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Unbroadcast film shows Hillsborough police witness was right

  By surreywebmaster | 20/05/2013 - 14:47 | In The News, Policing - History
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The Panorama programme uses never before broadcast footage of the Hillsborough disaster (Video here)

Crucial evidence from the 1989 Hillsborough football disaster, which was undermined at the original inquest, was true, BBC Panorama has found.

An off-duty police officer has always maintained he tried to treat a dying boy after the time at which the coroner said no-one could have survived.

His account cast doubt on medical evidence that supporters could not have survived beyond 15:15 on that day.

Panorama’s analysis of unbroadcast TV footage shows his account was true.

Ninety-six football fans died after they were crushed to death on 15 April 1989 during an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough stadium.

The inquest at the time resulted in verdicts of accidental death but, in December last year, the High Court quashed those verdicts and ordered fresh inquests to take place early next year.

The TV footage seen by Panorama calls into question the response of the emergency services on the day.

The Hillsborough Independent Panel’s report into the disaster – published last year – analysed the medical evidence.

It found that given proper treatment, more than half of the 96 fans who died, including the 15-year-old boy, Kevin Williams, might have had a chance of survival.

Overcrowded terraces

Off-duty Merseyside police constable Derek Bruder, who tried to resuscitate Kevin, was one of those whose evidence was undermined at the inquest.

The Hillsborough disaster was recorded by seven BBC Sport cameras, and a BBC news team, while the police had CCTV and a mobile camera unit.

As a life-long Liverpool fan, I was there that day and reported on it for the BBC News that night.

Kevin Williams Kevin Williams was 15 when he died

The BBC footage was later released to the police and the families’ lawyers but it was then locked away as it was considered too distressing for broadcast.

Some 24 years on, Panorama has been able to analyse it.

It shows how things went wrong from the start at Hillsborough and continued going wrong for longer than has ever been admitted.

At 15:06, the football match was stopped as Liverpool fans escaping the overcrowded terraces ran onto the pitch.

At 15:28, Kevin Williams was pulled out of gate three and laid on the pitch. Soon after, he was carried across it. A fan who tried to help him believes he was still alive.

Kiss of life

Steve Hart said: “I remember shouting to everyone to pick him up and get down there with him, you know, you’re looking at people everywhere and you’re thinking, obviously my instinct was this lad needs help.”

PC Bruder was photographed kneeling on the ground giving Kevin the kiss of life, but he was not sure at what time the photograph was taken. PC Bruder told Kevin’s mother, Anne, how he had tried to help her son.

“He told me then what he’d done for Kevin and I said ‘Was my son alive?’ and he said ‘Well, if you say finding a pulse with the first two fingers… if that means he was alive, then he was alive’,” she said in one of her last interviews before she died last month.

But the coroner at the original inquest ruled that all those who died that day had been beyond help by 15:15.

Doreen Jones: “I wanted to touch my son, I wanted to hold him”

This decision meant the response of the emergency services was never properly investigated.

A fleet of ambulances was parked outside the football ground, but crews and emergency equipment were not sent inside.

Tony Edwards, who was on board one of the few ambulances that entered the ground, said: “I always think in terms of a rail accident. Could you imagine the public outcry if all ambulance crews remained on an embankment simply because they couldn’t get the ambulance down to the scene of the accident?

“That doesn’t happen. They get out of their vehicles and if that’s the length of a football pitch, they have to go, they make their way there.”

Ambulances on pitch

PC Bruder said an ambulance was arriving and driving past as he treated Kevin, but he was not called to give evidence at the inquest.

Instead his evidence was outlined to the coroner by a West Midlands police officer. He mentioned only two ambulances going onto the pitch, both before Kevin was carried to the end where PC Bruder tried to save him. As a result, PC Bruder’s evidence was considered unreliable.

But the footage analysed by Panorama shows that a third ambulance turned up after 15:30.

Mr Edwards was the ambulance man in the third vehicle and said the West Midlands Police officers investigating the disaster knew this before PC Bruder’s evidence was undermined at the inquest.

“They had a video set up, they had photographs and they had laid out photographs as well and it was them who said to me, ‘I want to show you your vehicle coming on the pitch at 3:35′,” he said.

The footage also shows the moment PC Bruder goes to help Kevin. It is after 15:30 and proves he had been right all along.

PC Bruder has told Panorama he has now made a complaint to the Independent Police Complaints Commission about how his evidence was handled.

