Latest news with #InspectorateofConstabularyandFire&RescueServices
Epoch Times
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
Protests Following Southport Attack Not Ideologically Motivated: Police Watchdog
A The police inspectorate's findings, published on Wednesday, reveal that the violent protests seen across England in July 2024 were not the result of a single cause or coordinated action by extremist groups, as suggested initially by some politicians and media reports. The unrest took place across several cities, including Southport, Leeds, Liverpool, Hartlepool, central London, Sunderland, Rotherham, and Manchester. It followed the July 29 attack in Southport, when 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana entered a children's dance class and fatally stabbed three girls—Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe, and Alice da Silva Aguiar. Ten others were injured. Rudakubana, a British-born teenager of Rwandan descent, was later sentenced to a minimum of 52 years in prison. In the days following the attack, it was reported that far-right groups had amplified the incident online, using it to stoke anti-immigration and Islamophobic rhetoric. Related Stories 1/21/2025 8/4/2024 Social media platforms were criticised for allowing inflammatory and misleading content to circulate largely unchecked. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer However, the review by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) found the violence was mainly unrelated to the protesters' ideology or political views. 'Some people, including politicians, and many media outlets have suggested that the disorder was the result of well-organised and co-ordinated action by extremist groups. Others stated that the disorder was caused by deliberate, targeted disinformation from a variety of sources. 'However, we found that the causal factors were more complex than were initially evident. 'Some of the main reasons for the widespread disorder were social deprivation, austerity and the economic downturn, political policies and decisions on migration and asylum, and decreasing trust and confidence in policing,' the review said. Children and Community Involvement Of the 1,804 arrests made during the unrest, According to the 'What these conversations do not support is the prevailing narrative that misinformation, racism or far-right influences were responsible for young people's participation,' the Commissioner's report said. While the police inspectorate found that the riots' causes were 'varied and complex,' it warned that police and politicians must take them seriously to help prevent future unrest. Police officers with protesters as trouble flares during an anti-immigration demonstration outside the Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, on Aug. 4, 2024. Danny Lawson/PA Policing and Preparedness Criticised The HMICFRS criticised police forces for being unprepared and slow to respond to the evolving situation, particularly the spread of online misinformation. Sir Andy Cooke, His Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary, said, 'The police service needs to learn lessons from previous outbreaks of disorder; it must not be caught off-guard again.' Cooke acknowledged that policing has become more difficult as online stories spread quickly and influence public opinion. 'Forces must be able to deal with the consequences of harmful information that spreads rapidly online. It's vital that the legislation, regulation and enforcement of illegal online content improves to support this,' he said. The review found that many forces had not implemented recommendations from previous major disorders in 2011 and 2021, leaving them with limited capabilities to monitor and respond to online threats effectively. The National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) has acknowledged that lessons must be learned but cautioned against placing sole responsibility for online content moderation on the police. Law enforcement cannot and should not regulate social media, as that responsibility lies with users, platform providers, and regulators, the NPCC said. 'The report states that policing has 'no proper answer' for tackling misinformation and disinformation, but the issue extends far beyond law enforcement,' said NPCC chair, Chief Constable Gavin Stephens. Recommendations Cooke called for social media companies to take more responsibility for the content on their platforms and urged Ofcom to be given greater regulatory powers to enforce timely action. 'These companies must be held accountable—regardless of whether they're based in the U.S. or China,' he said. The inspectorate also issued three additional recommendations for police forces and other stakeholders. These include helping police better understand and respond to online risks, improving how they gather and share information about unrest, and making investigations into related offences more effective.
AsiaOne
07-05-2025
- Politics
- AsiaOne
UK watchdog says police must not be caught off-guard again after violent summer riots, World News
LONDON - Nationwide rioting that shook Britain last summer was not coordinated by specific groups, but police must do more to counter false narratives online to avoid similar events in future, England's police watchdog said on Wednesday (May 7). Racist unrest involving far-right supporters erupted at anti-immigration protests across Britain last summer after false information circulated online that a British teenager who killed three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event was an Islamist migrant. Axel Rudakubana, 18, admitted killing the girls and stabbing 10 others last July in the northern English town of Southport. He was sentenced to at least 52 years behind bars in January. In a report, His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services said those who took part in the riots were mostly "disaffected individuals, influencers or groups that incited people to act violently", rather than criminal factions or extremists. "It was mainly unrelated to their ideology or political views," the inspectorate said in the report. "The causes of the disorder were complex, but the overwhelming speed and volume of online content further fuelled its spread." HMICFRS said the police had not kept pace with the fast-developing nature of online communications, and that such events required forces to counter false narratives online and be innovative in their approach. "Policing cannot be passive when public safety is at risk," HMICFRS said. HMICFRS also found the police did not sufficiently prioritise intelligence on disorder and that lessons had not been learned from previous outbreaks. Chief Inspector Andy Cooke said the police "should not be caught off-guard again". [[nid:624426]] The National Police Chiefs Council welcomed the report but said it failed to accurately assess the forces' role in countering harmful online content. "It overlooks the reality that law enforcement cannot and should not regulate social media, placing unrealistic expectations on policing while ignoring the critical responsibility of platform providers and regulators," the NPCC said. "Without robust detection, moderation, and removal of false narratives, misinformation will continue to fuel unrest unchecked," the NPCC added.
