Latest news with #DavidMurray
ABC News
13 hours ago
- General
- ABC News
Police investigate suspected youth machete attack in Shepparton
Two teenage males have been injured during a suspected machete attack in Shepparton, in Victoria's north. Police say a group of 20 youths set upon the two teenagers near a bridge off the Midland Highway about 4pm on Monday. They were taken to Goulburn Valley Hospital. The Victorian government announced a ban on the sale of machetes across the state last week, following a brawl in a Melbourne shopping centre. Jesuit Social Services strategy project lead David Murray works with marginalised young people and said he was concerned about their ability to access machetes and knives. "Machetes, of course, have other uses and to limit the supply, that's helpful, but it's not going to prevent this kind of behaviour," he said. "The knives that are being sold in some of these places are ridiculous. Mr Murray said Victoria had a strong diversionary process when it came to youth and the legal system. "That means that perhaps when someone is caught up in a group event like this and comes to the notice of the police, it is an opportunity for a conversation with their family, school and other key adults in their life," he said. "To say, 'OK, do you really want to be doing this? Do you really want to end up where this ends up?'" The Shepparton assault on Monday follows another alleged machete incident in a Warrnambool car park in the south-west of the state last week. A 19-year-old man was denied bail after he was charged with aggravated carjacking, assault and possessing a prohibited weapon following the alleged incident involving a machete on the afternoon of May 24. Restaurant owner Mitchell Spencer told the ABC's Victorian Statewide Drive program he was loading groceries into his car when he heard a horn and shouting. Mr Spencer said he held the alleged offender until police arrived, and only thought of his own safety when he called his mother afterwards. "Truthfully I didn't really think about it at the time, I just had a job to do," he said. Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said in a statement there was no place for machetes in Victoria. "We are getting these dangerous weapons off our streets," she said.
Daily Record
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Record
Celtic flip script on bragging Rangers poster slogan and £20m takeover injection won't send shockwaves around Parkhead
For every fiver Celtic spend, we will spend £10. It's one of the most famous quotes in Scottish football history. But it turned out to be one of the most prophetic. A bit like a war movie when some hapless side character is telling his platoon that he's going to get married, start a family and work on a farm once the fighting is over. Right at that moment you know the poor sod isn't going to make it. Dead meat. Likewise, Sir David Murray's brag during the cash-splashing days at Ibrox became the poster slogan for the club's financial meltdown. Since then it has served more as a warning than a business plan. And yet here we are. Old Firm fans are wanting their team to tool up for another mega money arms race. Only the roles have been flipped this time. The Rangers takeover being rubber-stamped has got Gers fans giddy about the prospect of finally emerging out of the dark ages after a few too many false dawns. OK, promises of share issues, £20million investments and 'foundation of financial stability' might sound more sensible than sensational but there is a feeling there will be dosh spent on sorting out the playing squad and everything else. And it's only natural Celtic fans are now looking to the folk in charge at Parkhead and wondering how they will respond. The thing is, Celtic do have a lot of lolly. They could slap down a tenner for every fiver Gers spend. It remains to be seen if the £20m is the pot for summer transfers at Ibrox or is on top of the usual outlay. Either way, it's not a figure that should send shockwaves through the Parkhead board room. Celtic spent £39m in the last two windows. Crucially, though, they still made a profit when it came to player trading. The sales of Matt O'Riley, Kyogo, Alexandro Bernabei, Mikey Johnston, Tomoki Iwata, Oh Hyeon-gyu and Sead Haksabanovic brought in more than 40million bucks. Hoops fans sometimes do their dingers at their club's recruitment but that's a set-up that the new Rangers owners would snap up in a heartbeat. There's every chance it could be the same this summer. Selling fringe men such as Gustaf Lagerbielke, Yang Hyun-jun and Maik Nawrocki, plus the £3m Jeremie Frimpong windfall, could see Celts bank around £10m. And if a Reo Hatate, Daizen Maeda or Nicholas Kuhn decide it's time for a change, there could be another £20m-plus coming in. Chuck in the £70m already in the bank and the club have the capacity to go toe-to-toe in any star wars battle in Glasgow. Rangers' new crew have the financial might of the San Francisco 49ers investment pot behind them but, by the looks of sister club Leeds United, they are not going to go all Govan Galacticos. They'll spend sensibly and build gradually. The question is whether Celtic are proactive or reactive. They went big in 2020 with 10-in-a-row on the line, splurging £30m and hoarding players who wanted to be elsewhere – and it backfired spectacularly. Last summer was a shift in strategy with fewer signings but more money spent on individuals – £25m or so on Arne Engels, Adam Idah and Auston Trusty. How that panned out is up for debate. The key to happiness is somewhere in between. The most productive signings are not always the most expensive. The likes of O'Riley, Maeda and Hatate cost less than a big house in Bothwell. Celtic fans will be demanding tenners for every fiver but the club need to stick to their guns and ignore the Old Firm cold war arms race.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
The police job that is beyond the stuff of nightmares
