POLICE PRIORITIES

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Police obviously thought they were above the law when they left their van on a grass verge, right next to a sign saying "No Parking on Green".

Maybe they thought it would be all right as someone else had already flouted the law by dropping bin bags under the notice which also warns "No Rubbish Dumping".

The officers went even further in their efforts to annoy the public by setting up a mobile speed trap in Buckhurst, Essex, then sitting back to count drivers’ cash. (Source: The Sun, Jun/09)

Police cars have been involved in more than 1,000 crashes in the last three years, with one vehicle being hit by a cow and another collision when an officer sneezed at the wheel. In 2008, there were 343 crashes in Derbyshire involving police cars and motorbikes. The cost of damage was £116,077. In 2009, there were 384 crashes, costing £157,439. The force owned 600 vehicles which covered 9.3 million miles. The incidents included cars hitting walls, bollards and lamp posts when reversing.

An officer burst all four tyres when he drove over a stinger and another car rolled into factory gates because the handbrake had been left off, causing £600 damage to the bumper and lights. The figures, released following a Freedom of Information request, show that in 2007, officers and staff had 360 crashes, causing £118,836 of damage. Officers have crashed while pursuing suspects and been driven at by offenders. They have collided after skidding on ice and after one officer sneezed, causing his car to crash into another vehicle.

One hit a garage door after the car stalled, causing it to jolt forward. Another damaged a car's engine after stalling driving through flood water, while a car was damaged to the tune of £3,000 when a cow ran into it. The officer had been called after reports of a cow on the loose. The bonnet, bumper and lights were damaged. One car was splattered with paint as it passed a lorry carrying line marking equipment.

Injuries included whiplash, cuts, bruises, a possible broken nose and broken collar bone. A pedestrian also suffered an injured ankle when he was hit by a police car. Police cars have been hit by badgers, dogs, foxes and guinea fowl. An officer lost control of a car, causing it to roll several times on the A6 between the A50 and Raynesway, causing £7,700 damage. The officer suffered a bump to the head. (Source: Derby Evening Telegraph, Jun/10)

Police are to be banned from using the word 'yob' in case they offend delinquents and Scotland Yard chiefs have told staff to find a more polite way of referring to troublemakers. The move has the backing of Met Commissioner Sir Ian Blair. It applies to all reports submitted by officers to the Metropolitan Police Authority, which oversees the running of the capital's force.

The ban was imposed after the word 'yobs' cropped up in a report presented to members of the authority. The document on Safer Neighbourhoods by Chief Superintendent Steve Bloomfield stated that Scotland Yard was "proactively tackling gangs and yobs across London".

Objecting to the phrase, Cindy Butts, the police authority's deputy chairman, told Sir Ian that the term was 'alienating'. She added, "I have a problem with the language of 'yobs'. It sort of sets up and defines too much a 'self' and 'other'." Assistant Commissioner Tim Godwin agreed, saying, "I'm sorry about that. We won't use that again."

Senior Met sources called the decision 'pathetic', pointing out that Sir Ian used the term himself when he broadcast on BBC1. Giving the BBC's annual Dimbleby lecture Sir Ian said, "Society is demanding answers and actions to deal with feral children, hoodies and yobs." (Source: Mail on Sunday, Oct/06)

A specialist police anti-burglary squad launched with £3.8million in Home Office grants was disbanded, because officers were playing GOLF instead of fighting crime. At least four detectives were removed from their posts and one officer was suspended following an internal investigation.

Anti-corruption officers placed the three-year-old Burglary Reduction Unit under surveillance after a detective was suspended for allegedly attributing burglaries and thefts to innocent people. Overtime claims were also investigated after one detective constable boosted his £26,000 salary to £45,000. A scathing report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary said Nottinghamshire was the country’s WORST police force.

The report stated, “If you lived, worked in or visited Nottinghamshire, you were more likely to have a crime committed against you than anywhere in the country.” HMI inspector David Blakey said it often took up to 48 hours for a detective to arrive at the scene of a house burglary. Sometimes all the officers went on holiday at once, leaving no one to cover for them.

PC Daniel Swain was answering an emergency call when his police vehicle was in collision with a car and then smashed into a house. His Derbyshire police colleagues investigated the accident in Shuttlewood, near Bolsover, and the Crown Prosecution Service decided to prosecute because the patrol car's "black box' data recorder allegedly showed he was doing 90mph in a 30mph area. In court, prosecutors offered no evidence against PC Swain and he walked free.

