Latest news with #policeforces
The Independent
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Chief officers call for radical overhaul of structure of UK policing
Police chiefs in England and Wales want a radical overhaul of the structure of UK policing with fewer, larger forces, amid financial shortages and difficulties dealing with fraud and updating technology. The current structure of 43 geographical forces was established in the 1960s and there have long been concerns that the model is not fit for purpose. As the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) published the police data strategy for 2025 to 2030 on Thursday, force bosses called for a redesign of the structure of policing in England and Wales. NPCC chairman Gavin Stephens said: 'We need police forces that are strong and capable to be able to use technology…that are able to respond to a range of threats that might emerge in their local area and be resilient to those. 'At the moment, the system is not resilient, so I would absolutely argue for bigger, capable forces led by a stronger national centre.' He said that the way UK policing is currently set up is 'too fragmented and sometimes uncoordinated'. 'There are many things that, particularly in the digital world, where if we do it once well for everybody, we can get the sort of scale that we need. 'I think it's completely unacceptable that if you're a victim of crime in one area compared to another, that you might have a stand a better chance of having your perpetrator bought to justice because that particular force is deploying some technology in comparison with another force that hasn't. 'We need a system where digital advancements, that do move rapidly, we can evolve and get those implemented at scale.' The chief constable's comments came after a report by think tank the Police Foundation earlier this month found that fraud victims are being let down because of the outdated 1960s structure. It said that UK policing is trying to battle '21st century cyber-enabled cross-border crime' in a localised system that is decades old, with fraud now accounting for 40% of crime in Britain. Research by report sponsor Virgin Media O2 also found that three forces in England and Wales had no officers dedicated to investigating fraud. The digital strategy, published on Thursday, says it is estimated that forces will spend around £2 billion on IT in 2025/26, £590 million of which will go on maintaining systems that could instead be modernised. Chief Constable Rob Carden, who is the NPCC lead for digital, data and technology, also highlighted issues with recruiting specialist staff who otherwise go to the private sector. He said the Government's safer streets plan to reduce crime and boost public confidence will not be possible without more investment in technology. 'It's certainly my personal contention that the safer streets mission is simply not achievable without digital data and technology,' he said. His comments came after one of Britain's most senior police officers Sir Mark Rowley joined with five other chief officers, including Mr Stephens, to call on the Government for 'serious investment' in the next spending review in June. In a letter to the Times, they along with the chief constables of Merseyside, West Midlands, Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire Police said: 'A lack of investment will bake in the structural inefficiencies for another three years and will lose a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reform the service.' The digital strategy estimates that 15 million hours of police time could be saved if the Government gives forces £220 million for spending on technology over the next three years. The NPCC said that projects that have already been piloted have saved 347,656 workforce hours and £8.2 million per year, and could save 15 million hours and £370 million per year if rolled out nationally. Mr Stephens said: 'Without investment, we will fall behind rather than become more productive. 'We will not be able to restore neighbourhood policing. 'Halving violence against women and girls and knife crime will become much harder to reach targets.' The projects that are currently being piloted include: – live facial recognition – currently used by the Met, Essex and South Wales Police. It is hoped this could be made available for use by individual officers in the future. – a system in Kent where domestic abuse victims are connected with an officer via video call, reducing the average response time from 32 hours to three minutes. – finish setting up the national digital forensics platform to make analysis of devices quicker – using AI to triage 101 calls, as currently being trialled by West Midlands Police – expanding use of robotic process automation for administrative tasks – national rollout of video and text redaction tools including new deepfake detection technology. The system to automatically redact text is estimated to save around one million hours of staff time per year. – increased use of drones.
