'Drug Driving' Being Highlighted By Roadside Kits

Police will soon be equipped with 'drugalysers' as part of a major clampdown on drug-driving.

It is believed that people getting behind the wheel after taking cannabis, cocaine or ecstasy is a widespread problem, but the offence is currently difficult to detect.


The fact only 253 people were prosecuted for drug-driving in 2008, compared with 73,000 for drink-driving, is thought to be down to the lack of an effective roadside test.

“Drug-drivers put the lives of responsible motorists at risk and we are determined to ensure the police have everything they need to tackle this menace”

That will soon change, as the Home Office is testing equipment that can detect traces of a whole range of illegal drugs in saliva samples, reports the Sunday Times.


It is thought some of the gadgets will be installed in police stations in the next few weeks, while trials of a handheld version for roadside use continue.

Road Safety Minister Mike Penning said: 'Drug-drivers put the lives of responsible motorists at risk and we are determined to ensure the police have everything they need to tackle this menace.


'We have taken urgent action and intend drug-screening devices to be available for use in police stations this year, making it easier for offenders to be brought to justice.'


Roadside testing kits are already in use in Germany, where 34,500 people were prosecuted for drug-driving in 2008.

Article courtesy of Metro Newspaper and www.policeoracle.com

Drink And Drug Driving Campaign Begins

With hopes high for a long hot summer this year, drivers are being reminded to enjoy the long evenings, but not to drink and drive. The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) is launching its annual month long crack down on drunk drivers this week.

Police officers will be out in force during the campaign in a bid to crack down on those who think they can drink or take drugs and drive and get away with it.

ACPO lead on drink and drug driving Chief Constable Phil Gormley said:

"Every year forces successfully concentrate their resources on preventing and detecting drink and drug drivers across the UK.

“In 2009, 17% of people killed on our roads died in a collision involving a drink driver and nearly 12,000 were injured.”
"We will carry out roadside checks at all times of the day and night and on all types of road. This means that if you drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs, there is a good chance you will be stopped and tested."

Last year just under 101,000 people were stopped and tested during the 30-day summer campaign with 5.6 percent testing positive or refusing a test.

Chief Constable Phil Gormley said:

"Summer is a time for socialising and having fun and this year will be no exception. Our message is clear, have fun, drink if you want to, but don't then get behind the wheel and drive. If you take that risk you will be caught."

Road Safety Minister Mike Penning said:

"Drink and drug driving are serious offences and drivers should be in no doubt that if they are caught behind the wheel under the influence this summer they risk losing their licence as well as facing a fine and even a prison sentence.

"We are taking forward measures to make it easier for the police to tackle drink and drug driving and protect law abiding road users including plans for drug testing kits to help detect drug drivers and tightening the law on drink driving.

"The number of drink driving deaths has fallen by more than 75% since 1979. But drink and drug driving still kills hundreds of people, that is why we want to help the police take tough action to tackle these reckless drivers."

Article Courtesy of ACPO PRESS OFFICE & WWW.POLICEORACLE.COM

Abandoned Labrador Becomes A Police Dog

Six-year-old Monty and his handler PC Rob Cooke were awarded the Terry Ball Award at the annual Labrador Rescue Ball last month.

The award is given every year to a neglected or abused Labrador who deserves special recognition for their achievements following a particularly difficult start to life.

Monty has been helping to police the county since he was rescued in 2007 when he was found starving to death at a deserted pub.

He'd been there for up to three weeks and had survived by drinking water from a toilet.

He was given a home at the East Midlands Labrador Rescue, where his carers recognised a potential in him to become a crime-fighting police dog.

PC Steve Abbott, a Home Office and ACPO accredited police dog instructor, helped guide Monty through the eight-week training process.

He said: "He certainly had lots issues when he first came to us. He was frightened to be in confined spaces and didn't trust anyone. But I took the time to show him lots of love, sit with him and make sure he knew he was safe.

"I took him for long walks and I saw that he had a great natural ability and had the potential to do really well – he just needed to get his confidence back again."

But training was not plain sailing for Monty.

PC Abbott continued: "He was just not getting it at first. But he had such a bad start to life, I was determined he was going to make it.

