Policing News

West Midlands police officer cleared of crash charge

A police chief inspector accused of failing to stop after hitting a student with his car has been cleared. Jamie Jones, 38, of West Midlands Police, had been charged with misconduct in public office by failing to stop at the scene last year. The court had previously heard his car struck University of Warwick student Raymond Cheung on the A45 in Coventry. West Midlands Police said an internal investigation was ongoing and Mr Jones remained suspended.

Andover service station worker threatened with firearm

A service station cashier was threatened by two men who walked into the Hampshire outlet armed with a gun and an iron bar and stole £100. The raid took place at the Shell garage in Weyhill Road, Andover, at about 2300 GMT last Sunday, when a Renualt Clio drove onto the forecourt. Two men got out and entered the garage shop before demanding cash. The duo escaped in the Clio, which was driven by a third man, police said. Officers are appealing for witnesses.

Police arrest 22 in Gravesham and Dartford drugs raids

Drug dealing networks in north Kent have been disrupted and 22 people arrested after a series of early morning raids by police. Kent Police said 10 teams of officers searched 30 addresses in Dartford and Gravesham on Tuesday. The arrests were the culmination of a four-month intelligence operation. Assistant Chief Constable Alan Pughsley said: "Drug dealing is a blight on our society and feeds other crimes such as burglary and theft." He added: "We are determined to do all that we can to stop this activity and we work constantly to disrupt these criminal groups and stop them getting a foothold in the area. "They create havoc and misery and it is down to vital information from people in the community that we have been able to make these arrests today."

Harrogate Facebook groomer jailed for sex with teenager

A man who had sex with a schoolgirl he groomed on the internet has been jailed for 20 months. Ivan Lumley, 38, pleaded guilty to sexual activity and abduction after he befriended the 15-year-old on the social networking website Facebook. Lumley, of Albert Road, Harrogate, began speaking to his victim in January last year, Preston Crown Court heard. He was arrested after the girl, from Preston, was reported missing and found naked in his bedroom by police. Last month Lumley, a former warehouse manager, admitted child abduction and three offences of unlawful sexual activity with a child.

Police quizzed over abuse deaths

Ten police officers are under investigation over their handling of the case of two women who died after suffering years of abuse from youths. Fiona Pilkington, 38, killed herself and her daughter Francecca Hardwick, 18, after years of abuse from a gang in Bardon Road, Barwell, Leicestershire. An inquest jury found the family's cries for help had been ignored. The Independent Police Complaints Commission announced the inquiry in September. Police were contacted 33 times in 10 years about bullying which targeted Ms Pilkington and her daughter in the street where they lived. But an inquest last September found that Ms Pilkington received only eight visits from police officers. She was found dead with her daughter in her burnt-out car, which was parked in a lay-by on the A47 in nearby Earl Shilton, in October 2007.

Liverpool flat window fall death referred to IPCC

A man has died after falling from a flat window while Merseyside Police were assisting court enforcement officers executing an arrest warrant. Officers attended an address in Walton village on Tuesday afternoon as part of a police-led operation in the area, a police spokesman said. Police are yet to confirm how the man came to fall to his death. The matter has been voluntarily referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC). The police operation to assist the court enforcement officers was being carried out as part of Respect Week. Respect Week is where police work with partner agencies to target particular areas in a bid to crackdown on crime-related activities. Ch Supt Stephen Watson, said: "This matter will be fully and thoroughly investigated. "The death has been referred to the coroner to establish the cause of death and the matter has already been referred to the IPCC."

Public to oversee Sussex Police's CCTV use

Volunteers are to oversee the use of closed circuit television (CCTV) by a police force. The 12 independent monitors will pay monthly visits to CCTV centres run by Sussex Police across the county. Sussex Police Authority said it wanted to improve transparency amid some concern about the impact of CCTV on privacy. The authority said it was the first scheme of its kind in England and Wales. Dr Laurie Bush, chairman of the authority, said it was in the public interest to have an "independent oversight". Insp Roger Fox, the force's CCTV manager, said his operators were trained to abide by human rights and data protection legislation. He added: "Nevertheless, it is important to have independent oversight of the system."

Murder police make ninth arrest in North Shields

Officers investigating the murder of a man from North Tyneside have made their ninth arrest. Andrew Smart, 47, of Sibthorpe Street, North Shields, was discovered by police on 28 February after having suffered a "sustained assault". A 21-year-old local man was arrested on Wednesday suspicion of murder. Four local men, aged between 18 and 20 and four youths aged between 13 and 16 have already been arrested in connection with the murder inquiry. Police said Mr Smart was last seen on 25 February with purple bruising to his eyes and face and a significant cut on his nose. They believe he suffered the injuries "some days before". At the time, he was wearing a bright electric blue zip-up fleece with the Italian flag on the left breast and an Italia motif. He was also seen carrying a bag which possibly contained food or drink.

Metal thieves axe trees to get through security fence

Thieves cut down trees on the side of the main A350 in Wiltshire before driving through a security fence to steal £50,000 worth of metal. A 20ft-long (6m) corkscrew-type pipe was taken from a business compound at Bumpers Farm, Chippenham, last weekend. The pipe was a specialist stainless steel filtration system used in water treatment. Police said most of its value was in the cost of manufacture and its scrap value was nowhere near its real value. Officers are trying to trace a white LDV van with blacked-out writing on the sides, believed to have been involved in the theft. Anyone who saw trees being cut down on the verge of the A350 between Friday and Monday is asked to contact police.