Police: #DegreeGate

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RetiredAndAngry on the 20^th June 2018 at 10:52 - A Police Blog
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Much has been said already about degree-level entry into the Police Service, and I’m pretty sure that much more will be said in the months and years to come.

I had a ‘conversation’ yesterday with some faceless, nameless Rupert from the College of Policing as I wanted to be clear in my mind exactly what was being introduced.

I’m still a tad unclear as to exactly when the three proscribed routes into the Police Service (at Constable level) will come into play but essentially, taken from the College’s own documentation, they will be:-

Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA): you will be a police constable on a three-year degree apprenticeship programme, therefore you will be paid a salary from your start date. We anticipate that some forces will start the PCDA programme from April 2018, while others will phase it in during 2018/19.
Professionally focused undergraduate degree in policing: you will be on a university programme to achieve a pre-join undergraduate degree in policing, therefore this will be at your own expense....

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Police: Let’s Do The Maths

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Mental Health Cop on the 17^th June 2018 at 16:31 - A Police Blog
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Look back to when I joined the police are you’ll see that crime levels, measured either by police recorded crime or by the British Crime Survey, were much higher – but if you look at statistics on use of s136 of the Mental Health Act, the quality of them has not always been great, but what we do know, is they’ve mainly just increased year on year, from the first proper attempt at detailed stats in 2007, by the IPCC (as they were then called).

2007 = 18,500 detentions under s136, of which 65% were removed to custody.
2017 = 28,271 detentions* under s136, of which 3.5% were removed to custody.

* we know this figure was too low: Devon and Cornwall Police were unable to submit a return and they have historically reported approximately 1,400 to 1,500 uses of the power per year; and we know some forces under-reported their figures, so it’s likely to be at least 30,000.

It will be the autumn of 2018 before we learn the new figures for 2017/18, but it strikes me we’re due to see another rise, potentially this time a...

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Police: Sir Tom Winsor

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RetiredAndAngry on the 15^th June 2018 at 9:40 - A Police Blog
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Who is Sir Tom Winsor? Well, most people know by now that he was the lead author of the infamous Independent Review of Police Officers’ & Staff Remuneration and Conditions, first published in 2011.

The ‘highlights’ include

Tom Winsor provided the government with recommendations as to how a modern police pay structure could be achieved. Changes to pay that would lower police officer starting salaries but allow officers to progress more quickly to higher pay.
A stronger link between pay and skills – in the short term, a £600 allowance for officers who use certain skills (those required for neighbourhood policing, public order, investigation and firearms), and in the longer term, for the highest pays to be limited to those officers who develop, maintain and use professional skills, and who are carrying out roles that require the powers or expertise of a police officer.
A stronger link between pay and performance, with annual pay increase limited to those who have performed satisfactorily or better, and those identified as poor...

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Police: THE MINISTRY OF JUSTICE IS SEEKING A TOAD

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The Justice of the Peace on the 14^th June 2018 at 13:53 - A Police Blog
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I consider the following announcement earlier today of considerable significance so I`ve stopped packing the sun cream for a minute or two to copy it below. The toady who is appointed will no more be representative of JPs than a pig is representative of farmers. The person selected will be an arrogant bore seeking another post to justify his/her future CBE. This is just another milestone in the road to the total elimination of JPs from our court system

Expression of Interest: National Leadership Magistrate

14 June 2018 |News|Magistrates

We are now inviting expressions of interest for the role of National Leadership Magistrate (NLM). This is a judicial process being administered by HMCTS.
There is one vacancy, with the successful candidate taking up their position on 1 October 2018.
The closing date for expressions of interest is 6 July 2018
Term length: The NLM will serve a three-year term.
Eligibility: Eligibility criteria and requirements for the role is set out in the...

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Police: Capacity for What?!

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Mental Health Cop on the 13^th June 2018 at 14:49 - A Police Blog
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It’s rearing its head again: whether or not somebody has the ‘capacity’ to be a victim or ‘capacity’ to be a suspect. One thing that promotes a blog post is a conversation with someone who is noticing a particular problem and today’s post is an example of that: an inspector who has been reviewing crime reports and crime recording standards, wondering if sometimes the police are too quick to try to latch on to misunderstood ideas of ‘capacity’, as a quick proxy for whether to record or investigate a crime. I think he’s on to something here, as we’ve seen high-profile examples of this. It also flicks that switch of mine that ‘capacity’ is a legal concept to be discussed when referring to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and someone’s ability to take a particular decision for themselves when they be putting themselves at risk. But it’s not really the thing to do when you’re investigating a crime allegation to ask, “Does he have capacity?”