West Midlands Police said it would co-operate with the IPCC and could not comment while inquiries continued.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust said it would co-operate with any new legal inquiries.

Watch the Panorama Special – Hillsborough: How They Buried The Truth on BBC One at 21:00 BST on Monday, 20 May.

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Nearly 5,000 police get both pension and salary

  By surreywebmaster | 20/05/2013 - 10:44 | In The News, Pensions finance etc, Policing - General
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Almost 5,000 retired police officers who have been re-employed by their old force are receiving both a pension and a salary paid by the taxpayer, figures have revealed.

Blue LampThe officers are ‘double dipping’ into the public purse by receiving both a generous monthly pension and a salary from their new job, with one force having more than one in five of all civilian staff jobs carried out by former warranted officers.

Critics said the arrangements showed officers could retire too early, but the Police Federation, which represents rank and file officers, said forces benefited from the set-up because their new staff were already highly experienced.

As police officers can retire after 30 years’ service, it means many are still in their 50s when they retire.

But many decide to remain in work and even return to their old forces, despite generous final-salary pension arrangements.

The officers are part of a growing number of public sector workers who have retired as early as 50 with gold-plated index-linked pensions, and then go back to work with their old employer, the Daily Mail reported.

In contract, many private sector workers will have seen their own pensions eroded, and are forced to work past their retirement age to pay the bills.

Around 6 per cent of civilian jobs were taken up by retired officers, meaning nearly 5,000 roles such as call handlers, front desk clerks and more specialist back-office functions are filled by former officers, according to a survey of police forces.

Among those senior officers ‘double dipping’ is Andy Trotter, the Chief Constable of British Transport Police, who earns £150,000 at his current job and receives a further reported £70,000 a-year in pension, having retired from another force.

There are ten police forces around the country where more than 10 per cent of civilian posts are taken up by retired officers who are topping up their pension with an additional salary, according to the figures.

One force, Dyfed-Powys in south-west Wales, has more than one in five of all civilian postsfilled by ex- officers.

Some 22 per cent of the 655 civilian posts were occupied by retired officers, the survey found.

A total of 226 former officers hold civilian posts in Leicestershire Police, while the Humberside force employs 238 former officers in civilian roles, and 231 are working for the South Wales force.

The other forces where 10 per cent of civilian roles are filled by retired officers are Lincolnshire, Suffolk, Warwickshire, Cumbria, Wiltshire and Derbyshire.

Matthew Sinclair, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “Police pensions cost taxpayers a fortune, as the amount officers pay in during their career don’t stack up to cover the bill for the generous provisions they receive.

“Police officers retiring must either claim their pension or a salary if they continue to work for the force, not both.”

“They shouldn’t be allowed to double dip receiving both at taxpayers’ expenses.”

“If so many officers are eligible for pensions and still able to work it suggests that the retirement age for the boys in blue is too low and that the taxpayers footing the bill are getting a terrible deal out of the arrangements.”

A spokesman for the Police Federation said retired officers who went back to work for their old forces were providing a benefit to the public.

“During the span of their careers police officers do an extremely difficult and often dangerous job,” said the spokesman.

“At the end of this they are rightfully entitled to retire from service with a pension, towards which they pay a 13.5 per cent contribution.

“If a retired officer wishes to do a civilian post this is not only beneficial for the service but also the public as it retains the knowledge and skills gained and uses these in a complimentary and important support function.”

Nearly 5,000 police get both pension and salary

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British business: We need to stay in the European Union – or risk losing up to £92bn a year

  By surreywebmaster | 20/05/2013 - 08:00 | In The News
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Richard Branson and Martin Sorrell among signatories to a letter to ‘The Independent’ that takes aim at Eurosceptics.

Some of Britain’s most successful and eminent business leaders have accused Eurosceptic MPs of putting “politics before economics” and abandoning the national interest in their calls for Britain to leave the European Union.

In a letter to The Independent, the group issues a trenchant riposte to politicians who have argued that Britain’s economic interest would be better served outside the EU. They also call for David Cameron to “strengthen and deepen” the European single market to boost Britain’s economy by £110bn. The letter, which is signed by senior figures including the current and next presidents of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) as well as the chairmen of BT, Deloitte, Lloyds and Centrica, is the first co-ordinated response from the business community to increasing anti-European political rhetoric.

It reflects growing concern in the City that anti-European feeling is not being effectively countered by mainstream political leaders in the wake of last month’s local council elections.

