Topic: Sarah Everard* Update Jan 2023 - Met Police rapist.

[ianburns252]

The latest move is that plainclothes officers will be required to video call a uniformed officer if stopping a lone woman to ensure the validity of the stop.

I would move, potentially, to say that it should be a requirement of any plainclothes stop but small steps in the right direction certainly. Key would be it taking the onus of knowing the law (other than knowing this requirement) out of the civilian hands and put them on the police to prove that they are stopping someone for legitimate reasons.

This won't solve everything but it feels like a good step.

[TSC]

https://news.sky.com/story/officers-from-metropolitan-police-sussex-dorset-and-avon-and-somerset-facing-disciplinary-action-over-social-media-messages-about-sarah-everards-killer-wayne-couzens-12441196

[Levitz]

Breaking Covid laws may have seemed like her to have been a major and arrestable issue, we'll never know.

Thinking about it more, its not realistic that we know what is an what isn't an arrestable offence, I grew up on Tower Hill and even though I've been arrested twice for minor offences, I had no idea at the time if I should have been. We do need clarification on whether an arrest needs a marked car, but then again, its fair to assume that an unaccompanied undercover cop can arrest and cuff a suspect while waiting for a van. On a cold dark night, the offer to sit in a warm car would then be appealing. 

The focus really needs to be on the Police, they need to get their own house in order first.

This. I am not a lawyer. A plain clothes officer can arrest you. If a police officer shows you their warrant card very few people, prior to Couzens, would suggest you resist arrest. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. The problem here is the police, their vetting and their institutional misogyny and racism. Every time they put it on the 'victim' they are deflecting. Sarah's knowledge (or lack thereof) of the law was not the cause of her abduction and murder. A police officer, previously reported for exposure, known for sexual predation and a culture of backing your mates and never admitting responsibility let him remain in post. That was the primary factor. Don't let them put it on her. Don't let them put it on us.

[Levitz]

The latest move is that plainclothes officers will be required to video call a uniformed officer if stopping a lone woman to ensure the validity of the stop.

I would move, potentially, to say that it should be a requirement of any plainclothes stop but small steps in the right direction certainly. Key would be it taking the onus of knowing the law (other than knowing this requirement) out of the civilian hands and put them on the police to prove that they are stopping someone for legitimate reasons.

This won't solve everything but it feels like a good step.

He was a police officer. They would have affirmed he was a police officer. More steps to avoid responsibility.

[John C]

Heads up again about this.
The people that work on the front line of these services want, need it promoted.

[So… Howard Philips]

This won't receive the same publicity, understandably, as the Everard case but just goes to show the level of random violence women face.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-59350917

A man has admitted murdering a mum of two whose naked body was found by a dog walker near an east London hospital.

Valentin Lazar, 21, pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to killing Maria Rawlings, 45, who was found in a shrubbery in Romford on 4 May.

"The victim, who suffered multiple injuries, was attacked shortly after she left a hospital where she had gone for treatment following a fall.

The defendant, from Barking, can expect life imprisonment, the judge said.

Ms Rawlings was followed off a bus and targeted by Lazar because she was a vulnerable woman alone at night, it was alleged.

At an earlier hearing, the prosecutor, Paul Jarvis, had said: "He was probably carrying a knife.

"He led her into the bushes before violently attacking her and ultimately killing her before stealing some of her belongings and walking off."

[rob1966]

^

Awful that. This kind of stuff must stop happening.

Another one that comes as no surprise, Colin Pitchfork, who raped and murdered 15 yr olds Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth in 1988 and was released in September has been arrested and is back in prison for breaching the terms of the licence. The case was featured in a recent ITV drama starring John Simm, as Pitchfork was the first to be convicted using DNA.

Double child killer Colin Pitchfork has been arrested and recalled to prison, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has said.

He was released two months ago after spending 33 years in jail for murdering two teenage girls in the 1980s.

It is understood Pitchfork was returned to custody on Friday over a breach of licence conditions, and his re-release will be a matter for the Parole Board.

A Probation Service spokesperson said: "Protecting the public is our number one priority."

They added: "When offenders breach the conditions of their release and potentially pose an increased risk, we don't hesitate to return them to custody."