David Murray's office has a warning on its door: "Please be aware: child sexual abuse material being viewed in this room." The detective constable spends hours examining pictures and watching videos, the worst of which are beyond the stuff of nightmares. He puts himself through it because he knows the job is important. The father of two young boys admits it takes its toll, yet he wishes he had started the job far earlier in his policing career to make a difference. He says it's worth it, because every week he and his colleagues are identifying young victims, and protecting them from further abuse. Earlier this week, Police Scotland invited BBC Scotland News to witness its work demonstrating the change in offending behaviour since the Covid pandemic, revealing that paedophiles were making direct contact with children online within 30 seconds of trying. David was the first victim identification officer to work with Police Scotland's national child abuse investigation unit. After four years, he now has three colleagues and an ever increasing workload. The unit is conducting 700 inquiries a year and executing 15 to 20 search warrants every week, seizing dozens of devices from the homes of suspects. The job of the victim identification officers is to examine images and footage found on these phones and laptops, to try to find children who've been abused. According to Interpol, online child sexual abuse is one of the rare crime areas where police officers start with the evidence and work their way back to the crime scene. Once images are found, the victim identification specialists take over, combing through the images with the objective of removing the child from harm and arresting the abuser. But their workload is increasing as fast as they can get through them. David says: "Four years ago we were identifying approximately 25 to 30 victims a year. We're doing more than ten times that now." Shockingly, the victims are close to home. "Last year we identified nearly 400 victims and 90% of those children are from Scotland. "When I started, I thought it was a problem that was far away, but it's on our doorstep. It's children in our community." The contents of the devices are uploaded to the UK-wide child abuse image database. If they've been discovered before, they don't have to be viewed again, but if they're new, they're classed as "first generation" images and checked by David and his colleagues. The grim reality of that is that much of the abuse takes place within households where the perpetrator knows the victim. That means devices can include pictures of normal family life, providing a horrifying contrast to the images of abuse and vital information for the detectives. "Essentially we start looking for clues in the pictures as to where this footage was taken, things like plug sockets or bits of clothing, maybe school uniforms and football strips, anything that would perhaps indicate where the child lives," says David. "A lot of our identifications are made from non-indecent images." One victim was recently traced in Glasgow after a detective recognised a water tower in the background of a selfie. Steps are taken to safeguard children who've been identified, in conjunction with outside agencies such as social work. The most extreme images and videos viewed by David and his colleagues plumb the depths of depravity. He agrees they have to switch off their own emotions. Police Scotland monitors the wellbeing of officers in this type of work and there are strict rules to limit how much time they spend looking at the material. They're not allowed to view it in the first or last hour of their shift, and one day a week is spent working from home, catching up on admin and emails. "It's just a case of prioritising and laying out your day," David says. "We start with a briefing every morning and we've got quite a substantial workload, and we just work our way through it the best we can. "There are wellbeing measures in place and talking to counsellors and other people about what you're feeling and seeing can help unlock things." Every week he and his colleagues walk past that warning on their office doors. "We are reviewing footage of something that's already happened to these children," says David. "But when we identify them and put the safeguarding measures in place, that's the most satisfying part of the job. "I used to work in other areas of policing, like serious and organised crime and drug enforcement but I can honestly say that now kind of pales into insignificance. "It doesn't compare to putting measures in place to make a child safe." A soft knock - how police arrest a suspected paedophile
BBC News
4 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
The police job that is beyond the stuff of nightmares
David Murray's office has a warning on its door: "Please be aware: child sexual abuse material being viewed in this room."The detective constable spends hours examining pictures and watching videos, the worst of which are beyond the stuff of puts himself through it because he knows the job is father of two young boys admits it takes its toll, yet he wishes he had started the job far earlier in his policing career to make a says it's worth it, because every week he and his colleagues are identifying young victims, and protecting them from further this week, Police Scotland invited BBC Scotland News to witness its work demonstrating the change in offending behaviour since the Covid pandemic, revealing that paedophiles were making direct contact with children online within 30 seconds of trying. 'On our doorstep' David was the first victim identification officer to work with Police Scotland's national child abuse investigation four years, he now has three colleagues and an ever increasing unit is conducting 700 inquiries a year and executing 15 to 20 search warrants every week, seizing dozens of devices from the homes of job of the victim identification officers is to examine images and footage found on these phones and laptops, to try to find children who've been to Interpol, online child sexual abuse is one of the rare crime areas where police officers start with the evidence and work their way back to the crime images are found, the victim identification specialists take over, combing through the images with the objective of removing the child from harm and arresting the their workload is increasing as fast as they can get through says: "Four years ago we were identifying approximately 25 to 30 victims a year. We're doing more than ten times that now."Shockingly, the victims are close to home."Last year we identified nearly 400 victims and 90% of those children are from Scotland."When I started, I thought it was a problem that was far