Let’s just be really clear: it’s a stupid question that...

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Police: More than £3 million lost to ticket fraud in one year prompts a warning from Action Fraud

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ActionFraud's blog on the 13^th June 2018 at 13:48 - A Police Blog
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Between 1 April 2017 and 31 March 2018, Action Fraud received 6,486 reports of ticket fraud.
In the same period, the total reported losses to victims were £3,344,835; an average of £568 per victim.
With lots of music concerts and sporting events taking place in summer, it is an opportunity for fraudsters to take advantage of unsuspecting fans.

How is this happening?

Earlier this year, Action Fraud warned football fans planning to travel to the World Cup to be cautious when buying tickets or accommodation because the event is likely to be targeted by fraudsters looking to take advantage of unsuspecting fans.

Action Fraud saw a spike in reporting in June 2017, in which 1,072 reports were made. This suggests that fraudsters are taking advantage of people during the peak season for ticketed events.

Fraudsters will pose as a website or agent for a music concert or festival, a sporting contest such as the World Cup, or a live comedian or performer. Victims...

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Police: THIS J.P.`s OUT OF THE OFFICE

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The Justice of the Peace on the 13^th June 2018 at 13:44 - A Police Blog
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Unless there is momentous news concerning magistrates and their courts this blogger will be on holiday for a couple of weeks exchanging the keyboard for the finest humous and kleftiko that Crete can provide. And no doubt a shot or three of Ouzo might come his way.

Τα λέμε σύντομα

Police: CANADA AND DRUG USE

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The Justice of the Peace on the 11^th June 2018 at 13:02 - A Police Blog
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The decriminalisation of hard drugs has been debated here and elsewhere for decades. My personal view is that the current so called "war on drugs" has failed and that the current legal situation has no long term future. Various small countries and US states have legalised the use of marijuana. It is likely that the first G7 nation, Canada, will follow suit. An interesting article was published last week in the Guardian a newspaper whose "liberal progressive" opinions are well known.

Police: The Forensic Route

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Mental Health Cop on the 10^th June 2018 at 20:01 - A Police Blog
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When we hear mental health professionals talking about someone going ‘down the forensic route’, they mean a patient with healthcare needs being managed under Part III of the Mental Health Act 1983. This Part of the Act includes all those sections from 35 to 55 and it covers a range of provisions for the criminal courts and the Ministry of Justice to manage those offenders who are thought to be seriously mentally ill and in need of treatment, whilst their case progresses through the criminal justice system.

So, if you don’t mind, we need to get rid of one really important issue very quickly, before talking about issues around forensic options: if the police or CPS are yet to prosecute someone for any alleged offence, Part III is of no application whatsoever to that patient, no matter what their ‘risk status’. There are plenty of people walking around in society today that I think are dangerous criminals and I’d prefer they were behind bars for my family’s and your safety, but until I can get evidence to prosecute...

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Police: My first year as an ACC but my core values have remained unchanged

Written by

CC Dave Thompson on the 08^th June 2018 at 9:53 - A Police Blog
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When I joined 27 years ago, I had no family link to policing but like so many people I have met along the way I was attracted to α career in policing as it looked exciting, there was variety and I wanted to make α positive difference to people’s lives. As I have grown (much!) older, and I hope (a little) wiser, my core values have remained unchanged; a strong desire to protect vulnerable people, bringing a focus on intervention and to deliver through the talented teams I have the privilege of leading.

Our organisation is full of really talented people who care deeply about the public that we serve. This makes me really ambitious in terms of what we can achieve.

As you’d imagine, I have been considering what the forces ambition plan means to me and how through my portfolio areas I can deliver on my objectives, and the ones where I am working with fellow FET members.

My portfolio consists of Response, Force Contact, CMPG and Operations covering many important areas of delivery...

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Police: #DegreeGate

Police: Let’s Do The Maths

Police: Sir Tom Winsor

Police: THE MINISTRY OF JUSTICE IS SEEKING A TOAD

Expression of Interest: National Leadership Magistrate

Police: Capacity for What?!

Police: More than £3 million lost to ticket fraud in one year prompts a warning from Action Fraud

How is this happening?

Police: THIS J.P.`s OUT OF THE OFFICE

Police: CANADA AND DRUG USE

Police: The Forensic Route

Police: My first year as an ACC but my core values have remained unchanged

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