The PA News agency said it was understood that Pitchfork was not recalled for committing any further offences but because probation staff identified "concerning behaviours" and the step was taken as a preventative measure.

Pitchfork was jailed in 1988 for raping and murdering 15-year-olds Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth in Leicestershire.

He raped and strangled Lynda Mann in Narborough in November 1983 and killed Dawn Ashworth three years later.

In June, the Parole Board concluded it was safe to release Pitchfork, who was the first murderer to be convicted using DNA evidence.

Upon his release, the MoJ said Pitchfork, 61, would remain under supervision for the rest of his life.

Dawn Ashworth's mother said she was "pleased" the child killer had been recalled to prison.

Barbara Ashworth said: "I'm pleased that he's been put away and women and girls are safe and protected from him now.

"It's a safer place when he's behind bars and I won't have to worry about other people being hurt by him for the time being.

"But there's always the worry that he might get out again, he seems to have a lot of people on his side who give him the benefit of the doubt.

"But for now, I have to be pleased about the news."

[Wabaloolah]

^

Awful that. This kind of stuff must stop happening.

Another one that comes as no surprise, Colin Pitchfork, who raped and murdered 15 yr olds Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth in 1988 and was released in September has been arrested and is back in prison for breaching the terms of the licence. The case was featured in a recent ITV drama starring John Simm, as Pitchfork was the first to be convicted using DNA.

Double child killer Colin Pitchfork has been arrested and recalled to prison, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has said.

He was released two months ago after spending 33 years in jail for murdering two teenage girls in the 1980s.

It is understood Pitchfork was returned to custody on Friday over a breach of licence conditions, and his re-release will be a matter for the Parole Board.

A Probation Service spokesperson said: "Protecting the public is our number one priority."

They added: "When offenders breach the conditions of their release and potentially pose an increased risk, we don't hesitate to return them to custody."

The PA News agency said it was understood that Pitchfork was not recalled for committing any further offences but because probation staff identified "concerning behaviours" and the step was taken as a preventative measure.

Pitchfork was jailed in 1988 for raping and murdering 15-year-olds Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth in Leicestershire.

He raped and strangled Lynda Mann in Narborough in November 1983 and killed Dawn Ashworth three years later.

In June, the Parole Board concluded it was safe to release Pitchfork, who was the first murderer to be convicted using DNA evidence.

Upon his release, the MoJ said Pitchfork, 61, would remain under supervision for the rest of his life.

Dawn Ashworth's mother said she was "pleased" the child killer had been recalled to prison.

Barbara Ashworth said: "I'm pleased that he's been put away and women and girls are safe and protected from him now.

"It's a safer place when he's behind bars and I won't have to worry about other people being hurt by him for the time being.

"But there's always the worry that he might get out again, he seems to have a lot of people on his side who give him the benefit of the doubt.

"But for now, I have to be pleased about the news."

What the fuck the parole board were doing releasing this low life is anybody's guess, he should never be released if he cannot be euthanised

Apparently he tried to approach young women, going against the terms of his release, scum

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-59377431

[So… Howard Philips]

What the fuck the parole board were doing releasing this low life is anybody's guess, he should never be released if he cannot be euthanised

Apparently he tried to approach young women, going against the terms of his release, scum

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-59377431

Not only that but he had forty licence conditions attached to his release. An 'ordinary decent murderer' only has seven conditions to comply with.

If he presented such a risk requiring forty conditions it begs the question as to why he was released.

[rob1966]

Not only that but he had forty licence conditions attached to his release. An 'ordinary decent murderer' only has seven conditions to comply with.

If he presented such a risk requiring forty conditions it begs the question as to why he was released.

Imagine if he had murdered another teenage girl? Would the Parole Board just shrug it off as one of those things? The Judge in his original trial said he should never be released, he admitted to over 1,000 incidents of flashing and multiple sexual assaults - women will never be safe from him.

[rob1966]

What the fuck is going on in the MET? Another rapist from the Diplomatic protection unit.

Met Police officer David Carrick charged with 13 more criminal offences including three rapes

Metropolitan Police officer David Carrick has been charged with 13 further criminal offences against three women including three counts of rape, the Crown Prosecution Service has said.