The court heard that the black box from PC Swain's car was "no longer in existence" but no details were given about how and when it disappeared. The defence claimed the black box was potentially unreliable as it had not been recalibrated following an earlier minor incident. Box manufacturer Siemens would have said the box was working properly but was not allowed to testify because it took prosecutors too long to provide its evidence.

PC Glen Dent, who was travelling in another car 200 metres behind PC Swain before the accident, said in a statement that he estimated PC Swain's speed at no more than 55-60mph. PC Dent's black box was not checked because his car was not involved in the accident, said police. Recorder Robert Glancy QC said, "It seems to me that this is a prime example of the sort of thing that happens all too frequently and which results in the whole system of criminal justice coming into disrepute." The driver of the other car involved was charged with careless driving. (Source: Derby Evening Telegraph)

Richard Brunstrom has done an amazing U-turn, and revealed plans for first-time speeders to ESCAPE an automatic fine and penalty points. The police chief admitted he was WRONG to victimise drivers and that his speed camera passion was FLAWED. The North Wales Chief Constable, who has branded speeders “anti-social yobs and criminals”, even said the need for a U-turn was “obvious”. Brunstrom, head of the national road policing unit, has backed the plan for drivers who nudge over the limit for the first time to get a “conditional caution”.

He said, “We obviously need a national scheme that will give drivers caught for the first time the option of a formal warning and retraining. We will be unveiling a national scheme in the near future, which will take a lot of heat out of the issue. At present, speed cameras are very black and white. Either nothing happens or you get three points and a fine.” Brunstrom also admitted in Police magazine that errors had been made in speed camera policy in the past. He said, “In retrospect, we should have given more thought to driver education, particularly among low-end offenders.”

His climbdown follows claims he was about to lose his role as national roads chief because of his crusade. The Metropolitan and City of London forces reportedly made official complaints about him with the Association of Chief Police Officers. To escape three points and a £60 fine, motorists will have to accept the caution and attend a driving improvement course. But if they are nabbed a second time, the points will be added to their licence. The caution would only apply to drivers doing roughly within 5mph more than the speed limit.

RAC Foundation spokesman Kevin Delaney said, “If Mr Brunstrom has finally realised the way to stop motorists speeding is by persuasion rather than insults then we welcome it. This climbdown is good news, but we still need to break the link between revenue and enforcement.” Shadow Environment and Transport Secretary Theresa May said, “It’s obvious Mr Brunstrom’s plan is a total U-turn from the Government’s stance on speed cameras. I’m delighted.”

Brumstrom’s previous rants on speeders have included, “There are going to be speed cameras everywhere. Anyone speeding is going to be caught and will be paying for the privilege.” He had also admitted his blitz was a “personal crusade for which I do not apologise”. But he has also sparked controversy with outspoken comments on other subjects. Crime figures which revealed his force had solved just 6% of burglaries during April 2003 were dismissed by him as a “blip”.

And only recently he sparked a storm over DRUGS by calling for heroin to be sold legally on the street. He said, “Heroin is very addcitive but it is not very, very dangerous. What’s wrong with making heroin available on the state for people who want to abuse their bodies?” Referring to users, he added, “If you’re not mugging old ladies and not stealing from shops and not stealing cars, what is the problem?” But a lifesaver is fined.

A Good Samaritan was caught by a speed trap as he raced to help an elderly cancer patient who was having a fit in his car. Ivan Flagg put his foot down as he tried to find a safe place to stop and help the pensioner who had swallowed her tongue. A police radar check clocked charity worker Ivan, 70, doing 42mph in a 30mph zone. But despite the fact he was on a mercy mission, he was fined £70 by JPs and had four points slapped on his licence.

Ivan’s solicitor Helena Suffield told the magistrates that the Red Cross volunteer was taking two patients to hospital in Lydford, Somerset, when one of them swallowed her tongue. She said, “Mr Flagg increased his speed to find a parking space so he could clear her tongue from her airways, and it was this that led him to drive over the speed limit. He felt this was a situation where he had to help this lady as a priority.” She said Ivan, whose 68-year-old wife recently had a stroke, lived on the basic state pension of £150 and pleaded for him to be let off. But the magistrates said they took speeding very seriously.