The Wisdom of Benjamin Franklin on Freemasonry

Clampdown On Rogue Clampers

Rogue firms face huge fines and even jail in a crackdown on wheel-clamping.

The Government will unveil plans this week to make it a criminal offence to clamp or tow away cars on private land.

Cowboy clampers rake in £55million a year from motorists.

The new law due to come in early next year will see them fined up to £5,000 by JPs.

Repeat offenders will be clobbered with unlimited crown court fines. If they refuse to pay they could be put behind bars.

Home Office Minister Lynne Featherstone told The Sun: "For too long motorists have fallen victim to extortion and abuse from rogue clamping companies.

"I have been outraged by cases of drivers being frog-marched to cash points late at night or left stranded by rogue operators.

"This Government is committing rogue clampers to history and putting an end to intimidation and excessive charges once and for all."

Official figures show some 500,000 cars are clamped each year on private land. It costs drivers an average £112 to free their vehicle but some have been forced to fork out up to £500.

Ministers also plan to tighten up regulations for dishing out parking fines on private land to stop cowboys from simply switching tactics.

The measures will not affect the police or official bodies like the DVLA who will still have the power to clamp or tow away untaxed cars.

Last night a driver who beat car clampers with a 30-hour sit-in hailed the plans as "excellent news".

The Sun – which has exposed a string of rogue clampers – told last August how Haroon Zafaryab, 27, became the people's champion when he refused to budge from his clamped Toyota Prius for more than a day.

Clampers plastered his car with 40 orange "fine" stickers and the bill mushroomed to £4,000. But the stand-off ended when they caved in.

Mr Zafaryab – who had failed to spot a tiny "no parking" sign on private land in Wembley, North West London, said: "Mine was a single victory for the little man. This is a giant victory for the whole motoring nation.

"Drivers have been held to ransom by these parasites for years."

Article courtesy of and www.policeoracle.com

Deadly 'War On Cops' Sparks US Tactic Review

Dept of Justice reviews whether training, behaviour or budget cuts are responsible for massive rise in killing of police officers...

US government officials are set to review a spate of deadly attacks on police officers that has been dubbed a "War on Cops".

A series of shootings has left 15 officers dead in January alone - with 11 killed in one 24-hour period alone.

The US Department of Justice said it will study whether the behaviour of officers, deficits in training or financial cut-backs could have contributed to the number of fatalities.

The crisis has been highlighted by extraordinary CCTV footage from a police station in Detroit showing a man opening fire on officers, injuring four.

The gunman, who was subsequently killed, struck because he was angry at a search of his home.

The shootings have taken place across the US and follow a dramatic rise in the number of officers killed in the line of duty last year.

Officer David Moore died after being shot in the head during a routine traffic stop on one of his first day shifts with the Indianapolis police department.

His mother Jo said: "What he didn't realise is that the day shift is more hazardous because, when something happens on day shifts, it's usually pretty ugly. Unfortunately, he met evil."

She said her son's organs were being donated: "Someone's getting a darn good heart."

Craig Floyd, of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, said: "I have never seen anything like it. These violent events have been detrimental to America's peace officers.

"We must do everything in our power to stop these senseless and heinous crimes against our law enforcement personnel."

The attacks, along with shootings earlier this month in Tucson, Arizona, have thrown the focus on the easy availability of firearms in the US.

It was noted that US President Barack Obama avoided the subject in his State of the Union address.

The right to bear arms, enshrined in the US constitution, remains an issue that divides Americans.

Some officers have voiced concerns that they are increasingly being "outgunned" by criminals desperate to avoid jail and armed with more high-power weapons - but unions point to a more familiar theme.

Rich Roberts, spokesman for the International Union of Police Associations, said: "There's so much violence on entertainment media, internet, movies, TV, that people are less sensitive to it and more inclined to be confrontational."

Article courtesy of www.policeoracle.com

Police Dogs obey orders!

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