PC Carrick, 46, of Stevenage, Hertfordshire, a police officer based within the Met’s Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command, had already been charged with one count of rape last month following a complaint by a separate woman.

The CPS, announcing the new charges, say they relate to three women and are alleged to have taken place between 2017 and 2020.

In relation to the first woman, PC Carrick, 46, is charged with two counts of rape, one count of coercive and controlling behaviour, one count of false imprisonment, one count of sexual assault, one count of assault by penetration and one count of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent.

In relation to the second, he is charged with one count of assault by penetration, one count of sexual assault and one count of attempted sexual assault by penetration.

And in relation to the third, he is charged with one count of rape, one count of sexual assault and one count of coercive and controlling behaviour, the CPS said.

He will make his first court appearance in relation to the new charges at via videolink at 2pm on Friday, November 26 at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.

He is currently remanded in custody.

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “The Met Police said PC Carrick was previously arrested on Saturday, 2 October by Hertfordshire Constabulary.

“The Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards was informed and PC Carrick was suspended by the Metropolitan Police on the same day as his arrest. He remains suspended at this time.

“Officers from the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards continue to liaise with and support Hertfordshire Constabulary in relation to this investigation.

“A referral has been made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.”

Peter Burt, Senior District Crown Prosecutor for CPS Thames and Chiltern, said: “Following a referral of evidence by Hertfordshire Constabulary, the CPS has now charged David Carrick with a total of 14 alleged offences against four women.

“We remind all concerned that criminal proceedings against the defendant are active and that he has a right to a fair trial.

“It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.”

PC Carrick is due to appear at St Albans Crown Court on Friday, 3 December for a Plea and Trial Preparation Hearing (PTPH) in relation to the first rape charge.

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/david-carrick-charged-met-police-london-rape-14-offences-b968098.html

[gazzalfc]

Just a few bad apples...
Not reflective of the majority of the Met police....

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-60215575

The police watchdog says it has found evidence of "disgraceful" bullying, misogyny, discrimination and sexual harassment in some ranks of the Met.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) made 15 recommendations following "underlying cultural issues", including officers joking about rape.

Most officers investigated were police constables and mostly based at Charing Cross Police Station, the IOPC said.

The Met Police said it was "deeply sorry" at the report's findings.

In its report, the IOPC said: "We believe these incidents are not isolated or simply the behaviour of a few 'bad apples'."

The inquiry was launched in March 2018 into nine linked independent investigations concerning serving police officers from the Met.

The investigation began after an officer had sex with a vulnerable woman in a room inside a London police station, the IOPC said.

Of the 14 officers investigated, two were dismissed for gross misconduct and put on the barred list, preventing future employment with the police.

Another two resigned and several others faced disciplinary action, the IOPC said.

The investigations found evidence of messages exchanged between officers that were often highly sexualise, violent and discriminatory.

These messages were generally described as "banter" by police officers in their defence.

The IOPC said the messages included:

Messages about police officers attending a festival dressed as known sex offenders - sent within a WhatsApp group containing 17 police officers

Numerous messages about rape within WhatsApp and Facebook chat groups

Homophobic comments

Use of words that could be considered misogynist, racist, or constituting disability discrimination

[Red-Soldier]

Met officer was promoted despite misconduct over sexist and racist messages

Exclusive: London mayor puts police chief on notice to reform or lose his confidence after seeing ‘return to the bad days of the 1970s’

A Metropolitan police officer disciplined after an inquiry into misogynistic and racist messages has since been promoted, the Guardian has learned, as Cressida Dick was warned she could lose the confidence of the mayor of London.

Misconduct was proven against the unnamed officer after a watchdog inquiry into messages about hitting and raping women, which were shared by up to 19 officers based mainly at Charing Cross police station.

There were also messages about the deaths of black babies and the Holocaust, prompting accusations of a culture of misogyny and racism within the country’s biggest force.

The officer was promoted from the rank of constable to sergeant despite being sanctioned for failing to report wrongdoing, the Met confirmed.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) also revealed that three officers who remain in the Met sent potentially discriminatory messages. They were classed as being less serious than the messages that emerged on Tuesday.

On Wednesday the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, put Dick on notice that she had to urgently reform the force or he could withdraw his confidence in her. The commissioner is appointed by the mayor and home secretary.

