Family of man Tasered in his home consider suing Met police – The Guardian

Posted July 17th, 2020 in firearms, news, ombudsmen, personal injuries, police, professional conduct by sally

‘The family of a man Tasered in his own home are considering suing Scotland Yard after the police watchdog said it had not exonerated officers involved in the case – despite the Metropolitan police claiming it had done so.’

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The Guardian, 16th July 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Police officer had sex with domestic violence victims while on duty, watchdog finds – The Independent

Posted July 16th, 2020 in complaints, domestic violence, news, police, victims by sally

‘A police officer had sex with two domestic violence victims while on duty and used the force’s computer systems to track down two other women and send them texts of a sexual nature, the police watchdog has found.’

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The Independent, 15th July 2020

Source: www.independent.co.uk

IOPC to probe Suffolk Police after black couple quizzed – BBC News

Posted July 16th, 2020 in complaints, minorities, news, police, stop and search by sally

‘A complaint against police officers who accused a black woman of “jumping on the bandwagon” is to be probed by a watchdog.’

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BBC News, 16th July 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Police and CPS scrap digital data extraction forms for rape cases – The Guardian

Posted July 16th, 2020 in consent, Crown Prosecution Service, disclosure, news, police, privacy, rape by sally

‘The CPS and police have been forced to scrap controversial “digital strip searches” of rape complainants, following a legal threat from two survivors of sexual abuse and sustained campaigning from privacy and human rights groups.’

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The Guardian, 16th July 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Detention of a minor for his own protection – UK Human Rights Blog

‘The High Court recently dismissed a claim of incompatibility with Article 5 ECHR arising from a detention of a minor for his own protection in the case of Archer v Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis [2020] EWHC 1567 (QB).’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 14th July 2020

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

UK undercover officer accused of encouraging activist to buy shotgun – The Guardian

Posted July 15th, 2020 in firearms, inquiries, news, police, professional conduct by sally

‘Scotland Yard is investigating one of its former undercover officers over allegations he incited an animal rights activist to commit illegal acts that resulted in him being jailed for four years.’

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The Guardian, 15th July 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

What are my rights if I’m stopped and searched? – BBC News

‘The police watchdog is launching a review into whether police tactics, such as stop and search, discriminate against ethnic minorities.’

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BBC News, 10th July 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Inquest into Stephen Port’s victims set to begin in new year – The Guardian

‘Families of the victims of serial killer Stephen Port have been assured that everything possible will be done to ensure the long-awaited inquests into their deaths go ahead in the new year despite the coronavirus pandemic.’

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The Guardian, 10th July 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Crime Team Newsletter – 33 Bedford Row

‘This month’s newsletter comprises articles from:

Nigel Edwards Q.C. and Daniel Walker– “Sentencing Serious Violent and Sexual Offenders”;

Ayesha Smart and Nigel Edwards Q.C. – “Section 13(1) Terrorism Act 2000 offences- are they strict liability?”;

Sharmila Salvi – “Second Post Mortem Examinations – The Defence Position”;

Andrew Kerr – “Adverse Inferences”; and

Rabia Mir – “How High Fiving Police Officers Turned Off a Jury”.’

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33 Bedford Row, 6th July 2020

Source: www.33bedfordrow.co.uk

Review launched into police ‘race discrimination’ – BBC News

‘The police watchdog is launching a review into whether officers across England and Wales racially discriminate against ethnic minorities.’

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BBC News, 10th July 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Met carried out 22,000 searches on young black men during lockdown – The Guardian

Posted July 9th, 2020 in coronavirus, minorities, news, police, statistics, stop and search, young persons by sally

‘Young black men were stopped and searched by police more than 20,000 times in London during the coronavirus lockdown – the equivalent more than a quarter of all black 15- to 24-year-olds in the capital.’

