Fueling My Enthusiasm!

A great result in the early hours of this morning!  We were on our special operation, the one I have been dicked with for the last two and a half weeks on nights.  

We were moored up in our unmarked response car in our usual haunt for high value thefts when a distinctive blue Ford Transit van came into the area where we were parked.
Giving us and the articulated lorries a good looking over they turned around, slowed past us, gave us another look and took off like scalded cats.

Putting the VRM out for circulation as it completely disappeared we searched the area for it.  PNC showed it was "IN TRADE" no surprises there.

One of the officers on duty heard this over the radio and said it matched the description exactly to a van that been involved in the robbery of £200,000 worth of suits!

Hearing over the radio that it was spotted, we blued over and saw it surrounded by police vehicles but trying to get through no matter what.

I turned the hidden blues on and pulled straight across his path.  He had no where to go!

Both dragged from their vehicles and cuffed, we found barrels of fuel in the back along with hoses and equipment to steal fuel.

It appears that they were approaching lorries at night and stole fuel whilst the drivers slept.

They were nicked for theft of fuel, going equipped to steal and suspicion of theft of the suits.

Off The Back Of a Lorry UPDATE

Well after humping those boxes for the best part of half a mile and throwing them over a Timber yard fence, we found out where they had originally been stolen.

The owner for the Timber Yard had spoken to one of his neighbouring yard owners and found they had come from him!

The lads who broke into the yard, had thrown everything over the fence and left it there to collect later due to its large quantity.

The problem is, we came along and dragged it half a mile away and the wet boxes were destroyed spilling contents everywhere.

Thankfully I wasn't one who had to take it all back!




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Off The Back Of A Lorry

Last night is one of those shifts where one incident is the one of the ones that stays with you for the rest of your days.

It wasn't particularly amazing it was just very surreal.

An immediate grade call came after a Q night at 4am this morning and it was to assist some colleagues from the BTP at a train station out in the sticks.

The report from a witness saw two males carrying boxes along a railway line and then disappearing with them over a fence.

Believing they were stealing equipment or cable we arrived on scene just before the local BTP unit arrived.

A search of the immediate area discovered a couple of large rain sodden cardboard boxes on a path near the fence to the railway but no suspects.

Opening them up, we found iPod Touch cases all brand new about a hundred or so in each box,

The BTP carried out a track search incase the two suspects had gone back on the railway while we carried out an area search.

We then received a call.

"We've found some more boxes

......hundreds of them!

..........and tv sets!"

We then assisted in looking for an exit to remove these boxes and that involved having to climb over a rather large gate to a Timber yard which my vertically challenged colleague found a little difficult!

Especially when he caught his trouser leg on a spike and couldn't get down!

Over his shoulder from a house opposite I saw a bemused old lady watching us from her bedroom window.

I'm not surprised, the gate made a racket and our laughter was loud enough to wake the dead.

Going track side we found the BTP, a member of staff from the railway, a large pile of wet boxes and one piece of Heras fencing laying across the tracks.

For an hour or so we humped literally hundreds and hundreds of boxes of iPod cases on to the piece of fence.

Then we then went back and forth dragging this fence on the tracks laden with the boxes about half a mile or so which left us knackered and filthy.

We threw them over another fence at the Timber yard in a pile to be collected.

We then had to load a large van with the gear in order for some poor sod to book them into property! Thankfully that wasn't me!

It was guestimated that there was approximately 5000 of these cases about £10 each retail at least, so you do the maths.

We still don't know where they came from as there were no loss reports.

No wonder these lads gave up carrying them all that way!

We nearly did!



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911 caller kills home intruder

A woman kills a home intruder while on the phone with 911. KWTV's Jacqueline Sit reports.

BLUtube is powered by PoliceOne.com

Could you imagine what would have happened if this was in the UK?

She would have been arrested for Murder, firearms offences and jailed for life.

If he had survived, he would have been the victim, sued her and claimed HIS Human Rights were broken not hers.

In America your home is your castle and if you fear for your life and you shoot them, the law protects you not prosecute you.

