Latest news with #DetectiveSuperintendent
The Sun
2 days ago
- The Sun
Three arrested after woman ‘murdered' outside care home in horror attack as officers swarm and seal off road
COPS have arrested three men after a woman was found dead outside a care home. Police were called to Chadwell Heath Lane, Romford, at around 5.30am on Saturday. 4 4 4 Officers found a woman had been attacked and despite the best efforts of emergency services, she was sadly pronounced dead at the scene. Formal identification is yet to take place, however it is believed the victim was in her 20s. Her family have been informed and are being supported by specially trained officers. A 35-year-old has now been arrested on suspicion of murder, alongside a 21-year-old and 22-year-old who were arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender. It is understood those involved were known to each other. Detective Superintendent Brian Hobbs said: 'Our thoughts remain with the victim's family and friends in light of this truly tragic event. 'Although we have now made arrests, local residents will continue to see an increased number of officers in and around the area while our investigative work is carried out. 'I would ask anyone who was in the area of Romford, who may have seen or heard anything suspicious, to speak to us.' A spokesperson for the Met Police added: "If you saw anything, or have any information then please contact police via 101 quoting 1625/16Aug. "Alternatively, to remain anonymous you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111." 4
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Chadwell Heath murder investigation: Police appeal after death of woman 'in her twenties'
Police have launched a murder investigation after the death of a woman in east London. The Metropolitan Police said officers were called to Chadwell Heath, near Romford, shortly after 5.30am on Saturday morning following reports of an assault. Police attended alongside the London Ambulance Service, but the woman was pronounced dead at the scene in Chadwell Heath Lane, a statement said. Officers say they believe the victim to be a "woman in her twenties" and that her family has been informed. Formal identification and a post-mortem will be carried out in due course. The police are asking anyone who was in the area, who may have seen or heard anything suspicious, to contact them. No arrests have been made. Read more: Detective Superintendent Brian Hobbs said: "Our thoughts today are with the victim's family and friends in light of this truly tragic event. "Local residents will see an increased number of officers in and around the area while our investigative work is carried out. I want to thank residents for their patience while this continues."
Yahoo
11-08-2025
- Yahoo
'Glasgow is a safe place for women' says top cop
A TOP COP says he believes Glasgow is a 'safe place' for women despite 'alarming' stats showing a rise in reported rapes and sexual assaults. Detective Superintendent Steven Bertram says while he understands concern over the numbers, he doesn't believe the city is unsafe. He told the Glasgow Times: 'I think it is a safe place. 'I get frustrated when we do lots of good things. There's lots of good things in the community and there's a lot of safety, and then one thing will happen and it sets everything back because of the actions of one person or a couple of people. 'But overall, for the amount of people in Glasgow and the size of Glasgow, it is a safe city, it is safe for women and children.' It comes after recent figures show the recorded number of rapes and attempted rapes in Glasgow has gone up from 243 in 2015/16 to 494 in 2024/25, marking a 103% rise. The increase in Scotland during that time is 60%. In that same period in Glasgow, the number of sexual assaults has gone up from 619 to 800. Det Supt Bertram agrees the stats are 'alarming' but says in context he thinks in part it is a sign of Police Scotland handling those crimes better. He said: 'When I look at it, it is alarming to see the number but when I look at the context, I'd bring that alarm down a bit and I do get comfort thinking we are doing things a lot better. 'We are getting that engagement. 'I would be worried if I didn't have the same context there and it isn't just a massive rise in people being able to commit sexual assaults.' He added: 'Those figures will be alarming for a lot of women and parents, but I think they need some peace of mind that the majority will go out, have a good time and come back unscathed and that's the way we want it to be.' Det Supt Bertram says in the last 10 years, as well as Police Scotland changing how they handle complaints of rape, attempted rape and sexual assault and while there has also been a change in society. He said: 'I think people are more willing to talk about rape and sexual crimes, it's not the taboo thing it used to be. 'In that 10-year period a lot has changed in policing. 'Our approach to sexual crime and rape is different to what it is 10 years ago. 'We've got a better understanding of trauma, making sure our officers are trauma informed, we've got a better focus on victims and being really victim-focused as opposed to driven for performance. 'We see a lot of reporting of really good convictions, really good jail sentences getting handed out and you like to think if a victim was seeing that and thinking 'should I come forward' that's going to be encouragement that people are listening.' Det Supt Bertram also praised survivors who have spoken publicly both for helping police learn how to better work with victims to also inspire other women to come forward. He said: 'We've seen a lot of survivors of rape and sexual crime standing outside court telling their story about where the criminal justice process either let them down or what could be improved. 'We're really proactive in that and try and contact these people and say 'would you be willing to speak to us' and then try to bring them in 'talk to us, in our case what did we get wrong, what could we do better'. 'I think that's really important.' He continued: 'We've seen a lot of younger women coming forward to stand up and say 'I want to speak about this, I'm not bothered about being anonymous' and use that to encourage other people to come forward. 'I think that's really good and starts to show a different attitude from 'lets not talk about this because its taboo' to 'I want to tell you my story'. 'I think the more that that happens, then I think we're going to see a rise in reports.' Prevention work is one of the key things police are working on, an example of which is the THAT Guy campaign which Police Scotland started in 2021 which aims to reduce rape, serious sexual assault and harassment by having frank conversations with men about attitudes and behaviour around women. Det Supt Bertram said: 'Men are the problem, not all men, but they're also the solution. 'We've realised that, and we've changed out tact to how we approach the preventative side. 'So instead of saying what was that kind of victim blaming thing of 'don't do this, don't do that', actually you should be allowed to go out and enjoy yourself because that's your God-given right to do. 'The messaging has to go to men of 'you need to think about your own behaviour, you need to challenge your pals, don't be a bystander, do something about it'.' Earlier this year, there were several posts on social media from women saying they were following by men, particularly in the city centre, and left feeling intimidated. The Glasgow Times asked Det Supt Bertram if police in Glasgow had seen a rise in such incidents being reported. He said police in Glasgow 'didn't see that' but has encouraged people to report such incidents. He said: 'If anyone has a genuine concern, we'll always take things seriously, we're not saying because it's on social media and didn't get reported that it didn't happen but that if that comes into police as formal report it will be investigated.' To report a rape or sexual assault, Police Scotland can be contacted on 101. The Rape Crisis Scotland National Helpline can be contacted on 08088 01 03 02 daily from 6pm to midnight. In an emergency call 999. NHS Scotland provide dedicated Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCS) throughout Scotland. 'Archway' currently provides a service to Greater Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Ayrshire, West Dunbartonshire, Argyle and Bute, Renfrewshire and Inverclyde. They can be contacted on 0141 211 8175.
