Staff members in South Devon are believed to be the latest victims of a group of men who have been targeting a series of stores in the area with bogus £20 bills. The workers at the Plymouth supermarket later discovered they had hundreds of pounds worth of fake notes from a customer. Investigators believe one of the gang was captured on camera and hope he can assist them with their inquiries.
Two males, two females and a child were rescued by firefighters using fire service ladders after the building below them caught fire. Area commander Garry Milne praised the firefighters involved describing it as a "textbook ladder rescue". Flats on either side of the affected part of the business premises in a district of Glasgow, Scotland, were evacuated as a precautionary measure.
The matter of closing all but one of its public toilets featured in a political row between one of Britain’s biggest Labour councils and Conservative ministers last night. Eighteen public conveniences will go in Manchester, as well as five libraries, three leisure centres and two swimming pools being shut.
The Police Federation and Unison hit out at the “savage cuts” and warned that the loss of hundreds of officers and staff will affect the quality of policing in Wales. The Police Federation said it fears losing officers with expertise in areas such as firearms.
Gangs appear to be cashing in on international demand for metal, with rising prices creating a black market for plundered copper cable.
New signs will issue a spoken message of crime prevention if they detect movement and will be installed in car parks to warn drivers to secure their vehicles. Police in Southall also have motor vehicle safety packs available which they can distribute to residents to improve vehicle security.
One of the world’s most famous law enforcement agencies is celebrating how technology has aided the detection of criminals, improving some rates by 50%. Metropolitan Police Service detective chief inspector Mick Neville, who co-ordinates the Met’s video ID teams, commented: “While DNA or fingerprints will show the suspect being at the scene, CCTV will show the crime happening.
The rising cost of petrol has already led to one force considering reducing its motorway police patrols. This could result in a reduced police presence on the county of Hampshire’s busiest roads, including the M3 and the M27.
The National Farmers’ Union has called on all farmers to make full use of existing liaison procedures with the police authorities as a means of tackling the increasing trend of thefts from farm sites. Both the NFU and the FUW unions urge landowners to take advantage of these services and see if their security arrangements are up to scratch.
The British Oil Security Syndicate’s (BOSS) partnership with local police has again reaped rewards with an arrest for an attempted fuel theft. Jim Anderson, the BOSS regional co-ordinator, added: “The schemes are partnership arrangements with local police involvement.