Latest news with #crimeprevention
Telegraph
a day ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Policing must be seen to be even-handed
The first of Robert Peel's nine principles of policing, set out as long ago as 1829, is 'to prevent crime and disorder as an alternative to their repression by military force and severity of legal punishment'. The then Home Secretary was responding to the great fear of the authorities in the aftermath of the French Revolution: the mob. Once disorder gets a hold, dealing with it becomes increasingly difficult, requiring recourse to the Army, as happened in Northern Ireland in 1969. The simmering resentment felt in parts of the country about the way illegal migrants have been imposed on communities with no consultation whatsoever is not yet at that level. But as Nigel Farage said this week, we may be on the edge of serious civil disobedience, yet no longer possess the means to contain it. We depend on the police to keep matters under control, though in truth much of the fault lies with the Government. Labour promised that hotels would no longer be employed to house illegal immigrants and yet they are now being used more than ever. In Epping, a hotel has become a target for local protests by people no longer prepared to accept scores of young men being foisted on them. The residents are exercising their rights to object to a set of circumstances over which they have no control and about which they were never consulted. When they hear themselves described as racist thugs they are entitled to feel aggrieved. Essex Police, which has been criticised for the way it has handled days of protests, claims to have been even-handed. But by escorting pro-migrant demonstrators to the hotel, essentially to confront local people, the force's impartiality is open to question. Moreover, it has unwittingly encouraged extremists from the Left and Right to descend on Epping to cause the very trouble the police are meant to prevent. The force must be seen to act in an even-handed way while ensuring the two sides do not end up fighting one another in the streets. No one pretends this is easy but it will require the sort of adept policing that has not been the forte of Essex constabulary, to put it charitably. In the end, the fault lies with the abject failure of the Home Office to find realistic alternatives to hotels for migrants who have crossed the Channel. It is time the ex-military camps, that were once going to be used to incarcerate and process the arrivals, were reopened.
BBC News
2 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Wolverhampton councillors to discuss new crime and safety strategy
A new strategy to prevent and tackle crime and promote community safety in Wolverhampton over the next four years will be discussed by councillors Safer Wolverhampton Partnership Strategy sets out plans to create "safer, healthier communities where people feel empowered and protected", City of Wolverhampton Council focuses on five themes: Violence, anti-social behaviour, safety of women and girls, alcohol and substance-related crime, and neighbourhood Obaida Ahmed, cabinet member for health, wellbeing and community, said the issues required an integrated response aligned with West Midlands Police's crime plan. The five priorities involve using intelligence to identify hot spot areas, expanding prevention measures and pursuing "robust enforcement where necessary".Public spaces should be improved enabling the safety of women and girls, young people should be educated on healthy behaviours and also a focus on disrupting drug supply crime would be addressed through community vigilance, education, and co-ordinated policing, the council strategy will be monitored and refreshed each year to adapt to any new crime trends and local authority said reported crime had fallen by 9.5% in the past year with declines in serious youth violence, domestic abuse, theft, robbery and burglary, anti-social behaviour and adult reoffending rates. 'Proud of achievements' There had also been significant work to prevent serious youth violence by investing in programmes in schools and the community.A new Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) in the city centre last summer contributed to about a 16% reduction in recorded crime within the perimeter, including a 50% drop in the number of robberies, the council added."Preventing and tackling crime and promoting community safety are very complex and require an integrated partnership response," Ahmed said."Working alongside the West Midlands Police and Crime Plan, this strategy sets out our plans for the next four years – to ensure residents feel safe and can live healthy lives in their community."We're proud of the partnership's achievements over the last few years and remain fully committed to early intervention, community empowerment, and collective responsibility."The draft strategy will be presented to members of the council's cabinet on Wednesday. Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
CBS News
2 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Gov. Pritzker says state of Illinois is seeing major drop in violent crime alongside Chicago
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker weighed in Tuesday on Chicago's massive drop in violent crime. The crime numbers are shaping up to be the story of the summer in the city. Through this past weekend, homicides are down 30% from the same time period last year in Chicago. Meanwhile, shootings are down 40% over the same stretch, while carjackings are down 50%. Other major cities around the country are also seeing big drops. There is no magic answer to what is behind the reduction in violent crime. Mayor Brandon Johnson credited employing youth, using violence disruptors, and better engagement between public and private partners. Gov. Pritzker also said there has been a similar drop in crime statewide "Shootings and homicides on our highways are down 60, 70, 80% depending on where you look — but certainly in the Chicago area — and that's a result of more officers, investment in technology, making sure that we have summer jobs for kids, and making sure that we're investing in areas that have high poverty rates. All of that works, I think, to reduce crime rate in the city of Chicago, and well as across the state of Illinois."