Two cabinet ministers have already publicly stated that they would vote to leave the EU if a referendum were held today, while privately some senior Tories believe Mr Cameron will never be able to negotiate a new deal for Britain’s membership that Eurosceptics could willingly sign up to.

But in their letter the businessmen write that on a purely economic basis, exiting the EU would be deeply damaging to Britain. “The economic case to stay in the EU is overwhelming,” they say. “To Britain, membership is estimated to be worth between £31bn and £92bn per year in income gains, or between £1,200 to £3,500 for every household.

“What we should now be doing is fighting hard to deliver a more competitive Europe, to combat the criticism of those that champion our departure. We should push to strengthen and deepen the Single Market to include digital, energy, transport and telecoms, which could boost Britain’s GDP by £110bn.”

Addressing concerns that European banking legislation is adversely affecting the City of London, the 19 business leaders say that the right answer is to fight for Britain’s interests inside the EU – rather than attempting to go it alone. “The City of London is Europe’s global financial centre,” they say. “Some of the EU’s ideas such as a cap on bankers’ bonuses put this standing at risk. So the Government needs to work hard to protect it.

“But there is also a huge opportunity to promote London’s capital markets to help solve the problems of the EU banking system. We should promote the cause of EU membership as well as defend our position.”

They conclude: “The benefits of membership overwhelmingly outweigh the costs, and to suggest otherwise is putting politics before economics.”

Some businessmen privately express concerns that were Britain to leave and place restrictions on foreign workers, other European countries would retaliate and make it harder for Britons to work in the EU.

As well as UK nationals, this may also affect bankers from around the world who are drawn to London as Europe’s financial hub. Should bankers working in London need separate work permits to operate elsewhere in Europe, they argue, this could force many large multinationals to relocate their headquarters. “I don’t think a lot of people have really thought through the consequences of what leaving might mean,” said one.

Meanwhile, the former Foreign Secretary, Lord Howe, said Mr Cameron had “opened a Pandora’s box” by promising to re-negotiate Britain’s membership of the EU and put it to a vote in 2017.

Lord Howe said the Tory leadership was “running scared” of its backbenchers and had allowed Euroscepticism to “infect the very soul of the party”.

“Sadly, by making it clear in January that he opposes the current terms of UK membership of the EU, the Prime Minister has opened a Pandora’s box politically and seems to be losing control of his party in the process,” he wrote in The Observer.

But the Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, insisted that the Tory party was “absolutely united” on the issue of Europe and Lord Howe’s views did not “represent the reality” of the situation. “If you look at the substance of the issue, the Conservative Party is absolutely united,” he told the BBC. “Of course we have a debate. Patriotism runs deep in the veins of all Conservatives and when you have an issue of sovereignty it’s something we debate fiercely.”

But the former Labour cabinet minister Lord Mandelson attacked Ukip, which he described as the “UK isolation party”, and the “provisional wing” of the Conservatives, for forcing Mr Cameron into making his referendum promise. “They are saying do what we want, give us what we are demanding or we are going to burn your home down,” he said. “In my view the Prime Minister has got to say enough is enough, you guys have got to clear off, take your tanks off my lawn, I am going to lead this party and govern this country in the way that serves its true economic national interest.”

More here – British business: We need to stay in the European Union – or risk losing up to £92bn a year

Dame Helen Alexander, Sir Roger Carr, Sir Nigel Sheinweld, Sir Andrew Cahn, Sir Richard Branson & Sir Martin Sorrell in an open letter to this morning’s Independent:

“To Britain, membership is estimated to be worth £31bn and £92bn per year in income gains, or between £1,200 to £3,500 for every household.”

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Engaging with the community.

  By surreywebmaster | 18/05/2013 - 11:29 | In The News, Policing - Surrey
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Police force calls crooks ‘numpties’ and ‘Billy Burglar’ on Facebook when telling people about crimes they’ve tackled

  • Surrey Police’s Tandridge Beat team jokes about villains on their webpageLight-hearted posts about local crooks have won huge Facebook followingThe
  • TaxPayers’ Alliance says people want bobbies on the beat, not jokes
  • The force has to make huge cuts to reduce its budget by £30m by 2016

A police force which calls crooks ‘numpties’ on its Facebook page and writes in a jokey manner about crime and criminals on its patch has won a huge following from local residents.

Despite criticism that the police force, which is having to cut its budget by £30m by 2016, could spend its time better by catching criminals rather than writing jokes about them, Surrey Police’s Tandridge Beat has nearly 1,500 ‘likes’ on its webpage.