For the first time sources made clear Khan would consider attempting to oust Dick if she fails to deliver rapid progress. The two had a 90-minute meeting described as “frank” after the revelations about Charing Cross and continuing crises gripping the Met. A source close to Khan said: “If the commissioner is not able to do so, then the mayor will have to consider whether she is the right person to lead the change needed at the Met.”

The souring of relations came after the IOPC revealed shocking details of messages shared by Met officers between 2016, the year before Dick became commissioner, and 2018. They were uncovered by accident.

One male officer wrote to a female officer: “I would happily rape you … if I was single I would happily chloroform you.”

The IOPC said the behaviour was part of an offensive Met police culture, not just rogue individuals. “We believe these incidents are not isolated or simply the behaviour of a few ‘bad apples’.” The Met denies the force is plagued by misogyny and racism.

Of 14 officers investigated, two deemed to be the worst offenders were sacked for gross misconduct. Misconduct was proven against another three, while another officer resigned before the disciplinary process was complete.

On Wednesday the Met confirmed that one officer against whom misconduct was proven had been promoted. The force said the officer “attended a misconduct meeting and was given management action/advice about reporting wrongdoing”.

A spokesperson said: “In order to achieve promotion, any officer has to go through a broad and rigorous assessment process. Following that they have to complete an extensive workbook to evidence their skills and abilities to ensure they are capable of the role/rank.

“We have also spoken to line managers to confirm all those subject to the IOPC investigation who are still in the Met are performing to the expected standards … It was assessed that the police sergeant had breached the standards of professional behaviour by failing to challenge or report inappropriate behaviour.”

The Met continued: “Because the police sergeant demonstrated that she had personally developed and learned since the incident, it was agreed by the IOPC that she should be subject to management action only, and that she should complete an attachment with a professional standards unit to develop her knowledge further.”

The IOPC says that three officers investigated and who remain in the Met sent messages which “could be regarded as homophobic, racist or otherwise discriminatory”, adding: “The evidence we gathered indicated that three of those had sent messages of an inappropriate nature.”

Dick’s five-year term expires in April and she then begins a two-year extension which Khan and the home secretary, Priti Patel, approved last year.

Patel questioned the Met’s leadership during questioning by MPs on the home affairs select committee on Wednesday. She said there had been “too many instances where, in policing, we just see the most appalling behaviours” and added: “There are problems with the culture, and some aspects of the culture, within the Metropolitan police.

“We are not seeing one-off incidences, this is not isolated. I also think it shows a failure of leadership in some quarters.”

Patel said she had confidence in the commissioner but added: “There are lots of issues there where we need to see major … significant improvements: culture, delivery, accountability and protecting the streets.”

A spokesperson for Khan said: “The mayor made clear to the commissioner how angry he is with a return to the bad days of the Met of his childhood in the 1970s and 80s, and that neither he nor Londoners will put up with this.

“He has put the commissioner on notice. He said the Met needs to urgently show it has an effective plan for restoring the trust and confidence of Londoners in the police and to drive out the culture of racism, homophobia, bullying and misogyny which clearly still exists within its ranks.”

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/feb/02/met-officer-was-promoted-despite-misconduct-over-sexist-and-racist-messages

[killer-heels]

Another one to add to Cressida Dick’s long list of fuck ups.

One of the most corrupt leaders in the UK, and thats going some.

[scatman]

The fact she's still in charge just shows the shit the country is in.

[Statto Red]

The fact she's still in charge just shows the shit the country is in.

Not for much longer

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-60340525

[lobsterboy]

Not for much longer

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-60340525

Hopefully the door hits her repeatedly on her way out.

[rob1966]

Hopefully the door hits her repeatedly on her way out.

In a Vinny Jones in Lock Stock way

[killer-heels]

Fantastic news.

[McSquared]

The turd is flushed

[Ray K]

Well done Sadiq, giving her the push.

[rob1966]

Met officers charged over WhatsApp messages

Two serving Metropolitan Police officers and a former officer have been charged with sending grossly offensive messages on WhatsApp.

They will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 16 March.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said the charges arose from an investigation into the phone records of Wayne Couzens, who murdered Sarah Everard.