Makes me sick to the stomach to know that the Justice System in this country defends those that break the law.

Oh! The Irony!

We arrested a bag thief today. He tried his luck whilst some unsuspecting member of the public was drinking her coffee in one of the well known coffee drinking establishments on our patch.

He was caught by an eagle eyed member of the public who alerted us as we passed and after a bit of a struggle, he was arrested.

Due to his previous for countless bag thefts and the exact nature of this arrest, we were authorised to carry out a section 18 search of his flat.

Upon arriving at the filthy clutter ridden hovel we were greeted by the tell tale signs of previous forced entries by past colleagues.

Searching through the rooms, my colleague shouts

"Here take a look at this!"

He hands me an envelope, inside it was a letter with the familiar "Metropolitan Police" blue logo.

"We are sorry to hear that you have been a victim of theft namely £250" it read

I had to read that again:

"We are sorry to hear that you have been a victim of THEFT!"

The thieving sod had even had the cheek to request Victim Support!

Awww the poor little darling!

He must have been heart broken!

The laptops, cameras, purses, handbags, suitcases he's stolen in the past has in no doubt left his victims gutted.

Now he's has a taste of what it feels like yet he still continues!

I wonder if he gave one minutes thought to the fact that this is EXACTLY how he's made his victims feel in the past and again today?!

.....Probably not

Liar Liar Pants On Fire

I've just spent the best part of 9 hours attempting section 18 property searches.

Bloke in custody nicked by us for fraud and immigration issues gave five addresses all over London.

Coupled up with address checks, locating them, heavy traffic and the wasted journeys to literally all four corners of the Capital, I doubt very much he'll get the cost of our wages and the fuel added to his penalty

....if found guilty of course!

Ops for Ops Sake! (Targets For Gods Sake)

One thing that always gets my goat is the never ending badgering from SMTs and their increasingly annoying ways of trying to find reasons for me having to justify my existence.

Stick me in a uniform where the public can see me, feel reassured (hopefully) and when necessary ask me loads of SFQs, then I am doing my job.

However Sir/Ma'am, making me stop and account people for the sake of it to make you and your figures look good just for you to obtain that third pip, crown or fried egg is quite frankly insulting.

I don't see you out there with us on yet another pointless anti social behaviour operation purely designed so the nick/area can meet it's detection targets and you call it "ASB" so it can meet yet another force target.

I don't see you stopping someone in order for you to reach the teams targets and have that person give you a mouthful of abuse because it's the fifth time that week they have been stopped and missed their train, bus or appointment.

I don't see you on a freezing cold night having had your nights extended yet again in order to achieve some crazy goal set out by you earlier in the year.

I don't see you stood in the witness box before a Magistrate having to explain why you arrested someone for a minor offence when there was a better option like a good old fashioned "ticking off" which was not given because of the force's "Positive Arrest Policy" and that Constables are pursued hungrily for arrest figures and given bollockings by down trodden Sergeants or by a power hungry Inspector eager for their next promotion because they haven't met "Performance Targets"

What I do see are members of the public getting annoyed at being stopped regularly, their car being stopped again and again in road checks.

What I do see are members of the public coming up to us and asking if everything is alright and why there are so many police about. It panics them as it's out of the ordinary and they fear something bad is going on.

What I do hear are the comments from passers by when on these operations along the lines of "Haven't they got better things to do?"

What we seem to be doing in this target driven business and that's what it's become, a business, is alienating the very people we are out to protect.

By arresting someone purely to enable a box to be ticked, stopping someone to meet a target for another pointless operation it drives a wedge between the public and us.

How can the public trust or understand us if we are constantly abusing that trust?

Crime Maps

Well as you've probably seen on the news or followed on Twitter #Crime #CrimeMaps. The world and his wife are talking about Crime Maps.

A great idea? "Yes" say some Estate Agents but a big fat "NO" from me as I'm trying to sell mine and if the young couple who have put in an offer look up my postcode on www.police.uk and find out about the nutter in my road or the fact the couple a few doors down failed to lock their front door one afternoon to come back and find all their stuff nicked, I'm screwed!

