‘Brief error of judgment’ captured while PM was recording Instagram video in back of moving car
Rishi Sunak has become the second sitting prime minister in history – and in the last 12 months – to be fined by the police after he received a fixed-penalty notice for not wearing his seatbelt.
Lancashire constabulary announced on Friday it was fining the prime minister, who filmed a social media video earlier this week while travelling in the back of a car without his belt on.
Continue reading...Nicola Sturgeon says her government will be ‘vigorously defending’ democracy as well as the bill passed in Scotland
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Labour has been anxious to avoid taking sides on the Scottish gender recognition reform bill. Although Keir Starmer has criticised aspects of the bill, and argued it might have an impact on UK equality laws, he has accused both the UK and Scottish governments of politicising the issues and implied that Labour would adopt a more consensual approach.
Continue reading...Labour leader tells LBC issue is being used as a political football after Scottish Tory MSP urges PM not to block bill
This is what Keir Starmer said in his LBC interview about Scotland’s gender recognition reform bill, and the UK government’s reported intention to block it.
Starmer suggested the SNP and the Tories were both exploiting the Scottish gender recognition bill for political advantage. He said:
I am worried about the fact that I think this is being used by the SNP as a sort of devolution political football. And I think it’s being used by the government – or might be used – as a divisive football in relation to the particular issue.
On this whole issue of trans rights, I think the government is looking to divide people rather than bring people together.
He refused to say whether Labour would support the UK government if it did block the legislation. When it was put to him that, from what he was saying about his reservatations about the bill that he was minded to support Rishi Sunak on this, he did not accept that. He said he would want to see exactly what the government said before deciding how to react. Blocking Scottish legislation would be “a big step for a government to take”, he said. But he also said No 10 was treading “very, very carefully” (which rather undermines the claim he made about the Tories potentially exploiting this for party political advantage).
He said that he accepted the Gender Recognition Act needed to be modernised. But he confirmed that he thought people should not be able to self-certify their gender at the age of 16 (as they would be able to, under the Scottish law). And he said that he was worried about the potential impact of the Scottish bill on UK equality laws.
He said that only a tiny proportion of people were likely to want to change gender. He said:
I approach it on the basis that for 99.9-something percent of women it is all about biology, sex based rights matter, and we must preserve all those wins that we’ve had for women over many years, and including safe spaces for women.
Whilst I am sympathetic to the change that is made to make the rights of trans people in Scotland, I think we may have a clash between the position in the UK-wide legislation and the position in Scotland …
[The legislation] may mean – even though I suspect political mischief on the part of the Conservative Government and culture wars – they may have a point. It is arguable at least that what’s happened in Scotland has a potential impact on the legislation as it operates UK-wide.
Continue reading...Plans aimed at preventing tactics such as ‘slow marching’ are part of Rishi Sunak’s public order crackdown
Police are to be given powers to shut down protests before any disruption begins under Rishi Sunak’s plans for a public order crackdown, which aim to prevent tactics such as “slow marching”.
Sparking outrage from civil liberties campaigners, the government said it would be laying an amendment to the public order bill to toughen its crackdown on “guerilla” tactics used mainly by environmental protesters.
Continue reading...Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley says UK capital is a place to ‘live, work and enjoy yourself’
The Metropolitan police commissioner has described London as a “fantastically safe” city as the force announced a drop in homicide rates last year.
Sir Mark Rowley said the capital was a place to “live, work and enjoy yourself” as he visited a boxing gym in Ilford, east London, on Thursday.
Continue reading...Exclusive: Official adviser recommends giving those arrested for low-level crimes a choice to accept help or face jail
New legal terrorism orders specifically for children should be brought in to tackle the growing numbers being arrested, the official adviser on terrorism law has told the government.
Ministers are studying plans that would result in children being compelled to accept help or face jail, devised by Jonathan Hall KC, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation.
Continue reading...Man, 30, arrested on suspicion of murder and woman, 19, held on suspicion of conspiracy to murder
Two people have been arrested in connection with the “cold-blooded shooting” of Elle Edwards in Wallasey Village, Merseyside police said.
A 30-year-old man from Tranmere has been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.
Continue reading...Royal Gibraltar police ask British counterparts to investigate alleged data breach in interests of ‘transparency’
UK police have been called in to lead an investigation into a data breach in a public inquiry concerning alleged corruption at the top of Gibraltar’s government.
The development is the latest twist in the inquiry, which is to hear explosive allegations by the British overseas territory’s former police chief, Ian McGrail.
Continue reading...Officers used firearm after being called to Carlisle address where man in 40s was reported to be threatening people
A man has died after being shot by armed police in Cumbria.
Officers were called to Borland Avenue in Carlisle at 3.37pm on Monday to reports of a man threatening people.
Continue reading...Examination exposes failure to track repeat suspects and botched investigations by struggling forces
A damning official examination into how police forces tackle rape has exposed persistent failings in the criminal justice system, including a failure to track repeat suspects, “explicit victim-blaming” and botched investigations.
