Category: Article

  • Cambs Police and Crime Commissioner Bright Goes to Sainsbury’s

    Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Commissioner Graham Bright has announced he’s done a deal with the supermarket chain Sainsbury’s which he hopes will see more their staff given the full powers of a police constable, as they become specials. Constables always hold their office and can use their powers if they are on duty or not. […]

  • Cambridge Community Safety Partnership – July 2013

    I observed Cambridge Community Safety Partnership meeting on the 23rd of July 2013. I have written dedicated articles on three aspects of the meeting: Ecstasy Alternative Benzofuran Linked to Cambridge Drug Deaths Cycling Police to Patrol Cambridge Cambridge Criminals Queuing Up to Volunteer for Police GPS Tags Other notable points include: The meeting was told […]

  • Ecstasy Alternative Benzofuran Linked to Cambridge Drug Deaths

    A public meeting of Cambridge’s Community Safety Partnership on the 23rd of July 2013 heard that the recent deaths of Kim Reid and Jimmy Sinclair on the banks of the River Cam, opposite Jesus Green, were due to “benzofuran” a drug of the amphetamine class which was marketed as legal form of MDMA (ecstasy). It […]

  • Cycling Police to Patrol Cambridge

    Detective Chief Inspector Neil Sloan of Cambridgeshire Police told a meeting of Cambridge’s Community Safety Partnership on the 23rd of July 2013 that Cambridge is about to see many more police officers patrolling on bikes. DCI Sloan said that the officers will largely be new officers, who don’t know the city, and getting out on […]

  • Cambridge Criminals Queuing Up to Volunteer for Police GPS Tags

    Cambridge’s Community Safety Partnership meeting on the 23rd of July 2013 received a report from Detective Inspector Mick Birchall of Cambridgeshire Police which revealed some of Cambridge’s prolific offenders have been volunteering to wear police GPS tracking tags. The detective told the meeting demand was so great criminals were queuing up to receive the tags […]

  • Cllr Fiona Onasanya on School Funding

    I noted that my County Councillor, Fiona Onasanya (Kings Hedges, Labour) didn’t say anything at all during her first county council meeting, and pointed out she didn’t speak during the council’s recent debate on the A14 and infrastructure referenda. In response to this Cllr Ian Manning tweeted to say Cllr Onasanya had “contributed to the […]

  • Funding A14 Upgrade

    Upgrading the A14 was debated at Cambridgeshire County Council on the 16th of July 2013. The A14, particularly between Cambridge and the A1(M) is a highly congested and dangerous stretch of road. Incidents, which occur almost every day, result in unreliable journey times as well as injuries and deaths. Addressing the problem is crucial to […]

  • Bizarre view of Cambridge from UKIP Cllr Gordon Gillick

    Councillor Gordon Gillick of the UK Independence Party, representing the ward of Waldersey just South West of Wisbech spoke at a meeting of Cambridgeshire County Council on the 16th of July 2013. Cllr Gillick, who, as councillor, is now one of those responsible for running the county of Cambridgeshire, expressed a rather bizarre view of […]

  • Ravers Attracted by Lawless Romsey Beach Police No-Go Area

    Sgt Jim Stevenson of Cambridgeshire Police told councillors and members of the public at Cambridge’s South Area Committee on the 15th of July 2013 that the “Romsey Beach” is a practically no-go area for police. The committee heard the “beach” and lakes near Burnside, the Tins path and Spinney School in South Cambridge had been […]

  • Tips for Observing and Reporting on Public Meetings in Local Government

    As an activist trying to make the way our society is run more open and transparent I regularly observe, film and tweet public meetings of councils and other bodies in and around Cambridge. Based on that experience I am offering some tips for those planning to attend and report on meetings where councillors and others […]