However, with 18 Million hits in one day, one crashed website and the fact it cannot find the police area I live in (Strange, as I do see them about occasionally) it might be some time the couple can look up the crime in my area. By then, hopefully the contracts will be signed!

The problem is, if you find crime down your road, what are YOU the reader going to do about it? "Not a lot" I hear you say, as I cannot see the local Estate Agents being over run with clients all eager to move from their well established homes and areas.

However, think again if you find your area virtually crime free!

Areas that have little crime, you can kiss goodbye to your PCSO's and Neighbourhood Officers as they will be moved to an area that is seen to have a crime problem and here begins the vicious circle.

Target chasing SMT's will want their forces to look all clean and tidy and complaint from the public free,

So if "Little Johnny ASBO" is constantly breaking windows in your road, then I have good news for you. If you or your neighbours are reporting this, then soon you'll be seeing gleaming new or expanded policing teams heading your way to clean up the mess and "Little Johnny ASBO" will be dealt with expediently right up until a Magistrate releases them with a £10 fine paid over a hundred weeks.

BUT when crime levels start to drop and your road becomes deterred from crime by the high visibility policing, don't expect your policing teams to remain.....

They will end up being moved back to clean up the mess in their original area, as crime has risen to such a level the SMT are getting complaints from the public. Not only will they be angry that the policing has gone but crime levels are through the roof thanks to "Little Johnny ASBO" who has had to move in their road as he's no longer allowed where he lived!

So the Policing teams are moved in to tackle with little Johnny ASBO and.......

Don't say I didn't warn you!

Police officer dies after arrest

From The BBC

A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a policeman died on duty in north-west London.

The 48-year-old police officer collapsed trying to arrest a man following a domestic incident at Brinkburn Gardens in Wembley.

Police were called to the address at about 1745 GMT on Boxing Day.
A post-mortem examination will be carried out later to establish the cause of death. The man arrested is in his 30s.

Other deaths

Home Office minister Tony McNulty said: "I am deeply saddened to learn of the death of a police officer while on duty with the Metropolitan Police.

"Events such as this highlight the dangers that our police officers face every day when protecting the public."

The Association of Chief Police Officers also offered its condolences.

Two other police officers have died on duty this year.
On 6 May Pc Richard Gray was shot by a man after attending a domestic incident in Shrewsbury. The man then committed suicide by shooting himself.
In June 36-year-old Pc Jonathan Charles Henry was fatally stabbed in Luton. A man is awaiting trial accused of his murder.

My sincerest thoughts and condolences go out to our colleague's family and friends at this difficult time.

Grand Theft Auto

I've just been watching World's Most Shocking Police Videos on Bravo. Mostly American pursuits usually ending up in a large pile of scrap metal and a felon slammed over the bonnet of a police cruiser.

What I find impressive with these American pursuits is the way the American cops prosecute offenders who drive recklessly or steal a vehicle.

Take for example a pursuit involving an 18 wheeler articulated lorry. The driver of this lorry had not one thought for the persons around him as he crashed through streets and smashed through police vehicles in an attempt to escape custody.

He piled onto a highway slamming into vehicles but was eventually stopped by a traffic jam ahead. What did this driver do? He revved up his engine and pushed his way through all the traffic to break through the other side to make his escape. There were cars pushed onto their sides, other vehicles roofs and driven over. The officers, justifiably started opening fire on the truck, blowing the tyres, shooting the engine till eventually it stopped. They wrestled the driver out of his cab and he was promptly arrested.

He was charged with assault on a public servant and got a prison sentence of

.....wait for it

TEN YEARS!

Now, imagine that took place in this country. The offender would have probably got a 2 year driving ban and 100 hours community service!

Our cousins across the pond deal with the punishment for these types of crime in a far more satisfying way than the way we do here!

Why don't we have the equivalent of grand theft auto in this country?

In my opinion, TWOC'ing isn't taken seriously enough by the CPS and the courts. The punishment for taking a conveyance without owners consent is so lame compared to the American version.