The police have won a huge following thanks to their casual style and light-hearted posts about their force and its work in Surrey just south of the M25 near Godstone.

Surrey Police officers have gained a reputation for joking about criminals as 'numpties' on their Facebook page

Surrey Police officers have gained a reputation for joking about criminals as ‘numpties’ on their Facebook page

Another day, another 'numpty': A post from Tandridge Beat earlier this month mentioned a hapless burglar

Another day, another ‘numpty’: A post from Tandridge Beat earlier this month mentioned a hapless burglar

Police said this 'numpty' had only cleared a small patch of snow on his car's windscreen in March this year

Police said this ‘numpty’ had only cleared a small patch of snow on his car’s windscreen in March this year

One post, put up yesterday, reads: ‘One of our more well-known numpties thought it would be a good idea to come to Lingfield and not pay for his fuel he needed for the stolen car he was in.

‘Thanks to Metropolitan police, him and his friend were stopped and both arrested.’

Another post said: ‘A numpty has left a calling card at a burglary in Tandridge… he will be enjoying our hospitality soon. We will keep you updated.’
Local residents regularly check the page as much as for the jokes as the crime news.

One recent post read: ‘They came, they stole, they got caught (all within 12 minutes). If you can’t afford meat, go vegetarian. Don’t nick it!!’

Delighted residents replied to the post positively, with one saying ‘I saw them being carted off’.

There is a strong sense of community on the page, with one popular post recently reading: ‘If the fella being a bit gobby at the Village on Caterham on the Hill on Sunday spoilt your day, don’t worry, we spoilt his.

Community policing: One popular recent post gave an update on a lout who had urinated on a police van

Community policing: One popular recent post gave an update on a lout who had urinated on a police van

Light-hearted banter: The jokes about local crooks keep coming on Tandridge Beat's Facebook page

Light-hearted banter: The jokes about local crooks keep coming on Tandridge Beat’s Facebook page

‘Charged him with being gobby and also damaging our van (what is it with blokes peeing where they aren’t supposed to this week?)’

Fans of the Facebook page regularly joke with officers on the page, with one writing: ‘Love the word numpties’, and other replying to the post about the man stealing petrol with:

‘Moral of the story: If you’re stupid enough to steal a car, be smart enough to afford the petrol! Hope I haven’t put any ideas in our local numpties heads!’

Tandridge police posted about their use of the word ‘numpty, saying that they had checked that the word ‘wasn’t offensive’, and that they liked it.

They added: ‘Especially after we checked it out properly and it doesn’t cross any “offensive” boundaries we have to be careful of.’

More than 1,400 people 'like' the Tandridge Beat Facebook page, and say they love the light-hearted tone

More than 1,400 people ‘like’ the Tandridge Beat Facebook page, and say they love the light-hearted tone

Popular community forum: Fans of the site have left messages on it saying the banter is good for police PR

Popular community forum: Fans of the site have left messages on it saying the banter is good for police PR

According to the Urban Dictionary, a numpty is someone who ‘demonstrates a lack of knowledge of a particular subject or situation to the amusement of others’.

Police also use the Facebook page to post pictures of those breaking the law or not behaving responsibly.

In March, officers working for the force posted a photo of a snow-covered car driving along the road with just a tiny hole in the windscreen for the driver to look out of.

Their comment below said: ‘With the snow falling, be safe and make sure you clear your car properly. Not like this numpty…it is dangerous for both you and for other road users.’

Other light-hearted postings include on April 26: ‘Team Tandridge 4, Billy Burglar 0. This week 4 burglars have been arrested for 3 separate offences.’

And on April 26 one officer stated: ‘Just putting the kettle on for another Billy Burglar nicked by Tandridge officers’.

The police Facebook page makes fun of local criminals and even those who report crime, as in this page

The police Facebook page makes fun of local criminals and even those who report crime, as in this page

The officers who administer the police Facebook page even turn their hand to make up poems to deter crooks

The officers who administer the police Facebook page even turn their hand to make up poems to deter crooks

It prompted comments from Gaynor Chapman, who wrote ‘Tea? No way. Water and maybe bread’, and Jane Clay who wrote ‘Make sure the water goes cold!’.

On May 3, the team posted a ditty after catching a string of men urinating in public, reading: ‘If you need a pee, then take it from me, if you do it in the street, an officer on the beat, will say ‘Hey matey’, you will be fined eighty”.’