"So I put in extra time with him and pretty soon, he was not only getting it, he was one of the best we had."

Monty is able to easily locate a variety of weapons and illegal substances, including heroin, cocaine, amphetamines and cannabis.

Within days of his new job, he had discovered several thousands of pounds worth of cocaine, and his latest find was £3,000 worth of cannabis at a house in Worksop.

Monty lives with his handler PC Cooke and is treated like a member of the family.

PC Cooke said: "He's spoiled at home and gets lots of love and attention. But he lives to work – that's what he loves doing the most.

"He's a loveable rogue and I would not swap him for any other dog in the world. He is a bit boisterous, but if you give him a task, he does it perfectly.

"I am extremely honoured and proud to receive this award, not for me but for Monty because of where he came from and where he is now."

Sgt Donna Busuttil, from the dog section, said: "The work Steve and Rob have done with Monty cannot be underestimated.

"They make an excellent team and Monty is one of the best working dogs we have ever had in this department.

"We are extremely proud of what they have achieved and undoubtedly make a significant contribution to keeping the streets of Nottinghamshire safe."

Article courtesy of Nottinghamshire Police and www.policeoracle.com

Police, Crime & 999

I have received the following request from John Donoghue, who is a serving police officer, requesting me to draw attention to a book he has written which will be published in August but currently available online. I am happy to oblige in the sincere belief that it is genuine and sounds very humorous and interesting. The purchase price online offers a considerable saving from the recommended retail price too! So here goes, this is what he said to me in his e-mail;

As a serving police officer too, I found your blog fantastic. You have a way with words! I loved the schnauzer joke too ...at least I HOPE it was a joke!!

Anyway, I was wondering if you’d be so kind as to give a mention on your excellent blog to my book Police, Crime & 999

It’s a look at a year in my life as a front line response officer, comes with the warning: CONTAINS HUMOUR AND TRACES OF NUTS and, amongst other things, answers those basic questions:

What REALLY happens behind the scenes in the police?

What bizarre 999 calls are made to the emergency services?

Why can wearing 2 pairs of socks make you a suspect?

What is the link between police and vampires?

Which Royal arrest never made news headlines?

What covert sign do officers make when they no longer wish to talk to you?

I’ve changed names and places to protect the guilty!

The book isn’t officially available until August, but it is available NOW for all readers of your blog via my website www.policecrime999.com where there is a 10% discount.

There is no publicity budget to speak of, so any help in spreading the word would be most appreciated.

I really look forward to hearing from you or if you want a photo of the book etc

Cheers

John

web: www.policecrime999.com

A Pharmaceutical Freudian Slip

Time for a touch of light hearted humour folks:

My neighbour found out that her dog ( a Schnauzer) could hardly hear, so she took it to the veterinarian. The vet found that the problem was hair in the dog's ears. He cleaned both ears, and the dog could then hear fine. The vet then proceeded to tell the lady that, if she wanted to keep this from recurring, she should go to the chemist and get some "Nair" hair remover and rub it in the dog's ears once a month.

The lady went to the chemist and bought some "Nair" hair remover. At the cash register, the pharmacist told her, "If you're going to use this under your arms, don't use deodorant for a few days."

The lady said, "I'm not using it under my arms."

The pharmacist said, "If you're using it on your legs, don't shave for a couple of days."

The lady replied, "I'm not using it on my legs either. If you must know, I'm using it on my Schnauzer."

The pharmacist says, "Well Madam, in that case you had better stay off your bicycle for the next two weeks!"

Police Automatic Number Plate Recognition Cameras

Devon and Cornwall Police claim revealing the locations of automatic number plate recognition cameras would hinder crime fighting. The force is fighting a legal ruling which could pave the way for thousands of secret traffic cameras across Britain to be revealed.

Devon and Cornwall Police claim revealing the locations of its 45 automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras would hinder crime fighting.

Their locations were requested under Freedom of Information laws by Guardian Government Computing, which appealed to the Information Rights Tribunal (IRT).

The IRT found in favour of the publication, ordering the information be disclosed within 35 days.

More than 10,000 covert cameras photograph and record the registration numbers of motorists every day. The information is used against a national database to track criminals and has proved vital in tackling criminals.

