has shown tremendous strength of character throughout this case – from the moment he was confronted by Ali Dizaei, throughout our investigation, and finally when giving evidence at court. We are grateful for the confidence he placed in the IPCC and, as a result of that, justice has been done today.

The greatest threat to the reputation of the police service is criminals in uniform like Dizaei. Corruption comes in many forms and remains a threat to the police service. It requires constant vigilance to fight it. Integrity must not be negotiable. I think the public will now be looking to police leadership for reassurance that they will not allow political and financial pressures to prevent them from robustly tackling corruption.

The behaviour of Dizaei contrasts with that of the Met officers who spoke out and gave evidence in court against him. This verdict should send a message to any other corrupt officer that nobody is untouchable but I hope it will strengthen the resolve of all those decent officers whose responsibilities require them to combat or speak out against corruption.

I want to say thank you to the team of IPCC investigators who have worked incredibly hard on this case. They have shown a professionalism and determination in gathering all the available evidence which stood up to intense scrutiny over the last few weeks. They deserve our thanks and praise.”

Article courtesy of www.policeoracle.com

The ultimate in political spin!

No matter what side of the political spectrum you are on, this story, if true, is no surprise and extremely revealing of our politicians!

It simply depends on how you look at some things !!!!!!...,

Judy Wallman, a professional genealogy researcher in southern California , was doing some personal work on her own family tree. She discovered that Congressman Harry Reid's great-great uncle, Remus Reid, was hanged for horse stealing and train robbery in Montana in 1889. Both Judy and Harry Reid share this common ancestor.

The only known photograph of Remus shows him standing on the gallows in Montana territory:

On the back of the picture which Judy obtained during her research is this inscription: 'Remus Reid, horse thief, sent to Montana Territorial Prison 1885, escaped 1887, robbed the Montana Flyer six times. Caught by Pinkerton detectives, convicted and hanged in 1889.'

So Judy recently e-mailed Congressman Harry Reid for information about their great-great uncle.

Believe it or not, Harry Reid's staff sent back the following biographical sketch for her genealogy research:

"Remus Reid was a famous cowboy in the Montana Territory . His business empire grew to include acquisition of valuable equestrian assets and intimate dealings with the Montana railroad. Beginning in 1883, he devoted several years of his life to government service, finally taking leave to resume his dealings with the railroad. In 1887, he was a key player in a vital investigation run by the renowned Pinkerton Detective Agency. In 1889, Remus passed away during an important civic function held in his honour when the platform upon which he was standing collapsed."

Now that's how it's done, Folks! That's real POLITICAL SPIN !!!!!!!!!

Postscript Monday 8th. February,2010: My apologies to my Californian friend Dean Eddy for failing to give him thanks for sending me this item when I first posted it on my blog. I am usually more circumspect in giving credits but on this occasion it unfortunately slipped my mind.Please forgive your old limey friend. Another of my more frequent senior moments !!!!!

Dean's website can be found at this address;

http://community-1.webtv.net/dapcs5/httpcommunitywebtv/

Pharmacolgy - A new name for Viagra just announced!

Postings have been a little too serious of late so I thought it was about time I introduced an item of humour. This is a little risque but I hope it makes you smile nevertheless.

In Pharmacology, all drugs have two names, a trade name and generic name. For example, the trade name of Panadol also has a generic name of Paracetamol. Amoxil is also called Amoxicillin and Nurofen is also called Ibuprofen.

The National Drugs Agency has been looking for a generic name for Viagra. After careful consideration by a team of government experts, it recently announced that it has settled on the generic name of Mycoxafloppin. Also considered were Mycoxafailin, Mydixadrupin, Mydixarizin, Dixafix, and of course, Ibepokin.

Pfizer Corporation announced today that Viagra will soon be available in liquid form, and will be marketed by Pepsi Cola as a power beverage suitable for use as a mixer. It will now be possible for a man to literally pour himself a stiff one. Obviously we can no longer call this a soft drink,and it gives new meaning to the names of 'cocktails', 'highballs' and just a good old-fashioned 'stiff drink'. Pepsi will market the new concoction by the name of: MOUNT & DO.

Thought for the day: There is more money being spent on breast implants and Viagra today than on Alzheimer's research. This means that by 2040,there should be a large elderly population with perky Boobs and huge erections and absolutely no recollection of what to do with them!!!!!!!