Telegraph
5 days ago
- Health
- Telegraph
Police let class A drug users walk free
Half of class A drug users are let off by police without punishment, official figures show. Some 48.1 per cent of people caught in possession of hard drugs, such as cocaine and heroin, were let off without any criminal sanction, Home Office data analysed by The Telegraph reveals. It represents a six-fold increase in drug users escaping prosecution since 2016, when the proportion was only 7.5 per cent. In some forces, more than 80 per cent caught with cocaine, heroin or other class A drugs escaped any criminal punishment. They were instead handed community resolutions, which do not result in a criminal record and only require an offender to accept 'responsibility' for their crime, or were let off 'in the public interest'. Only a third of class A drug possession offences resulted in a charge. The data reflects a shift by police to treat drug possession of any type as a health issue rather than criminal one and comes days after Sir Sadiq Khan, the Labour Mayor of London, called for possession of small amounts of natural cannabis to be decriminalised. But critics have warned police against 'decriminalising drugs via the back door by ignoring tens of thousands of offences'. At least a quarter of the 43 police forces in England and Wales have adopted 'diversion' schemes where users caught with small amounts of drugs like cannabis are 'diverted' to treatment or education programmes rather than prosecuted, particularly for first-time offences. Nearly three-quarters (72.1 per cent) of those caught in possession of cannabis were let off without any criminal sanctions. Thames Valley, West Midlands and Durham are among the dozen forces to have adopted diversion schemes, which could be rolled out nationally if successful. The Treasury and Cabinet Office have put £1.9 million into evaluating the approach in partnership with five universities, the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) and the College of Policing, the standards body for forces in England and Wales. The College said the aim of the diversion scheme was to 'reduce re-offending and wider harms by approaching substance use as a health issue rather than a criminal justice issue'. The research will compare re-offending rates, hospital and treatment admissions with the aim of establishing 'whether and how drug diversion works, for whom, when and why'. 'Devastated by soft policy' But Chris Philp, the Tory shadow home secretary, warned the move amounted to decriminalisation by stealth. 'Parliament has rightly legislated that certain drugs are illegal because they cause serious harm to health, lead to antisocial behaviour and fuel acquisitive crime like theft, burglary and shoplifting as addicts steal to fund buying drugs,' he said. 'Police should not be decriminalising drugs via the back door by ignoring tens of thousands of offences. People who break the law should be prosecuted, and a magistrate or judge can decide what to do. 'Options a magistrate has available include fines, community service and addiction treatment requirements as well as prison. 'We have seen many US and Canadian cities devastated by soft drugs policies. These have allowed ghettos to develop where zombified addicts loiter unpunished and law abiding members of the public fear to go. We can't allow the UK to go the same way through weak policing. 'We need a zero tolerance approach to crime, including a zero tolerance approach to drug taking.' But the College of Policing defended approach and pointed to research, based on 16 different studies, that showed drug diversion had resulted in a 'small but significant' reduction in drug use, particularly among young people. The Telegraph analysis showed that Warwickshire had the lowest proportion of offenders caught with class A drugs who were let off, at just 9.2 per cent, while Dyfed Powys had the highest at 88.6 per cent.
Al Jazeera
5 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
UK universities are at risk of training torturers
Across the UK, pro-Palestinian protests in reaction to the war in Gaza have placed universities' response to human rights concerns under the spotlight. But concerns about links between Britain's higher education institutions and human rights abuses are not limited to one area. A new investigation by Freedom from Torture has found that UK universities are offering postgraduate security and counterterrorism education to members of foreign security forces, including those serving some of the world's most repressive regimes. These institutions are offering training to state agents without scrutinising their human rights records, or pausing to consider how British expertise might end up being exploited to silence, surveil or torture. The investigation reveals that British universities may not just be turning a blind eye to human rights abuses, but could also be at risk of training some of the abusers. Some universities have even partnered directly with overseas police forces known for widespread abuses to deliver in-country teaching. Others have welcomed individuals on to courses designed for serving security professionals from countries where torture is a standard tool of state control. All of this is happening with virtually no oversight of the risks to human rights. These are not abstract concerns. They raise serious, immediate questions. What happens when the covert surveillance techniques taught in British classrooms are later used to hunt down dissidents? Why are universities not investigating the backgrounds of applicants from regimes where 'counterterrorism' is a common pretext for torture and arbitrary detention? Freedom from Torture's investigation found that universities across the UK are accepting applicants for security education from some of the world's most repressive states. Yet just one university in the study said they are screening out applicants who they believed have either engaged in human rights violations or 'intend to'. Torture survivors in the UK have spoken out about their shock that members of the security forces from countries they have fled can access UK security education without meaningful human rights checks. British universities, long considered beacons of liberal values and intellectual freedom, appear to be overlooking the fact that the knowledge they produce may be used to further oppression and state violence. Meanwhile, student activists across the country are staunchly positioning themselves as stakeholders in their university's human rights records. The recent Gaza protests indicate that that when students believe universities' conduct does not align with their values, they