A Devon and Cornwall Police spokesman said the force was appealing. "The force continues to take legal advice and is also consulting the Association of Chief Police Officers FOI Central Referral Unit as part of the process," he said.

"The force believes that revealing the exact location of ANPR sites will seriously reduce their impact as a crime-fighting tool in identifying suspects and offenders.

"There is no doubt that since the advent of ANPR the police's ability to proactively target criminals on the road network has increased dramatically.

"Showing a criminal the exact location of a camera will make those cameras easier to avoid and thus make capturing criminals more difficult.

"While the force accepts the need for transparency and the public's right to information whenever possible, revealing the location of covert policing resources goes far and beyond this."

Forcibly retired police officers invited to return as volunteers

Labour says police forces are forcing 2,100 of the most experienced officers into early retirement, some of whom are then being asked to rejoin on a voluntary basis.

Police officers with more than 30 years experience who have been forcibly retired because of budget cuts are being asked to return as part-time volunteers, Labour has disclosed.

The shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper, said 13 police forces have so far confirmed plans to force more than 2,100 of the most experienced police officers in England and Wales into early retirement by 2015. A further nine forces are considering similar action.

Chief constables have no legal powers to make police officers redundant, but can forcibly retire those with more than 30 years service with 28 days notice under an obscure A19 provision of the police pension regulations on grounds of efficiency of the force.

A Labour survey of current police budgets reveals that 13 out of the 43 forces, including the West Midlands, North Yorkshire and Surrey, have already decided that 2,124 officers should be compulsorily retired using the A19 regulation by 2015 in order to make up for 20% cuts in Whitehall police funding.

The issue was raised at prime minister's questions by the Labour leader, Ed Miliband, who cited the case of PC Martin Heard, who is being forcibly retired after 32 years as a neighbourhood officer in Wolverhampton.

Heard received the "Copper's copper" award from the Police Federation last year, and some weeks after he was forced to retire, he got a letter asking him to rejoin the force as a special constable on a part-time unpaid basis.

He was among a group of experienced officers being retired under A19 due to meet the home secretary, Theresa May, today. Others included Detective Constable Tim Kennedy, a recognised specialist in serious acquisitive crime, Sergeant Dave Hewitt, who is 48, with 32 years service, and is one of the youngest officers in the country to be retired, and Inspector Mark Stokes, a leading specialist in crime prevention.

Cooper said Heard was not alone in being asked to rejoin on a voluntary basis, adding: "You couldn't make this up.

"Senior, experienced officers are being forced out by the pace and scale of the Tory-led government's cuts, then asked to come back and do the same job for free because everyone knows they are needed in the fight against crime."

In the Commons, Miliband claimed the policing cuts demonstrated that the prime minister had broken his pre-election promise to send any cabinet minister who came to him with proposals to cut frontline services packing.

Cameron told Miliband: "Decisions about police numbers will depend on the decisions made by individual chief constables in individual parts of the country.

"The point I would make is that we see, in case after case, that there are far too many police officers in back-office jobs doing paperwork and carrying out corporate development work who should be on the front line.

"Responsible chief constables are getting these police officers out on the front line to fight crime, and crime under this government is falling."

He accused Labour of "complete and utter hypocrisy" over police numbers, citing Alan Johnson's admission when he was home secretary before the general election that he could not guarantee numbers would not fall in the event of the party remaining in power.

"The question is not should the budget be reduced – of course the budget has to be reduced," said Cameron.

"The question is who is going to cut the paperwork, who is going to get rid of the bureaucracy, who is going to trust the local managers to make sure we get police on the front line? These are steps we are taking, and steps his government never took."


Blue Line Comment My thanks to Steve Bennett for posting this article on his blog:http://thinbluelineuk.blogspot.com/2011/05/would-you-retire-from-police-service.html

Forcing some of our most valued and experienced officers to retire is bad enough. With all due respect being paid to the good work of the specials, asking officers who have put 30+ years of commitment and experience into the job to come back on an unpaid basis is a really insulting and disrespectful kick in the teeth. It is also a measure of the arrogance and ignorance of senior officers who would even consider such an insulting proposition. Seems like more of a political gesture than a serious operational suggestion to us.