away, but it's on our doorstep. It's children in our community." Horrifying contrast The contents of the devices are uploaded to the UK-wide child abuse image they've been discovered before, they don't have to be viewed again, but if they're new, they're classed as "first generation" images and checked by David and his grim reality of that is that much of the abuse takes place within households where the perpetrator knows the means devices can include pictures of normal family life, providing a horrifying contrast to the images of abuse and vital information for the detectives."Essentially we start looking for clues in the pictures as to where this footage was taken, things like plug sockets or bits of clothing, maybe school uniforms and football strips, anything that would perhaps indicate where the child lives," says David."A lot of our identifications are made from non-indecent images." One victim was recently traced in Glasgow after a detective recognised a water tower in the background of a are taken to safeguard children who've been identified, in conjunction with outside agencies such as social most extreme images and videos viewed by David and his colleagues plumb the depths of depravity. He agrees they have to switch off their own Scotland monitors the wellbeing of officers in this type of work and there are strict rules to limit how much time they spend looking at the not allowed to view it in the first or last hour of their shift, and one day a week is spent working from home, catching up on admin and emails."It's just a case of prioritising and laying out your day," David says. "We start with a briefing every morning and we've got quite a substantial workload, and we just work our way through it the best we can."There are wellbeing measures in place and talking to counsellors and other people about what you're feeling and seeing can help unlock things."Every week he and his colleagues walk past that warning on their office doors."We are reviewing footage of something that's already happened to these children," says David."But when we identify them and put the safeguarding measures in place, that's the most satisfying part of the job."I used to work in other areas of policing, like serious and organised crime and drug enforcement but I can honestly say that now kind of pales into insignificance."It doesn't compare to putting measures in place to make a child safe."
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Smoothie King Tops 2025 QSR Rankings as CX Fundamentals Prove Critical to Growth
PEACHTREE CORNERS, Ga., May 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Market Force Information, a global leader in customer experience management, has released its 2025 Quick-Service Restaurant (QSR) Industry Study, underscoring what top brands have always known: Customer Experience is the foundation of sustainable growth. Leading this year's CX Metrics rankings is Smoothie King, which climbed from sixth to first place overall, driven by improvements in speed, beverage quality and cleanliness—key fundamentals that continue to define consumer loyalty in the QSR space. In contrast, last year's Customer Loyalty Index (CLI) leader, Andy's Frozen Custard, fell from the top five following declines across several key experience categories, including cleanliness and friendliness. "Customer experience has always been the backbone of brand growth," said David Murray, Sr. Director of Customer Experience Strategy at Market Force and a 16-year industry veteran. "This year's rankings simply reinforce what strong operators already know: when you get the fundamentals right—speed, cleanliness, and operational consistency—loyalty follows. The brands that know and stay focused on what matters most to their guests are the ones that win." Burger and Chicken Categories Continue to Dominate Consumer Loyalty In-N-Out topped the overall Customer Loyalty Index in 2025, and reclaimed leadership in the burger category with strong brand trust and consistently high experience scores. Chick-fil-A remains a customer favorite in the chicken category, holding a top position for the second year in a row with continued excellence in friendliness, cleanliness, and overall operational execution. The chicken category saw a significant shakeup, with Slim Chickens making a standout debut, tying with Chick-fil-A in CX Metrics rankings – long recognized as the gold standard in service and consistency. Blaze Pizza Leads a Heated Pizza Category In a highly competitive pizza segment, Blaze Pizza emerged as a clear leader, topping both the Customer Loyalty Index and CX Metrics rankings. The brand's year-over-year gains across speed, food quality, and cleanliness highlight the growing consumer demand for CX excellence. Blaze's consistent investment in operational execution has helped it outpace established competitors and build deep customer loyalty in a category known for high frequency and strong brand preference. At the other end of the spectrum, traditional value players like Pizza Hut, Little Caesars, and Sbarro continue to underperform in key CX categories. Some of This Years Buzz-Worthy Brands Culver's and Five Guys were recognized as America's most trusted burger brands. Peet's, Caribou, and Einstein Bros. outperformed industry giants like Starbucks and Dunkin' in the bakery and coffee segment. In the sandwich category, Schlotzsky's and Potbelly led the field, while Subway landed in the bottom tier. Qdoba and Pollo Tropical were bright spots in the Mexican segment, showing growing loyalty and quality perception. Market Force will host a live webinar to unpack the full CLI 2025 results, explore the trends driving loyalty, and provide an exclusive look at brand breakouts across all categories. To register for the QSR webinar, please visit: Brands and analysts interested in a full walkthrough of results can schedule a briefing at: Join our growing consumer panel at: About Market Force Information Market Force helps global brands improve customer experience and operations with integrated services like contact centers, mystery shopping, site audits, customer surveys, social media management, and advanced analytics. Industries served include retail, grocery, restaurant, hospitality, banking and more. Learn more at: View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Market Force Information