The Met said the serving officers had been suspended from duty.

The offences are alleged to have happened between April and August 2019 and involved discriminatory messages, the IOPC said.

In a statement the policing watchdog said: "The IOPC's investigation began following a referral from the Metropolitan Police Service in April last year and was completed in December when we referred a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

"The CPS has now taken the decision to authorise charges against the officers."

Rosemary Ainslie, head of the CPS special crime division, said: "Each of the three defendants has been charged with sending grossly offensive messages on a public communications network. The alleged offences took place on a WhatsApp group chat."

She said the function of CPS was not to decide a person's guilt but to make fair assessments about whether it was appropriate for a court to consider charges and added that nothing should be published that could jeopardise the defendants' right to a fair trial.

Typically defendants, including police officers, are identified when they are charged but the CPS said it could not currently confirm the names of the officers for operational reasons.

In a statement the Met said: "We are aware of charges brought against two serving Metropolitan Police officers and one former officer about sending grossly offensive messages on a public communications network.

"They are suspended from duty."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-60418556

[Red-Soldier]

Met police breached rights of organisers of Sarah Everard vigil, court rules

Reclaim These Streets welcomes judges’ decision as ‘a victory for women’

The Metropolitan police breached the rights of the organisers of a planned vigil for Sarah Everard in the way they handled the planned event, high court judges have ruled, in a decision hailed as a “victory for women”.

Reclaim These Streets (RTS) proposed a socially distanced vigil for the 33-year-old, who was murdered by a serving Met officer, Wayne Couzens, near to where she went missing in Clapham, south London, in March last year.

Four women who founded RTS and planned the vigil brought a legal challenge against the force over its handling of the event, which was also intended to be a protest about violence against women.

They withdrew from organising the vigil after being told by the force they would face fines of £10,000 each and possible prosecution if the event went ahead, and a spontaneous vigil and protest took place instead.

At a two-day hearing in January, Jessica Leigh, Anna Birley, Henna Shah and Jamie Klingler argued that decisions made by the force in advance of the planned vigil amounted to a breach of their human rights to freedom of speech and assembly, and say the force did not assess the potential risk to public health.

In a judgment handed down on Friday, Lord Justice Warby and Mr Justice Holgate ruled in favour of RTS, finding that the Met’s decisions in the run-up to the event were “not in accordance with the law”.

In a statement outside the Royal Courts of Justice on behalf of the four women who organised the vigil, their solicitor Theodora Middleton said: “Today’s judgment is a victory for women.

“Last March, women’s voices were silenced. Today’s judgment conclusively shows that the police were wrong to silence us.

“The decisions and actions by the Met police in the run-up to the planned vigil for Sarah Everard last year were unlawful and the judgment sets a powerful precedent for protest rights.

“We came together one year and one day ago to organise a vigil on Clapham Common because Sarah Everard went missing from our neighbourhood. We felt sad and afraid.

“We were angry that women still weren’t safe and we were tired of the burden to stay safe always weighing on our shoulders.”

In a summary of the ruling, Lord Justice Warby said: “The relevant decisions of the [Met] were to make statements at meetings, in letters, and in a press statement, to the effect that the Covid-19 regulations in force at the time meant that holding the vigil would be unlawful.

“Those statements interfered with the claimants’ rights because each had a ‘chilling effect’ and made at least some causal contribution to the decision to cancel the vigil.

“None of the [force’s] decisions was in accordance with the law; the evidence showed that the [force] failed to perform its legal duty to consider whether the claimants might have a reasonable excuse for holding the gathering, or to conduct the fact-specific proportionality assessment required in order to perform that duty.”

The Met defended the claim brought by RTS and argued there was no exception for protest in the coronavirus rules at the time, and that it had “no obligation” to assess the public health risk.

In a statement after the ruling the Met said it was “considering very carefully” whether it should appeal.

Met assistant commissioner Louisa Rolfe said: “The Met is mindful that this judgment has potential implications in other circumstances for how a proportionality assessment is to be carried out when considering enforcement action. This may apply beyond policing the pandemic. Even in the context of the regulations that kept us safe during the pandemic, this may have important consequences.