The long-awaited independent report into the first year of Operation Soteria Bluestone – launched by the government after a catastrophic fall in rape prosecutions – also paints a picture of a over-worked, traumatised and inexperienced police workforce in England and Wales, which is struggling to cope with an increase in rape reports after years of austerity.
Continue reading...Indonesian authorities investigating death of West Australian university student Niamh Finneran Loader ‘following medical procedure’
An accomplished West Australian university student has died suddenly in Bali, where she had travelled to receive dental treatment.
Niamh Finneran Loader, 25, died on 2 December. Indonesian authorities are investigating the circumstances of her death.
Continue reading...Four former officers also told they would have been dismissed for racist and misogynist WhatsApp content
Two serving police officers have been sacked, and four former officers have been told they would have been sacked, for sharing racist, homophobic and misogynist messages in a WhatsApp group.
A disciplinary panel made dismissals orders against PC Gary Bailey from the Metropolitan police and PC Matthew Forster from the Civil Nuclear constabulary (CNC).
Continue reading...Combination of overstretched forces and few licensed drivers means requests expected to be turned down
Police say they will not replace striking ambulance drivers as health trusts scramble to limit the effects of a wave of industrial action.
The trusts, which are responsible for running ambulances, have approached individual police forces to see if officers might ferry patients to and from hospital.
Continue reading...Michael Lockwood, director general of IOPC since 2018, leaves post with immediate effect
The head of the police watchdog, Michael Lockwood, resigned amid an investigation into a historical allegation, the home secretary has said.
In a statement, Suella Braverman said: “I have accepted Michael Lockwood’s resignation as director general of the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
Continue reading...Prisons minister writes to police chiefs to establish Operation Safeguard due to lack of space in men’s prisons
Dominic Raab has been accused of presiding over a “foolish and unrealistic” prisons policy after his department was forced to request the emergency use of 400 police cells for inmates for the first time in 14 years.
Ministers blamed the recent barristers’ strike for an “acute and sudden increase in the prison population” of 800 in the last two months – a claim that was challenged by charities, MPs and unions.
Continue reading...Head of West Midlands police warns of rising crime in poorest areas as forces are stretched beyond capacity
A child experiencing a mental health crisis had to live in a police station for two days due to a lack of psychiatric places, a chief constable has revealed, as he condemned austerity for hitting the poorest areas hardest.
Sir David Thompson, who leads West Midlands police, said his force – which is still missing officers and funding after cuts – was being asked to do too much, and warned of rising crime as desperation increases in the poorest areas.
Dismissed attacks from government and rightwing media that claim the police are too woke.
Condemned those trying to drag policing into the “culture wars”.
Revealed fears that the poorest areas would be hit hardest again by the cost of living crisis, fuelling a “real risk” of rising crime.
Said that bias explained some of the reasons that black people experienced more use of force and coercive powers than other groups.
Called for a radical rethink on tackling the problems blighting society, as public services work in “silos”.
Warned that police were being expected to do too much, including in the field of mental health.
Continue reading...Analysis by the Observer raises questions over whether policing is fit for purpose and will put more pressure on the home secretary
• Read more: ‘In Gloucester, young boys are carrying weapons’
Half the English police forces inspected since last year are failing to meet required standards at investigating crime, according to analysis by the Observer that raises questions over whether policing is fit for purpose.
The findings will pile renewed pressure on the home secretary, Suella Braverman, who has told police leaders she “expects” them to cut crimes including murder by 20%, without detailing how, as part of her “back to basics approach”.
Continue reading...Exclusive: Andy Marsh, head of the College of Policing, calls for new code of practice to mend bond of trust with women
One of the most senior figures in policing in England and Wales is calling for a new gold standard for gender-based violence investigations, saying women have been “systematically failed” by the criminal justice system. Andy Marsh, the chief executive of the College of Policing, said he wanted a new code of practice for the policing of violence against women and girls – the first since the police code of ethics was introduced eight years ago – saying the bond of trust between women and the police “must be mended”.
The move comes after a damning official report into misogyny in policing – ordered after the kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard in March 2021 by a serving Metropolitan police officer – found defective vetting and failures by police leaders had allowed potentially thousands of “predatory” officers into police ranks.
Continue reading...Men held after improvised explosive device damaged police vehicle in Strabane, County Tyrone, on Thursday
Police in Northern Ireland have arrested three men after the apparent attempted murder of two officers in a bomb attack on Thursday night.
A suspected improvised explosive device damaged a police vehicle in the town of Strabane in County Tyrone about 11pm. The two officers escaped unharmed.
Continue reading...Exclusive: protesters say they were assaulted by officers at peaceful ‘kill the bill’ demonstration in March 2021
A police force has paid damages to protesters who allege they were assaulted by officers when they broke up a peaceful “kill the bill” demonstration in Bristol.
One of the protesters alleges that an officer struck him in the face with a shield, leaving him scarred, and a second claims she struggled to breathe when she was crushed beneath two police shields. They say they witnessed another protester being dragged along the ground by his long hair.
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