The outgoing Chairwoman of the Howard League for Penal Reform, the appropriately named, Frances Crook, has written an excellent summary of what she is asking of Dominic Raab, the recently arrived Justice Secretary: The Howard League has developed an outline plan and we will build on the ideas in a series of blog postings over… Read more
Category:
Police
Advice for plain clothes stops…
Long ago I was in a car stopped by police in plain clothes – complete with girlfriends in the back of their civilian car. It was in the midst of a traffic jam and the policeman suspected, rightly, that our driver had been drinking – but he had had very little and was well within… Read more
Why don’t police officers have licences to practice?
This is difficult – but, after the conviction of Wayne Couzens, we have to face up to it.. I’ve had friends in the Police (many of whom I disagreed with… but, even so I’m pleased to say that I never considered them dishonest). But we now learn these statistics: I’d really suggest that, for police… Read more
Dick by name…
The usually right wing Nick Ferrari yesterday interviewed the Commissioner Of the Metropolitan Police, Cressida Dick, on LBC. She maintained that : She was “very disappointed” that @ExtinctionR are returning to London this month. She says she doesn’t believe London supports such disruption and describes it as “frustrating”. Perhaps the disruption of flooding or of… Read more
Policing by numbers
I much enjoyed this tweet from David Schneider: At a time when many of us are paying increased council tax for extra police simply because government cannot allegedly, afford them – shooting ourselves in the foot seems now to be a government precondition……. Read more
When it’s a good time to be a criminal it is evidence of government failure
Johnson’s recent article in the Sunday Express, which is also likely to be the subject of a speech on Tuesday, received short shrift from the Secret Barrister who pointed out: Johnson’s idea that “making this country safe is the single best and most effective way of levelling up” is empty rhetoric when you fail to… Read more
Conspiracy to commit a public nuisance
Conspiracy to do anything is either a holding charge or a charge of last resort. Or at least should be. It always used to be said that the conspiracy charge, which is all encompassing, was tolerated in the UK because it was used with great care and discretion. So the episode in the video below… Read more
Happy and fulfilled – or criminally prospecting?
It is not surprising to me – and it has often been mentioned before – that policing and poverty go together. Of course transport and wealth make policing necessary but poverty makes it inevitable and harder. So I was unsurprised by the contention of the retiring Chief Constable of Merseyside who thought that inequality was… Read more
Losing the youth of the country
For this is what I think the UK government has now done. Of course there are others among us who do not see that countries can lose their youth and thus their futures. Thus, for those who see it – and particularly those that don’t, I think this short summary from the Turkish journalist, Ece… Read more
Chaos, democracy and policing by consent
It was reported that Sunday’s protestors in Bristol even graffitied Police riot shields – perhaps. But the only evidence I can find is that they actually sprayed hearts on them. Criminal damage for sure, but someone was having a bit of a laugh and hardly a heinous crime. Of course I’m not in favour of… Read more