If you stole my car in America and drove it across state lines, not only would you get charged with GTA, you would also get charged with transportation of stolen goods! You would be held in police custody until someone paid a 4 figure dollar sum for bail and then face anything up to 10-15 years in a penitentiary.

If you stole my car in this country (assuming you were caught) you would be carefully placed into cuffs, booked into custody, interviewed, released on bail and probably never seen again!

If you did turn up for bail, the CPS would have probably lost interest in the case (assuming you managed to get an appointment!) and tried to find the easiest, the most crappiest charge for them to run with and they would have most likely dropped all the other charges because it was just too difficult for them to proceed with!

How the other half live eh?

Another Youth Murdered!

Police are searching for a group of youths seen running away from the scene where a 17-year-old boy was stabbed to death.

Officers were called by ambulance staff to Chesterford Road, in Newham, east London, at 2339 BST on Thursday.

The victim has been named as Mohammed Ahmed from east London.

A post-mortem examination confirmed he died of a stab wound. Two 16-year-old youths arrested over the death have been released without charge.

This death brings the total of teenage murders in London this year to the grim total of 19!

The sad thing for me on a personal level, is that I was in that very road at that very spot an hour or so before hand dropping off a court summons to someone not connected with the stabbings.

The only two words in my mind at the moment regarding this incident are:

"If only....."

What on earth is happening with this country and all these teenage murders? Although this one is not believed to be gang related, the number of gang related incidents is constantly on the rise.

Kids in deprived areas need to be encouraged to steer clear of gangs and the carrying of weapons but the problem is, how?

Schools have lost the discipline they used to have, the yoghurt knitters have made it plain and simple that if a teacher so much as raises a voice against a trouble making child they either face the sack or they get sued by their parents who some seem to think that the school is responsible for the up-bringing of their child.

The police have lost the respect of the younger generation. I am more likely to get a two fingered salute by a ten year old when I drive onto an estate in my area car than them coming over to see what's in it.

I used to be terrified of my local home beat bobby! He was a giant of a man and seemed to have a sixth sense for smelling trouble. His mere presence was enough to stop a crime from occurring.

So maybe that's where the problem lies. We don't see police officers on the streets like we used to do any more. Thanks to the wonderful idea of expanding areas so big it takes most the shift to get round them and the closure of village police stations, constables are not able to get "out there" and mix in. Thank God the force mergers never took place!

Areas of towns shouldn't be no go areas after dark. One particular town I know has a problem with large numbers of kids gathering outside an off licence after dark. They would be loud and smash windows, fight and damage cars because there was no police presence.

Because of the lack of officers due to holidays, sickness, paper work, red tape, court and the spreading thin of officers across the constabulary, the area becomes over run with the youth culture that appears to be spiralling out of control.

Kids are "tooling up" with everything from screwdrivers to butchers knives to protect themselves from being robbed by other youths. They are forming gangs to "feel safe" and to protect their image from where they come from. I have seen a sudden increase in postcode gangs named after the postcode they come from. Woe be tied anyone from a rival gang found in their area!

The youth are not fearful of the law anymore. Very little happens to them if they are arrested in possession of a blade or other weapon. The yoghurt knitters need to stop interfering with the course of the law. Stop trying to protect the offender and make excuses for them! Start making the offender realise their own mistakes and if that means putting them in a 8x8 cell for a year or so then so be it, giving them iPods, CD tokens and holidays or trips away are not encouraging ways to stop them offending and stop using the Human Rights Act as a way to protect the criminals!

Invest in the schools more, especially for the deprived areas. Give the teachers back their discipline powers and perhaps we should start seeing some respect in the youth.

However, the problem could lie somewhere more simple than all of the above:

Respect starts at home!

If a child does not learn that it is wrong to hurt, steal or disrespect others whilst they are still impressionable from their *parent, parents, guardian, older siblings (and rather than them dumping them onto the streets for someone else to look after) we will end up with a never ending cycle.

It reminds me of the lyrics of the Elvis Presley song, "In the ghetto"

*Delete where applicable