“The Met unreservedly endorses the principle that fundamental freedoms, such as those exercised by the claimants in this case, may only be restricted where it is necessary and proportionate for a lawful purpose. Consideration of an appeal is in no way indicative that the Met do not consider such protections to be of the utmost importance. It is, however, incumbent on the Met to ensure that this judgment does not unduly inhibit its ability, and that of police forces across the country, to effectively balance competing rights in a way that is operationally deliverable.”

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/mar/11/met-police-breached-rights-of-organisers-of-sarah-everard-vigil-court-rules

[Nobby Reserve]

On a similar topic of police attitudes to women, this article is staggering.

Basically, a 23 year old woman was being stalked by her 35 year old supervisor at work (who was known in the workplace as 'creepy Mike') after she turned down his romantic advances. He'd been scoping her out at the stables where her horse was kept, after buying the same car as her brother had (she'd mentioned she like her brother's car). She reported it to the police, who visited him, but he told them they were in a romantic relationship and the police, instead of concluding it was weird that she was saying they weren't and he was saying they were - should be high up on the 'alarm bells triggered' list - instead seem to have shrugged and forgot about it. A bag of weapons (knives, an axe, a hammer) with a note saying 'don't lie' was found near here stables and handed to police by a concerned couple, but the police apparently just put it in lost property. If they'd have examined it, they'd have found a receipt belonging to the psycho.

Shortly after he murdered her, then killed himself.

The IOPC have issued one gross misconduct and four misconduct notices in relation the episode.

The father of the murdered woman understandably takes the position that if the police just did their job - and took these stalking incidents seriously - then his daughter would likely still be alive.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-60525625

[Red-Soldier]

On a similar topic of police attitudes to women, this article is staggering.

Basically, a 23 year old woman was being stalked by her 35 year old supervisor at work (who was known in the workplace as 'creepy Mike') after she turned down his romantic advances. He'd been scoping her out at the stables where her horse was kept, after buying the same car as her brother had (she'd mentioned she like her brother's car). She reported it to the police, who visited him, but he told them they were in a romantic relationship and the police, instead of concluding it was weird that she was saying they weren't and he was saying they were - should be high up on the 'alarm bells triggered' list - instead seem to have shrugged and forgot about it. A bag of weapons (knives, an axe, a hammer) with a note saying 'don't lie' was found near here stables and handed to police by a concerned couple, but the police apparently just put it in lost property. If they'd have examined it, they'd have found a receipt belonging to the psycho.

Shortly after he murdered her, then killed himself.

The IOPC have issued one gross misconduct and four misconduct notices in relation the episode.

The father of the murdered woman understandably takes the position that if the police just did their job - and took these stalking incidents seriously - then his daughter would likely still be alive.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-60525625

Staggering!

"It was a very, very sinister bag of weapons, including Rambo-style knives, axe, blades, Viagra, a note, and they just logged it as lost property," said Gracie's mother Alison Heaton.

"We now know that bag directly led straight back to Michael Sellers. There was a receipt in there that led back to his household."

You can see why they just filed it in lost property..............


"Surely basic policing and training would show you that is a bag of weapons [belonging to someone] about to commit a murder?" said Gracie's father, Richard Spinks.

"If they had done their job properly, Gracie would still be alive today."

[So… Howard Philips]

Lost property?

The terrorist who killed at Fishmongers Hall had less of an arsenal. Even if they didn’t have the wit to establish the stalking link you would have thought that collection of weapons would have rung alarm bells. Fuckwits.

[TSC]

Met police breached rights of organisers of Sarah Everard vigil, court rules

Reclaim These Streets welcomes judges’ decision as ‘a victory for women’

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/mar/11/met-police-breached-rights-of-organisers-of-sarah-everard-vigil-court-rules

Although Cressida Dick has now departed, let’s not forget the actions of the Met were underpinned with the support of the Home Secretary who is still around and now busying herself with mitigating the arrival of Ukrainian refugees by misleading parliament again.

[So… Howard Philips]

Although Cressida Dick has now departed, let’s not forget the actions of the Met were underpinned with the support of the Home Secretary who is still around and now busying herself with mitigating the arrival of Ukrainian refugees by misleading parliament again.

Dick hasn’t gone yet and the culture of complacency and cover up still exists.