BBC News
10-04-2025
- BBC News
Dorset Police investigations 'require improvement'
Dorset Police needs to get better at investigating crime, responding to the public and treating people fairly, a report has found.A government inspectorate rated the force as "requiring improvement" in three out of nine graded areas and "adequate" in said the number of crimes solved following investigations was "low" and officers were not meeting response time targets for calls and Constable Amanda Pearson said the report was "fair and constructive", adding: "Dorset remains one of the safest places in the country." His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) carried out the PEEL inspection - which stands for police efficiency, effectiveness and legitimacy - from 2023 to acknowledged the force's efforts to address racial disparity in police stop-and-searches but said it remained an "area for improvement".The inspection also found emergency calls were not being answered quickly enough and responses to incidents were missing target times. It found victims were not always adequately supported, while just 9.3% of victim-based crimes were recorded as "offences brought to justice".Dorset Police said areas of good work highlighted included its Safeguarding Hubs to keep vulnerable people safe, its tackling of anti-social behaviour, management of more frequent crime types and strategic and financial planning. It said the report also recognised "sustained improvements" in call handling, response times, investigations and in addressing "disproportionality in the use of police powers".Ms Pearson said: "This report is a fair and constructive assessment of the effective and impactful improvements the force continues to make."We have invested in reducing call times, strengthening investigations and making sure our service works for everyone in Dorset. "I am pleased the report identifies those priorities and the work we are doing whilst also pointing out where we can improve." You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Yahoo
Met Police needs to improve handling of missing children cases, watchdog says
The Metropolitan Police needs to improve how it handles cases of missing children, according to a police watchdog. A report by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) into the force's handling of the sexual and criminal exploitation of children found there had been 'positive progress' since a previous report in June 2023. But it said the force needs further improvement in certain areas, including not acting quickly enough and incorrectly grading some cases involving missing children. The report also found too many opportunities to follow lines of enquiry were missed. Other findings showed the force rarely carried out initial victim needs assessments and had problems complying with the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime. Among the improvements were how crimes involving exploiting children and the risk to missing children are assessed, ensuring better communications with child victims and safeguarding partners, taking steps to eradicate victim-blaming language and the use of innovative techniques to help find children quickly. His Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary Lee Freeman said: 'Children who go missing from home, or are at risk of exploitation, are some of the most vulnerable in society. 'When we inspected the Metropolitan Police Service in 2023, it wasn't doing enough when children were suffering from, or at risk of, exploitation. I am pleased to report that the senior leadership response to the issues we raised has been positive. 'However, the service still has more work to do to improve further and to provide a consistently good service. We will continue to closely monitor its progress.' The watchdog removed the Metropolitan Police from special measures in January after more than two years.
BBC News
11-02-2025
- General
- BBC News
Humberside Fire and Rescue Service praised by inspectors
Humberside Fire and Rescue Service has been praised by a watchdog for "making progress" since it was last inspected three years report, by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), rated the brigade as "outstanding" both for understanding and preventing service was also rated "good" in eight other categories and "adequate" in Shillito, Humberside's chief fire officer, said he was "delighted" with the report, which stood "as a testament" to the "passion, dedication and professionalism" of staff. Michelle Skeer, of HMICFRS, said it was "pleasing to see the service has made progress" since 2022 and congratulated it for "keeping people safe and secure"."The service is also working well with local health organisations to provide an on-call falls response team, helping more people live in their homes for longer, reducing demand on other services."I commend them for the changes it has made and will keep in close contact to monitor progress," she added. The report said the service had improved performance through the use of data analysis, which helped it to assess risks such as deliberate fires and tailor services Fire and Rescue was also told it was good at responding to major incidents, fires and emergencies and utilising inspectors said the service was "adequate" when it came to promoting values and culture. Some staff lacked confidence in using feedback systems, and leaders at a senior and middle level needed to be more Shillito said: "I have never been prouder of our remarkable fire and rescue service. We will continue to embrace new ideas to strengthen the trust the community places in us and overcome any challenges to ensure people's safety."While there is always room for improvement, we will build on this report's outcomes to keep our communities safe."Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