won't hesitate to hold them accountable. Across the world, the global student body has a rich history of activism. From anti-apartheid solidarity campaigns to the student protests that sparked Myanmar's 1988 uprising, young people have long stood at the front lines of struggles against repression. Today's generation – often described as the most socially conscious and globally connected in history – is no different. It shouldn't come as a surprise to universities that their human rights performance is a hot topic for the young people they serve. In the corporate world, businesses are now routinely judged on their human rights records. Terms like 'ethical sourcing,' 'responsible investment,' and 'human rights due diligence' are standard parts of doing business. Universities, which pride themselves on being forward-thinking and socially responsible, should be held to no lower standard. The fact that many have no policy at all on overseas human rights risks is indefensible. It's time for that to change. Torture survivors seeking safety in the UK should not have to worry that the nation's educational institutions are offering training to the security forces of the very regimes they fled. Universities should be able to provide reassurance to anyone expressing real concern, whether that is those with lived experience of the most terrible abuses of power, or their own students. In order to do this the university sector must get its house in order. This starts with adopting transparent human rights policies across the sector and undertaking effective due diligence to manage risks to human rights. Failure to take these necessary steps leaves the sector at risk of contributing, however unintentionally, to global human rights violations. Universities must ask themselves: Who is sitting in our classrooms? Who benefits from our training? And what consequences might flow from what we teach? These are amongst the many urgent questions, but not ones the sector appears to be asking. UK universities must take meaningful steps to ensure they avoid inadvertently sharpening the tools of global repression and move towards building a human rights record they can be proud of. Not only will it appeal to a new generation of activist students, but it's the right thing to do. *Full details of FfT's investigation, including responses from universities, can be found here. The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial stance.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Yahoo
Every part of the Midlands ranked on new crime list
The Midlands' crime hotspots have been ranked based on new crime data from police forces. National data was analysed to provide a crime table for Britain, with areas adjusted for population to provide a crime rate per head. And that meant Birmingham did not have the highest crime rate in the Midlands. READ MORE: Five-word text message landing on phones could empty your bank account That unwanted title went to Stoke-on-Trent, which was ranked 23rd nationally. Birmingham was next on the list in 24th. There were over 136,400 non-fraud offences recorded in the second city last year. While that was much higher than Stoke (30,600), Birmingham has a huge population of around 1.1 million. It gives Birmingham a crime rate of 117.8 per 1,000 people and means around one in eight Brummies were victims of crime. Elsewhere in the region, Leicester ranked 32nd and Wolverhampton 42nd. Sandwell was in 69th place, followed by Walsall in 70th. The crime map shows the West Midlands as a crime hotspot, with a number of areas in darker shades of red. Nationally, more than 5.3 million non-fraud crimes were recorded by the 43 police forces in England and Wales. As usual, the Met Police had the largest caseload, with 948,000 crimes reported in London last year. But Middlesbrough, in the north east, was the area with the highest crime rate. Get our local newsletters like Black Country News, MySolihull and MySuttonColdfield straight to your inbox. The newly published crime figures come as the results of the latest Crime Survey of England and Wales (CSEW) are also published. This annual poll, based on face-to-face interviews, seeks to measure the amount and impact of crime, including offences which may not have been reported to police. The latest survey estimates that 9.6 million incidents of 'headline' crime - which includes theft, robbery, criminal damage, fraud, computer misuse, and violence with or without injury - occurred in 2024 That was about 8.4m more incidents than in the previous year, because of rises in fraud and theft. Fraud, for example, increased by 33%, with an estimated 4.1m people falling victim to scammers, while theft increased by 13% to around 2.9m crimes. However, the CSEW shows that crime against individuals and households has generally fallen over the last decade, but with some significant exceptions, such as sexual assault.
Daily Mail
13-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Millions of pounds worth of fuel stolen from petrol stations in recent years - here's how many thieves were caught
Millions of pounds worth of fuel has been stolen from petrol stations in the last five years, new data shows. Over 90,000 instances of drivers fleeing the pumps without paying were recorded between 2020 and 2024 as criminals pilfered an estimated £4.6million of unleaded and diesel, according to an investigation by Forecourt Trader shared with This is Money. It also revealed the low volume of arrests made by police linked to fuel theft - also known as 'bilking'. The forces that responded to the probe said in 94 per cent of instances, officers fail to identify a suspect, let alone reprimanded those who drive off without paying. Senior officers involved in these investigations heavily link the activity to organised crime gangs who use a variety of tactics to make them difficult to trace. While there is no specific offence code for robbing from fuel pumps, this criminal action falls under the wider 'making off without payment' banner (MOWP), which carries a maximum sentence of two years' imprisonment. It is also the offence type for those who make off without paying taxi drivers at the end of journeys, fail to settle a bill at a restaurant and evade payment at other businesses. While Forecourt Trader said 27 of the nation's 45 police forces supplied data for the number of criminals driving away from filling stations without making payment, it found constabularies take varying approaches when recording this information. In fact, just five constabularies consistently held accounts for the value of stolen fuel in their areas. Those that did keep a record of this information revealed that the