Shooting

A police officer has been shot dead and another person killed at a house in Shropshire.

West Mercia Police said officers were called to an address in New Park Road, in the Castlefields area of Shrewsbury at 0610 BST on Sunday.

A statement read: "We can confirm two people died in this incident and the Independent Police Complaints Commission has been informed".

A police helicopter was seen over the area on Sunday morning.

The IPCC said it was sending an investigator to assess the scene.

A spokesman said something of a "serious nature" must have happened for the IPCC to have received a referral.

He added that a police officer being killed would be something the commission would be called into investigate.

West Mercia Police are expected to release more details later.

My thoughts and prayers go out to all families concerned.

Red lights

If you think you can run a red light on your pedal cycle anywhere near me, be warned you will get a fixed penalty notice, and if you fail to pay I will come knocking to arrest you for non payment of fines.

This week I found out from the court on my regular visits that 8 of my last issued FPN's for failing to stop at a red light I issued last year to a number of pedal cyclist had not paid the court and failed to show on a summons.

So I applied for a few warrants today and arrested all 8 at their places of work and carted them all off to court. Harsh ? probably but it isn't my fault they chose to ignore the courts of this land. One gentleman employed by a large English bank decided to vent his anger at the magistrate and was found in contempt of court and was taken down to the cells to appear again tomorrow morning when he has "cooled his heels"

I note with interest today on the BBC news again about red lights and cyclists, well boyo's do it around me and expect a ticket.

nuff said.

The results are out

Well this years round of OSPRE part One exam results are here, and I have Passed, let the party begin !


Congratulations to all those who sat in that horrible hall and passed the exam.


Better luck next time to all those looking at a resit ..

Oh dear, does this mean I have to grow up now ?

Roll on the Detective exam later this year !

The way of the gun

As readers of my blog have no doubt deduced that I work in south London the recent shootings have been headline news for the last week.

So are we saying that these young teenagers are running around with guns ? I don't agree

Is it a parental supervision issue ?

Is there any real answer to these awful crimes. I know there is no simple solution and only a multi faceted approach will ever begin to address these issues , but also its worth to note that is not just a black community issue but a whole community issue.

What I do know is that these young men in all likely hood never envisaged that their world would end so quickly and so brutality and no doubt the families are devastated, my thoughts and sympathies goes out to those left behind.

What are your thoughts ?

Monday

Monday

Got to work at Six thirty am, Shift starts at seven.
Changed, showered and at my desk by Six fifty.
Fire up the computer log in with one of my many passwords
I have to remember this month.

Log in to the crime reporting system to have a look at my assigned work today. 32 Crime on the books, five left over from last week.

Break down is 22 Burglary type offences, 10 reports of stolen mobile phones. Oh hum.

Fire up my email - 147 emails since Friday, over half are stupid administrator emails telling me my email account is full and I need to delete emails, sent every hour on the hour since late Sunday afternoon. ( pointless message ) Delete all the crap.

Rest of the team arrives in drips and drabs and the call for tea & coffee goes out.
I review my work file and Identify which of the 32 crimes require my immediate attention in order of seriousness of the offence and any time constraints or possible leads/ chance of solving the crime. Out of the 22 reported burglaries I identify that only half are actual burglaries and the rest are possible criminal damage but reported as burglaries due to stupid home office counting rules. Conduct basic checks on the address and victims and intelligence system checks.

I start ringing around the home owners and I make 5 appointments to visit their houses , leaving messages to contact me at the rest.
(Each visit will take about 1 hour including been present with the Scene of crime officer )

So far I have spent 2 hour's at work and have accounted for the next 5.

Various trips to peoples homes, asses the crime, look for leads, door to door enquires , list stolen items , give crime prevention advice and give the member of the public the police service they expect.

Five hours later, only two of the burglaries has possible forensic leads one in the form of a fingerprint the latter even better , spit left in the kitchen by the scummy burglar.

Return to station Via Costa coffee and Nando's for energy supply's , Update the crime reports with my findings so far. Pick up left messages from the other victims and arrange to attend during various times during the week and tomorrow.

Spend the next half hour responding to Senior management team emails that are running around like headless chickens about the weekend figures been so high, reassure them by pointing out only 11 burglaries actually happened in the last 2 days ..

Update my appointments book, ensure the Crime scene officer has sent of the fingerprint and swab for testing.

Log off.

Gone.

Soft on Crime, Soft on the causes of Crime

With recent events in the news of escapee's from prison the home office to be split in two and now that Mr Reid is asking judges to reduce the numbers of criminals sentenced to custody ,

I have to ask .. is this the labour government who was voted in ?

Are they really tough on crime ?

I also remember another catch phrase " education etc.." and look at that ? Now I don't generally comment on politics but one has to wonder where the hell is Blair taking us ?

Is this the legacy he is really going to leave ? oh do you want a PND ?... I have targets to make before the end of the counting year... I'll do you a special deal ( Honest )

Show me the money

Greetings, I hope you are all well and looking forward to the seasons festivities and that you were all smart enough to have booked your holidays now for next years Christmas last minute aid interferences.

We enter the time of the office parties, the department dinners, the teams pissups and the units trip to the seaside resort of your choice, no doubt the usual batch of stories will filter up, the police service is not immune to the Christmas party mistakes ... we are also in full fly of the annual antidrink drive campaign that lasts the festive period then we are tasked to some other equality meaningful priority as soon as possible, and begs the question where are all the traffic officers gone?

Of course all this drink and fun brings its usual community policing skills to the fore of the lost mobile phone while drunk revilers crawl in to the stations shouting “ honest officer it was pick pocked, can I have a crime number for my insurance please “ – which then inevitably follows the “drunk” later after reviewing cctv and speaking to the network provider resulting in their arrest and £80 fine or charge. Why report a crime that did not happen? We do check you know…

Myself I have had my head firmly stuck in Blackstone’s and various other books in the vain attempt to get bits of obscure law in to my grey matter as the 2007 March OSPRE Part One exam looms on with ever increasing speed… I must be mad to want to be a sergeant; this of course has meant I have neglected this blog however I have not forgotten about it.

Thanks to all of you who sent emails of concern regaling my welfare, I am still alive and no I haven’t been carted of some dark coroner of the Met.

Have a fantastic and safe Christmas, and I will write before then I am sure.

PS. Oh we got the 3% .... lucky us.

TTBL.