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Reform pledges to bring tougher bobbies on the beat... because 'society needs that tiny bit of fear'
Reform wants to bring back 'big strapping' bobbies on the beat whom the public would fear. Party leader Nigel Farage said people out looking for trouble would think twice about committing a crime if they saw policemen they were scared of. And his first female MP, Sarah Pochin, said women police officers on patrol together looked vulnerable. The biggest pledge of Mr Farage's plan to restore law and order to Britain is to recruit 30,000 more police over five years, at a cost of £10.5 billion. It would take the workforce from 147,000 in England and Wales, plus another 7,000 police community support officers who cannot make arrests, to almost 185,000. Latest figures show that women account for one in three officers nationwide. Mr Farage said: 'We will scrap all diversity, equality and inclusion roles, and we will aim for a higher and physically tougher standard of police officer on our streets. 'I think if British criminals slightly fear the police, that is a desirable place for us to be as a society.' He told how an Army officer he knew who had served in Afghanistan had applied to join the police on his return but was told to 'come back next year because they were having trouble with their quotas'. Nigel Farage said people out looking for trouble would think twice about committing a crime if they saw policemen they were scared of 'Enough of all that rubbish. And in fact, on that theme, we would look very much to go to people who have served in the Armed Forces who we think would make ideal police officers,' Mr Farage said. Asked if scrapping diversity roles would damage trust in policing, he said: 'No, I think we should fear police, just like as kids we would just be slightly respectful and maybe a touch fearful of school teachers when we were 11 years old or whatever.' He said 'society needs' that 'tiny little bit of fear' and that 'for people out looking for trouble, and if they see, you know, a couple of big strapping police officers, they'll think, 'you know what, this might not be such a good idea'. We need much, much tougher policing.' Asked if some current officers should not be in their posts, he said: 'We're not going to sack police officers, we're going to hire police officers. We just think that a better physical standard is needed.' Ms Pochin, a former magistrate, told BBC Radio 5 Live: 'I would feel much safer with the two great big strapping police officers walking down my street. I never like to see actually two female police officers out together. I think they look vulnerable.'
The Verge
3 days ago
- The Verge
Citizen will share crime videos with the NYPD
Mayor Eric Adams announced over the weekend that New York City will send users real-time public safety alerts based on their specific location through the crime-tracking app Citizen. The city also announced that public safety agencies, like the New York City Police Department, Fire Department, and Emergency Management, will have access to a portal to review footage shared by users on Citizen. Citizen's verified partner program for cities like New York is tied to a partnership with Axon's (formerly known as Taser) Fusus platform, the 'real-time crime center' it acquired last year. Axon announced a partnership with Ring in April that allows law enforcement to request access to video footage from owners' security cameras in a certain area during a certain time. At the same time, it also announced an integration with Citizen to support sending alerts and pulling in public videos from Citizen's users. According to Citizen, users who don't want their videos shared directly can opt out in the app's settings, but all videos posted are still 'viewable and downloadable by the public.' Adams said the new NYC Public Safety account on Citizen will send notifications about public safety, weather emergencies, and major incidents based on a user's neighborhood, ZIP code, or borough. Citizen lets users report potential safety incidents, share videos, and broadcast live footage from within its app. It also says it can send alerts to nearby mobile devices 'within seconds' of a 911 call or a user report, and also offers a premium safety line. Citizen already allows law enforcement to obtain information from its app as long as they have a warrant, but it also offers the ability for police to get data 'without delay' in case of emergencies. It originally launched under the name 'Vigilante' in 2016, but the app was booted from the App Store for promoting vigilantism, TechCrunch reported at the time. The app later relaunched as Citizen and has faced heavy criticism in the years since, with some arguing it fuels fear in communities. In 2021, Citizen CEO Andrew Frame came under fire for encouraging users to hunt down the wrong person suspected of starting a California wildfire.
