Richard Taylor

Tag: Police

  • Cambridgeshire Police – Latest Information Released Under Freedom of Information Act

    Cambridgeshire Police provide a “disclosure log” on which they list selected freedom of information requests they have received, along with the responses they have given. There are currently two such lists on the force’s website. One of which is well indexed in Google and appears not to have been updated so far this year; the […]

  • TASERs for Non-Firearms Police

    UK Police shock a man in Nottingham with a TASER while he is lying on the ground surrounded by four officers. I believe scenes like this will become more common as more UK police are armed with TASER. In November 2008 the Home Secretary announced plans to arm all the UK’s response police with TASER […]

  • Meeting Dorothy Gregson, Chief Executive of Cambridgeshire Police Authority

    I met the Chief Executive of Cambridgeshire Police Authority at the Police Headquarters. Outside, the force flag was flying and the Chief Officers’ luxury Landrover and Volvo were on display. On Monday the 8th of June 2009 I met the Chief Executive of Cambridgeshire Police Authority Dr Dorothy Gregson. The authority’s Media & Communications Officer […]

  • IPCC Says Police Complaints System Flawed and Underfunded

    I observed Cambridgeshire Police Authority’s Professional Standards Committee on the 13th of May 2009 and watched Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) commissioner Len Jackson contribute to the committee’s discussions. Main points: 89% of complaints against the police are deemed “unsubstantiated”. According to the IPCC commissioner this is so high because the system is flawed and […]

  • Arbury Vandals Force Playground and Path Closure

    Youths with a motorbike on the playground at St. Luke’s School in April 2009. A PCSO is shown to the right of the photograph. St Luke’s School, French’s Road, Arbury, Cambridge has posted a letter dated the 22nd of May 2009 on its gates announcing it is no-longer going to allow the public access to […]

  • Following up the Folk Festival Losses – An Update

    Cambridge City Council lost £644,951 of public money when the company it contracted to sell folk festival tickets online in 2008 didn’t pass the money it took on to the council. On the 30th of March 2009 the council’s civic affairs committee received the report of an internal review into the loss and asked questions […]

  • Cambridgeshire Police Authority Discuss Retention of DNA

    I attended Cambridgeshire Police Authority’s Professional Standards Committee on the 13th of May 2009 and observed a discussion on the retention of DNA samples and data. This follows the December 2008 ruling of the European Court of Human Rights which decided the UK police’s disproportionate retention of DNA information / samples from unconvicted people was […]

  • Cambridgeshire Police to Consider Amnesty International’s Views on TASERs

    I attended Cambridgeshire Police Authority’s Professional Standards Committee on the 13th of May 2009 and watched them discuss the expanded TASER deployment to non-firearms police. The only elected individual present was Cllr Kevin Wilkins. While I don’t think there is the appetite for directly elected police authorities I think more existing elected representatives could be […]

  • Discussing TASER on LBC Radio

    At just past 18.00 on the 5th of May 2009 I was interviewed by James Whale on LBC‘s drivetime radio show. I had been asked on to the show to talk about the UK police’s use of TASER. TASERs were being discussed following an announcement earlier that day by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) […]

  • Police Stopping People Taking Photographs in Public Places

    I attended a meeting of the Cambridgeshire Police Authority on Wednesday the 29th of April 2009 . I used the opportunity for members of the public to ask questions to raise the problem of Police Officers stopping people from taking photographs when they have no powers to make such a demand. My Question – TAKING […]