[Statto Red]

Speaking of the Met Police, anyone been following this case, 15 year old school kid, taken out of an exam at school & strip searched, how anyone justified this is ridiculous, Police officers involves deserved to be sacked.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-60873858

[Crosby Nick]

Speaking of the Met Police, anyone been following this case, 15 year old school kid, taken out of an exam at school & strip searched, how anyone justified this is ridiculous, Police officers involves deserved to be sacked.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-60873858

I heard something where the Met said the officers no longer had public facing jobs or some such bullshit.

[Statto Red]

I heard something where the Met said the officers no longer had public facing jobs or some such bullshit.

I read that too, the officers involved need to be sacked, how can anyone justify taking a 15 year old kid[& out of a school exam too], then strip searching them & not inform there parents is scandalous. 

Just as well Dick is going,

[reddebs]

Yet another woman presumed dead in Essex with 3 men so far arrested and another picked up and thrown over a bridge in Scotland by a total stranger.

Along with that poor child stabbed to death in Lincoln, what the fuck is happening to the human race?

Have people become so detached from reality that it's a perfectly normal thing to do? 

Just dispose of a human life because they can?

What a fucked up world!

[So… Howard Philips]

Yet another woman presumed dead in Essex with 3 men so far arrested and another picked up and thrown over a bridge in Scotland by a total stranger.

Along with that poor child stabbed to death in Lincoln, what the fuck is happening to the human race?

Have people become so detached from reality that it's a perfectly normal thing to do? 

Just dispose of a human life because they can?

What a fucked up world!

Over the last six months there has been an unremitting avalanche of horrible crimes. Too many to detail but lots of child murders by family members and a steady stream of knife murders by under 16s. And how this 12 year old was acquitted if murder is beyond comprehension;

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-61864335

[KillieRed]

Is it getting worse, or has it always been like this?

I have to admit i turn away from this kind of news and don`t follow it at all, it`s all too ghoulish and psychologically horrible.

[reddebs]

I don't know if the numbers are getting worse, it's how casual it all feels.  Like there's shock and outrage for 5 minutes then it's forgotten about.

It's my 8th wedding anniversary today and 20yrs since Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman were murdered 💔

[[new username under construction]]

Trickle down economics, people at the top never get convicted for anything so that trickles down into loonies thinking they can get away with anything

[CheshireDave]

I don't know if the numbers are getting worse

Number of police recorded homicide offences in England and Wales from 2002/03 to 2021/22 - https://www.statista.com/statistics/283093/homicides-in-england-and-wales/


Number of police recorded violence against the person offences in England and Wales from 2002/03 to 2021/22 - https://www.statista.com/statistics/288256/violent-crimes-in-england-and-wales/

[KillieRed]

So down in homicides with a bit of a resurgence, but way up in violent crimes.

[Red-Soldier]

UK policing and border control infiltrated by war mentality, says report

Campaign groups say hyper-militarisation of British policing agencies is ‘deeply troubling’

Policing, border control and surveillance have become increasingly militarised in the UK and infiltrated by a “war mentality”, according to a report.

It says there is an increasingly blurred line between the police and the military and that key areas including counter-terrorism, anti-protest policing, border control and the policing of gangs have adopted a war mentality.

The report from Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) and the Network for Police Monitoring (Netpol) describes the hyper-militarisation of British policing agencies as “deeply troubling”.

The increased use of hi-tech surveillance tools such as phone data extraction technology, mobile fingerprint scanners and live facial recognition technology are among the techniques that the report expresses concern about. People of colour are identified as being at greatest risk of being targeted.

While not all of these techniques are new, the report – A Very British Problem: The Evolution of Britain’s Militarised Policing Industrial Complex – maps their increasing use in recent years and says the technology “vastly tips power in favour of the state”.

It states: “Black activists are disproportionately subjected to excessive police force. Armed counter-terrorism units, immigration enforcement and UK Border Force draw directly from the military handbook. Police officers are increasingly acting like border guards working with the Home Office to carry out immigration control.”

It expresses concern that surveillance technology is being rolled out in the absence of sufficient legislative or parliamentary oversight. While many organisations are involved with the deployment of technologies such as AI and facial recognition, there is no single body guiding the adoption of these new technologies.

