Cameron: Police not govt must be tough on crime
Central government cannot “deliver” a low crime rate, Conservative leader David Cameron admitted today. However, he insisted the Conservatives did “know how to cut crime” and outlined a number of reforms designed to strengthen communities and local police forces in combating crime. Mr Cameron was speaking as the Conservative’s police reform taskforce published its interim […]
Blair launches major review of crime policy
The prime minister has launched a comprehensive review of crime, designed to focus on the offender not the offence. Security, Crime and Justice outlines a raft of measures designed to update the criminal justice process, extending Labour’s decade old pledge to be tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime. Reform is based […]
Violent crime goes up but is less serious
Violent crime has risen by two per cent but fewer incidents result in injury and fewer are reported to the police, the latest crime figures reveal. The British Crime Survey (BCS), which has been measuring people’s experiences of crime for the past 25 years, finds serious violence is down seven per cent on the year, […]
Police get thousands more ‘dirty bomb’ suits
Thousands more protection suits for police dealing with dirty bombs have been ordered by the Home Office. A tender has been put out for 12,000 of the suits worn by officers dealing with chemical, biological or nuclear terror attacks. About 7,000 normal police officers are trained to deal with dirty bombs, but the Home Office […]
Police test roadside fingerprinting
Motorists in ten areas across the country could have their fingerprints taken and read by police at the roadside as part of a new trial beginning today. Project Lantern, which is being launched in Luton in Bedfordshire, aims to speed up the checks on suspects for motoring offences and could save more than £2.2 million […]
Police pay price for govt U-turn
Police authorities will face a final bill £2.5 million after the government’s botched attempt to introduce force mergers this summer. The Home Office today announced it will refund £4 million for the preparations made for mergers before the plans were scrapped because of their unpopularity, but this falls short of the £6.5 million claimed. The […]
Police ratings reveal worst performing forces
Northamptonshire and Humberside have been named the worst performing police forces in Home Office figures published today. The second annual performance ratings assess the progress made by the 43 police forces in England and Wales on seven key areas. The Home Office does not publish a league table of results, but the performance of each […]
Muggings rise by eight per cent
Robberies are up by eight per cent on the past year, fuelled by the increase in young people carrying MP3 player and mobile phones, according to the Home Office. It said half of recorded robberies in 2005-06 – which rose from 90,747 to 98,204 on the year – were in London, but other areas, such […]
Police merger plans face legal challenge
Cleveland police authority has today launched a legal challenge against the government’s plans to merge it with two others to create a ‘super force’ in the north east. The plans are part of a wider restructuring to cut the number of forces in England and Wales from 43 to just 12, in the wake of […]
Nottingham hits back at label of most criminal city
The MP for Nottingham North has today dismissed a new report claiming his city is the most crime-ridden in Britain as “sloppy, error-riddled London-based research”. Graham Allen, the chairman of the city’s local strategic partnership between police, councillors and the probation service, insisted a new study by independent think tank Reform was “lazy stereotyping” and […]
