Police and crime commissioner powers have been transferred to the Mayor of London who will now determine local policing priorities in consultation with the public. Following the abolition of the Metropolitan Police Authority at midnight last night, the Mayor’s Office for Police and Crime (MOPC) was created and the Metropolitan Police became directly accountable to the mayor. For the first time, the power to determine the strategic direction for the police service within London has been vested in one powerful individual, the Mayor of London. No longer will the police service in London be he...

The overall cost of retail crime has soared by 31 per cent to £1.4 billion as the sector is increasingly targeted by serious, organised criminals. This figure includes the value of goods stolen and damage done combined with the money retailers spend on preventing and tackling crime. The British Retail Consortium's (BRC's) Retail Crime Survey 2011, published today (Monday) shows fewer incidents for many types of crime but each incident on average has been more costly and so total losses have increased sharply compared with the previous year. Expenditure on crime prevention by retailers ta...

A campaign by the Information Destruction (ID) section of the British Security Industry Association (BSIA) has highlighted the importance of secure data destruction to HM Courts’ Service. Magistrates’ Courts alone deal with around 95% of court cases each year, and the amount of personal data passing through each court on a daily basis is staggering. As such, the BSIA’s recent campaign aimed to raise awareness among courts of the importance of employing a strict information destruction policy to avoid confidential information falling into the wrong hands. Writing to almost 450 courts ac...

ACPO lead for economic crime, Commissioner Adrian Leppard, responds to BRC statistics showing an increased level of organised crime affecting the retail sector ACPO lead for economic crime, Commissioner Adrian Leppard, said: "While the foundation for tackling retail crime is built at a local level, by building good relationships between community police officers and local retailers, this research also underscores the importance of the work done across forces to combat crimes such as credit card and online fraud. These offences have a disproportionately high cost to retailers and are per...

Updated National Standards to define acceptable behaviour for bailiffs were today unveiled by Justice Minister Jonathan Djanogly. The voluntary code has been tightened so that people are protected from rogue bailiffs who use unsound, unsafe or unfair methods, while at the same time making sure businesses and authorities can still collect debts fairly. Additions to the National Standards tackle intimidating and threatening behaviour, prevent bailiffs from misrepresenting their powers, and reinforce rules about how firms should resolve complaints about rogue agents. Councils and other authorit...

A security company refused accreditation through a government scheme has been ordered to pay more than £25,000 after losing its appeal against the decision. 21st Security Ltd applied for membership of the Security Industry Authority’s Approved Contractor Scheme, but was refused on the grounds that it was not considered fit and proper to hold the accreditation. The company, based at Monsal Road, Newton Heath in Manchester, supplied security guards to premises in the Greater Manchester area. Joint agency site visits involving the SIA and Greater Manchester Police, as part of the Salford-ba...

A Derby director has been ordered to pay £14,000 after pleading guilty to working illegally as an unlicensed security director and failing to provide information to the Security Industry Authority. Mark Jason Lowe, 39, was sole trader of Progressive Security, and also the sole director and shareholder of Fortis Security (UK) Ltd. Through both companies, Lowe supplied door supervisors to bars and clubs in Derby city centre. However, he was working illegally as he did not hold the necessary SIA licence to supply operatives. SIA investigators requested information about the company but Lowe i...

A single police non-emergency number has been rolled out to police forces across England and Wales. 101 is an easy to remember number which can be used to contact your local police about crimes or concerns that do not need an emergency response. At 15p per call from both mobile phones and landlines, no matter how long the call lasts or what time of day, many members of the public will be spared the cost of traditional 0845 numbers previously used by many forces which can cost up to 40p per minute. The number to call for emergencies – immediate threat to life or property, or a crime in pro...

ACPO responds to figures from an Freedom of Information request showing an increase in the number of complaints received about racism among police officers and staff. ACPO lead for equality, diversity and human rights, Chief Constable Stephen Otter, said: “Police officers have thousands of interactions with members of the public each day and most end well. Since the MacPherson report, both the satisfaction with the police among black and minority ethnic communities, and their willingness to come forward and complain when things go wrong has risen. “When contact doesn’t end well...

A recent study by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has revealed the true benefit of lone worker devices to healthcare employees, many of whom are often required to work alone or in remote areas to deliver care and support services for patients and their families. According to the RCN’s survey, more than 60% of community nurses spend more than half their time as a lone worker without immediate access to a colleague for support. Over 70% reported having been subjected to either physical or verbal abuse during the course of their jobs in the past two years, with many agreeing that the risk t...