Key areas of concern include:

    Mobile fingerprint scanners, which many police forces now use and are linked to the Home Office’s immigration and asylum biometric system, which holds the fingerprints of non-UK citizens who have entered the country.

    The Home Office biometrics programme, a new digital system to allow biometric and other data to be shared seamlessly between police, immigration enforcement and other government departments.

    Use of military-grade drones to patrol the Channel to carry out surveillance on asylum seekers crossing in small boats.

    A gangs matrix that profiles people believed to be gang members, whether or not they have committed any crime. A 2016 survey of the matrix by Amnesty International found that 87% of those on it were from BAME backgrounds.

The report’s author, Dr Keren Weitzberg, said: “The police are increasingly relying on hi-tech, data-driven and military-grade technology to surveil the British population.”

Sam Perlo-Freeman, a research coordinator at CAAT, said: “Policing in the UK is becoming steadily more repressive, but it’s not just about what the UK is doing to its own citizens. The UK trains foreign police and security services, especially around border control.”

Emily Apple, a communications coordinator at Netpol, said: “This report busts the myth that the police in the UK govern, or have ever governed, by consent. It lays out what those from marginalised communities know all too well, that institutionalised and structural racism results in overpolicing, excessive force and disproportionate criminalisation.

With the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act, we’re more likely to see increased criminalisation and surveillance of protesters. It’s down to all of us to monitor what the police are doing and to defend our right to dissent.”

The Home Office said: “All policing and law enforcement practices are underpinned by some of the most robust guidance and laws in the world and to suggest otherwise is wrong.

“Agencies, including police, immigration enforcement and Border Force will face times when they put themselves in danger to deliver for the public, so it is only right they are trained and deploy to the highest standards.”

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/aug/04/uk-policing-and-border-control-infiltrated-by-war-mentality-says-report

[Red-Soldier]

Inquiry after 93-year-old man with one leg dies after being Tasered by police

Donald Burgess, who had dementia and had threatened care home staff, died three weeks after incident in Sussex

Two police officers involved in firing a Taser at a 93-year-old man in a wheelchair, who had threatened care home staff with a knife, are being investigated for manslaughter after the man’s death.

Donald Burgess, who had one leg and had dementia, died last month, three weeks after being hit by the Taser.

On Thursday the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) confirmed it was investigating the 21 June incident, which involved two constables from Sussex police.

They were responding to calls that a resident at a care home in St Leonards-on-Sea had a knife and was threatening staff.

One of the officers tried to restrain Burgess using an incapacitant spray and a baton. Another officer then fired a Taser before the knife was removed.

Burgess was handcuffed and taken to hospital, where he remained until his death on 13 July.

Sussex police referred the incident to the watchdog after allegations about the excessive use of force by its officers.

The two constables involved have been served with misconduct notices and letters advising them they are under criminal investigation for manslaughter. The IOPC stressed this did not necessarily mean that disciplinary proceedings or criminal charges would follow.

The watchdog has taken witness statement and is reviewing the officers’ body-worn camera footage. Investigators also attended a postmortem and are awaiting the findings of medical examinations, as the cause of Burgess’s death is not yet known.

The IOPC’s regional director, Graham Beesley, said: “I want to express my sympathies to the man’s relatives and those who knew him. We have advised his next of kin of our independent investigation and explained the steps we will be taking.

“This will include investigating whether the force used by the two officers against this male was reasonable, necessary and proportionate in the circumstances and in line with local and national policies, procedures and guidance.”

In 2020 the IOPC said it was concerned about claims of the disproportionate use of stun guns against black people and those with mental health problems.

Deborah Coles, the executive director of the human rights charity Inquest, said she was “deeply disturbed” and in “disbelief” at the level of force used against the elderly man.

She said: “It is almost unconscionable to think of a highly vulnerable old man with dementia in a care home being subjected to such a use of force at the hands of the police. It begs the question why there was a police and not a medical response to a man in such obvious distress.”

She added: “It is vital that there is a criminal investigation that is prompt and effective to ensure those responsible are held to account.”

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/aug/04/sussex-police-officers-investigated-over-death-of-man-93-after-being-tasered