average loss to filling stations across the last five years was £49.90 per drive off. Nationally, it calculated that an average of 353 fuel station drive-offs are reported each week, based on the feedback collated. It said 56,189 recorded MOWP incidents occurred at petrol stations - or involved the theft of fuel - between 2020 and 2024. These cases saw an estimated £2.8million of petrol and diesel pumped into cars of thieves who didn't cough up. It then estimated that a further 35,612 MOWP offences comprised drive-offs over the same period, adding £1.78million to the value of fuel stolen. This takes the national tally to 91,801 individual instances of petrol bilking at a total value of £4.58million. Gordon Balmer, executive director at the Petrol Retailers Association, which represents the nation's independent filling stations, forecourts at motorway services and supermarkets, said the issue of fuel theft has 'persisted and worsened' over the years and has 'significantly contributed to the rising costs of operating a forecourt'. Low fuel theft arrest rates When petrol station operators notify police of a drive-off taking place, retailers said they often receive a generic text message or email within hours of logging the crime to say the perpetrator could not be identified. One text reportedly seen by Forecourt Trader read: 'We have not been able to identify the suspect responsible for this crime and therefore our investigation is now complete.' In many instances the trade publication looked in to, officers failed to visit the filling station targeted to review the CCTV footage showing the suspect, their car and its registration plate. 'As the average value of fuel taken in each drive-off is around £50, well below the £200 limit under which theft is classified as a 'summary' crime, these incidents have less chance of being fully investigated by police, so while drive-offs are common, arrests and prosecutions are rare – though this may be remedied by the Crime and Policing Bill currently making its way through parliament,' Forecourt Trader said. Sussex Police, for instance, logged 2,892 MOWPs relating to stolen fuel between 2020 and 2024. These had a calculated value loss to retailers of £144,314. In 2,727 of these instances logged with Sussex Police – which is representative of 95 per cent of reported theft – crimes record showed 'investigation complete: no suspect ID' recorded against them. A mere 37 incidents resulted in an offender being charged or summonsed, while a further eight people were cautioned and four ordered to do community service. Humberside Police also logged 3,008 instances of motorists making off without paying for petrol or diesel, which cost retailers an estimated £150,102. In 83 per cent (2,489) of these reports, no suspect was identified. 'A further 200 cases saw 'named suspect but evidential difficulties CPS and Police' recorded against them, while investigations by Humberside officers brought about 73 community resolutions, and saw people charged or summoned to court 115 times, equivalent to 3.8 per cent of cases,' Forecourt Trader said. South Yorkshire filling stations were subject to 3,483 MOWPs (estimated to be worth £173,805) but only 1.2 per cent (43 cases) of police investigations saw an offender charged – police listed 91 per cent of instances as having no suspect. West Yorkshire Police recorded a massive 8,780 fuel thefts amounting to an estimated 438,131 over the same period. Less than nine in ten (86 per cent) saw police identify a suspect. Hertfordshire Police and Leicestershire Police - recording 6,749 (estimated at £336,782) and 4,549 (estimate value of £227,000) MOWPs respectively – didn't find a suspect in 92 per cent of reported cases. When asked about low prosecution rates for fuel theft, the Association of Police and Crime Commissioner told Forecourt Trader that the vast majority of instances were 'linked to other serious organised criminality'. However, the APCC added that police forces should not 'be complacent about these crimes because they are not victimless or low-level, as is sometimes suggested'. A spokesperson for the National Police Chiefs' Council also responded to the investigation. 'Forces have regular interactions with commercial providers and organisations, including petrol stations, about the security of their sites and continue to work with them to make it harder for criminals to commit this type of offence,' they said. 'In some cases, there may not be enough intelligence or data for police to act on. 'This does not mean that a crime is closed indefinitely or that intelligence or information is ignored. 'Intelligence is vital in detecting organised criminality, and we would encourage anyone who suspects criminality in their community to report it to police, including theft.' The RAC Foundation in 2023 reported that instances of bilking had risen 362 per cent compared to before the pandemic. But while it said that the increase might partly be linked to the cost-of-living squeeze and a surge in shoplifting, it also said it was a sign of 'more systematic criminal activity', suggesting organised gangs are the main perpetrators. 'The message to anyone tempted to bilk the service station must be 'don't fill up if you can't pay up' because getting caught is a real possibility, and financial losses to companies ultimately lead to higher prices for us all,' said Steve Gooding, director at the transport policy organisation. These are the tactics used by organised crime gangs to steal petrol and diesel - and why the police is struggling to get a grip on these repeat offenders Tactics used by criminal gangs to steal almost £1m of fuel a year Forecourts are enforced by security systems policed by ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) cameras provided by companies including Forecourt Eye, Vars Technology and Big Brother. They include a blacklist database of vehicles that alerts retailers when a car associated with drive-offs enters a petrol station, and also helps forecourts recover money from unpaid fuel. Data supplied by Vars Technology indicates that around 13 per cent of all drive-offs involved motors using cloned numberplates from a vehicle of similar make, age and colour, as well as fake registration number combinations, or cars with no registered keepers. Cross-referenced with the DVLA's database, Vars found that 5,449 vehicles with cloned plates and 902 with fake registrations, together with 3,303 vehicles with no registered keeper, were used for MOWPs in 2024 alone. John Garnett, a director at Vars Technology, told Forecourt Trader that offenders are rarely caught because 'police forces are under-resourced and under-funded'.