Other postings joke of thieves being ‘slippery customers’ after stealing four barrels of cooking oil and saying that a female shoplifter who stole legs of lamb ‘maybe had a roast dinner every day’.

But Matthew Sinclair, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said paying someone to administer the page was a waste of public money.

He said: ‘When savings have to be found, staff time spent manning social media websites should be cut back.

‘It’s important that the force is open and accountable to local residents but funny stories on Facebook are not a priority right now.

‘Taxpayers want their cash spent on bobbies out on the beat in their communities, not on staff stuck behind computer screens back at HQ.’

A source at Surrey Police said the Facebook page was ‘very popular’ – it has around 1,500 ‘likes’ – adding: ‘The team in Tandridge are known for their quirky sense of humour, but maybe this will come back to haunt them.

Police say they checked the word 'numpty' did not cross any 'offensive' boundaries that govern their web use

Police say they checked the word ‘numpty’ did not cross any ‘offensive’ boundaries that govern their web use

‘You can just see some lawyer referring to the page and getting someone off with a charge because they were called a numpty or a Billy Burglar before it comes to court.’

Earlier this year Tandridge police were ordered to remove a photo they put on the Facebook page featuring an officer in a wendy house with a caption joking that the toy house was ‘the new extension to Lingfield police station’.

Chiefs at Surrey Police, which has to cut its budget by £30m by 2016, told the team to remove the photo and apologised for ‘causing any offence’.

A spokesman said at the time: ‘Our Neighbourhood Policing Teams use their Facebook pages as a different way to engage with our local communities and will occasionally post pictures that are intended to be light-hearted.’

‘The picture was not intended to cause any offence and has now been removed from the site.’

Earlier this year Surrey Police had to apologise after posting this picture and joking it was a new police station

Earlier this year Surrey Police had to apologise after posting this picture and joking it was a new police station

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Explosive device removed by Northern Ireland police investigating attempted murders

  By surreywebmaster | 18/05/2013 - 11:03 | In The News, Policing - General
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What is believed to be a bomb found by police investigating the attempt to murder three officers in West Belfast has been taken away, police said.

The device was found in Dunmurry as the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) conducted follow up searches after a gun attack narrowly missed police attending a call for help.

Residents who had been evacuated have been allowed to return to their houses.

A PSNI spokeswoman said: “What is believed to be an explosive device has been taken away for further forensic examination.

“All residents have been returned to their homes.”

Up to six shots were fired after police were lured to a bogus burglary in the Twinbrook area on the edge of west Belfast on Thursday.

The gun attack is being treated as attempted murder by police.

A 26-year-old man arrested on Thursday night remains in police custody.

Ammunition and a number of replica firearms were recovered when police raided a number of properties in Belfast during follow-up operations. They have been taken away for forensic and ballistic examination.

No one was injured but the three officers – two men and a woman who at one point had to take refuge behind bins – were left badly shaken. All three were back at work yesterday.

A window on a car was smashed and residents dragged their children indoors following the attack.

The device was discovered yesterday afternoon in an area of green close to where officers came under attack.

An extensive cordon was put up around the area with armed officers and armoured Land Rovers manning the lines.

Shortly after 7pm a controlled explosion was carried out and the security operation was wound down.

Residents from Foxes Glen have expressed anger at the length of time taken to detect and deal with the potentially lethal device.

“I think it is an absolute disgrace. And what is worse, how did they not find it last night? The police, the forensics in their white suits and sniffer dogs were all in the area last night. I was actually up in the area where the device was found earlier today with my granddaughter who is just five and a half months old.

“I am angry at the people who left it there but, I am also angry at the police for not finding it,” said Margaret McGrath, a grandmother of two.

Tina Winchester, who also lives in the estate, said it was fortunate no one was hurt.

“There were kids playing in the area all day. They were out looking yesterday and found nothing, they were back out last night and still didn’t find anything. It is terrible,” she said.

Jennifer McCann, Sinn Fein MLA in west Belfast, said the community did not support the violent armed groups who planted the device.

“The people in this community are fed up with this type of activity. This is a built-up area in which there are lots of children. It is only by the grace of God that no one was killed or seriously injured,” she said.

According to the BBC, a dissident republican splinter group called Oglaigh na hEireann had claimed responsibility.

Dissident republicans have attempted to kill several members of the security forces in Northern Ireland.

Oglaigh na hEireann is a title which has been used by a variety of groups and has been adopted by hardline factions opposed to the Northern Ireland peace process.