Daily Mail
04-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Cops swoop at Australian airport in $3M blessing scam
An elderly woman is the latest victim of a 'disgraceful' spiritual blessing scam defrauding dozens of people out of priceless jewels and thousands of dollars. NSW Police arrested a 63-year-old woman at Sydney Airport on Thursday night before taking her to Mascot Police Station. She is accused of defrauding a 77-year-old woman out of $130,000 in cash and jewellery in Parramatta, in the city's west, in June. Detective Superintendent Guy Magee told a press conference on Friday that police believed over 50 people were involved in the scam in Sydney and Melbourne. He said the men act as the coordinators, while the women are tasked with convincing victims their wealth needed to be blessed to protect their families from spirits. Supt Magee said the syndicate was 'targeting the entire east coast'. 'The offending could be double what we think,' he told reporters. 'There is an element of shame and humiliation for the victims... please don't be [ashamed] and let us stand alongside you. We're also calling out to the younger generations of these Asian communities to tell their parents and grandparents about this scam. Tell them they shouldn't be talking to strangers or taking them back to their homes. Tell them not to follow anyone to a herbal or spiritual healer.' Police said it is the latest example of a scam aimed at people of Asian backgrounds, where alleged offenders 'exploit cultural fears'. 'Once the scammers are in possession of their money and valuables including jewellery, the items are swapped with items of no value and the women are encouraged not to open the bags for an extended time,' police said. A police Strike Force has been in operation since April, investigating alleged blessing scams across Sydney since 2023. Police have received reports of more than 80 incidents in that time and say the scams have netted a cool $3million in cash and valuables. The 63-year-old woman arrested on Thursday was charged with dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception, participating in a criminal group, and demanding property in company with menaces with intent to steal. She was set to face Parramatta Local Court on Friday after being denied police bail.
Daily Mail
04-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Cops swoop on $3million 'Chinese blessing' scam targeting vulnerable Aussies in Sydney and Melbourne
An elderly woman is the latest victim of a 'disgraceful' spiritual blessing scam defrauding dozens of people out of priceless jewels and thousands of dollars. NSW Police arrested a 63-year-old woman at Sydney Airport on Thursday night before taking her to Mascot Police Station. She is accused of defrauding a 77-year-old woman out of $130,000 in cash and jewellery in Parramatta, in the city's west, in June. Detective Superintendent Guy Magee told a press conference on Friday that police believed over 50 people were involved in the scam in Sydney and Melbourne. He said the men act as the coordinators, while the women are tasked with convincing victims their wealth needed to be blessed to protect their families from spirits. Supt Magee said the syndicate was 'targeting the entire east coast'. 'The offending could be double what we think,' he told reporters. 'There is an element of shame and humiliation for the victims... please don't be [ashamed] and let us stand alongside you. 'We're also calling out to the younger generations of these Asian communities to tell their parents and grandparents about this scam. 'Tell them they shouldn't be talking to strangers or taking them back to their homes. 'Tell them not to follow anyone to a herbal or spiritual healer.' Police said it is the latest example of a scam aimed at people of Asian backgrounds, where alleged offenders 'exploit cultural fears'. 'Once the scammers are in possession of their money and valuables including jewellery, the items are swapped with items of no value and the women are encouraged not to open the bags for an extended time,' police said. A police Strike Force has been in operation since April, investigating alleged blessing scams across Sydney since 2023. Police have received reports of more than 80 incidents in that time and say the scams have netted a cool $3million in cash and valuables. The 63-year-old woman arrested on Thursday was charged with dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception, participating in a criminal group, and demanding property in company with menaces with intent to steal. She was set to face Parramatta Local Court on Friday after being denied police bail.