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The Guardian, 8th July 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

How stop and search in the UK is failing black people – video explainer – The Guardian

‘There has been renewed criticism over stop and search in the UK after research found that BAME people are 54% more likely to be fined under coronavirus rules than white people. The subsequent death of George Floyd in the US and the support for the Black Lives Matter movement has brought more scrutiny to the disproportionality.’

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The Guardian, 7th July 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Watchdog challenges ruling on lethal force by UK firearms officers – The Guardian

‘A police watchdog has begun an appeal after failing to bring misconduct proceedings against a specialist firearms officer who shot and killed a man while trying to foil an attempt to snatch two prisoners from a prison van.’

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The Guardian, 7th July 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Mother vows for justice as IOPC brings case against Met firearms officer – The Guardian

Posted July 7th, 2020 in appeals, firearms, news, police, self-defence by sally

‘The mother of a man shot dead by police has vowed to get justice for her son as the court of appeal is to hear a challenge to police use of force.’

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The Guardian, 7th July 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Misconduct panel’s decision to impose a final written warning for racist remarks quashed by the High Court – UK Police Law Blog

‘The Chief Constable of West Midlands Police has successfully challenged a misconduct hearing panel’s decision to impose a Final Written Warning (FWW), after an officer made racist remarks about a fellow officer: R (Chief Constable of West Midlands Police) v Panel Chair, Police Misconduct Panel [2020] EWHC 1400 (Admin). The decision confirms that the High Court will be prepared to intervene where panels fail to follow the College of Policing’s Guidance on Outcomes, and that misconduct involving discrimination will be treated especially seriously.’

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UK Police Law Blog, 3rd July 2020

Source: ukpolicelawblog.com

Stop and search stats may thwart diversity push, UK police warned – The Guardian

‘Efforts to improve diversity among police officers are at risk of being thwarted by the disproportionate use of stop-and-search powers against black men, a senior policing watchdog has warned.’

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The Guardian, 2nd July 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

UK’s facial recognition technology ‘breaches privacy rights’ – The Guardian

‘Automated facial recognition technology that searches for people in public places breaches privacy rights and will “radically” alter the way Britain is policed, the court of appeal has been told.’

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The Guardian, 23rd June 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

The Use of Police Tactics to Disperse Protests and the Fine Line Between Legitimate Protesting and Anti-Social Behaviour – 3PB

Posted June 23rd, 2020 in demonstrations, dispersal orders, news, police, public order by sally

‘A number of protests were held across the country and the world in response to the brutal killing of George Floyd in the United States. Although the protests were largely peaceful, there was some tension between the police and protesters over the weekend. This unfortunately resulted in some protesters and Legal Observers being kettled by the police. This note will provide a brief overview of the law surrounding the various tactics used by the police to disperse protests and maintain the peace. Some of the most commonly used tactics include kettling (otherwise known as containment) and the use of dispersal orders under s.35 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. The note will also focus on what constitutes ‘anti-social behaviour’ in the context of protests.’

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3PB, 18th June 2020

Source: www.3pb.co.uk

UK police chiefs criticised for lack of action as race panel launched – The Guardian

Posted June 19th, 2020 in bias, equality, news, police, proportionality, race discrimination, racism by sally

‘An attempt by police chiefs to grapple with racism claims by launching a panel to recommend action has been criticised by victims’ representatives and met with scepticism from within their own ranks.’

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The Guardian, 18th June 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Racism and the Rule of Law – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted June 19th, 2020 in equality, human rights, news, police, race discrimination, racism, rule of law by sally

‘The Black Lives Matter movement illuminates an incontrovertible chasm in the application of the rule of law in liberal democracy. The basic premise of the rule of law, which in Joseph Raz’s conception is that it should be capable of guiding behaviour, includes the necessary restriction on crime-preventing agencies from perverting the law. A society in which those tasked with upholding and applying the law – under the powers of stop-and-search and arrest – are instead themselves regular perpetrators of racist discrimination and violence, is one in which the rule of law is at best a randomised hope that is more or less likely to be realised depending on the race of the citizen in question.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, June 2020

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com