Explosive device removed by Northern Ireland police investigating attempted murders

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Taxpayer overcharged by millions for electronic tagging

  By surreywebmaster | 18/05/2013 - 11:01 | In The News
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Chris Grayling, the Justice Secretary, has launched an urgent investigation into G4S and Serco, the private security operators, after they were found to have been overpaid for running electronic tagging schemes by millions of pounds.

electronic tag: Taxpayer overcharged by millions for electronic tagging

G4S and Serco, the private security operators, were found to have been overpaid for running electronic tagging schemes by millions of pounds.

The Ministry of Justice has brought in external auditors to find out how much the two companies have incorrectly claimed from the taxpayer since 2005.

Spending on electronic tagging has run to £700 million since G4S and Serco were handed the contracts but a Ministry of Justice spokeswoman said it was currently impossible to say how much had been overpaid.

It is understood the sums involved run to millions of pounds.
G4S was widely criticised for its failure to fulfil security requirements at last year’s Olympics.

Mr Grayling said: “As a result of information which has recently come to light as part of the re-tendering process for electronic monitoring contracts, my department has identified potential issues in relation to billing under the current contracts which were originally let in 2005.

“Working with our suppliers, we are taking immediate action to address this.

“We have asked a high quality independent team to audit the processes and the information supplied to the department by G4S and Serco. “The audit will also review the management of the contract by the department.”

He added: “I take this issue very seriously and my priority is to ensure that taxpayers’ money is spent appropriately and delivers value for money.

“Our suppliers have told me that they take this seriously too. They are co-operating fully and they have given me clear assurances that if any adjustment is required to charges made to date, this will be put right promptly and repayments made.”

About 20,000 people – included convicted criminals released early from prison, and suspects on bail – are put on electronic tags each year in England and Wales.

The audit will report back within six weeks and the operation of electronic tagging will not be affected, Mr Grayling added.

Taxpayer overcharged by millions for electronic tagging

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Public sector workers will see a THIRD of their pension incomes wiped out under government reforms

  By surreywebmaster | 18/05/2013 - 10:55 | In The News, Pensions finance etc
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  • Four million public sector workers will see their pension earnings reduce
  • Retirement income calculated on career average earnings, not final salary
  • NHS staff, teachers and local government workers among worst hit

Doctors, nurses, teachers and local government staff will see the income from their ‘gold-plated’ public sector pensions slashed by more than a THIRD under the Government’s reform plans.

Some four million public sector workers will see their retirement income take a huge hit as the Government looks to cut its pension liabilities by a quarter by 2065.

Paying out pensions based on a proportion of average career earnings, rather than final salaries, will see workers’ average pension income fall from 23 per cent of their salary to just 15 per cent, the Pensions Policy Institute has said today.

Pension pain: How the Government's reforms will impact members of the four main public service pension schemes.Pension pain: How the Government’s reforms will impact members of the four main public service pension schemes.

Those who turned 50 before April 1, 2012, will be protected from the reforms, but everyone else faces having to work for longer, pay more into their pots, and get less out of their pensions.

Local government workers will experience the changes first as the reforms are introduced from next April, with NHS staff, teachers and government civil servants following suit in April 2015.

Despite this, the PPI found that public sector pensions will still provide better levels of income than private sector workers on money purchase schemes.

Niki Cleal, PPI director, said: ‘The analysis suggests that the combined impact of the Coalition Government’s proposed reforms is to reduce the average value of the pension benefit for all members of the NHS, teachers, local government and civil service pension schemes from 23 per cent of a member’s salary before the Coalition Government’s reforms, to 15 per cent.

‘This is a reduction in the average value of the pension benefit for members of these four schemes of more than a third.

‘Nevertheless, even after the Coalition’s proposed reforms, the benefit offered by all four of the largest public service pension schemes remains more valuable, on average, than the pension benefit offered by defined contribution schemes that are now most commonly offered to employees in the private sector.’

Final salary schemes see staff given a proportion of their final salary, typically 1/60th, as income in retirement for every year they have worked with the organisation. So someone with 40 years service, who retired on a salary of £60,000, can expect a retirement income of £40,000.

But career average pensions will see the payouts calculated based on an average of pensionable earnings for each year they worked.

The reforms were first brought up in the 2011 Budget, and received Royal Assent last month.

Other changes include bringing the age at which staff can take their pensions, which is currently 60 for most members, in line with the state pension age. This will rise for men and woman to 67 between 2026 and 2028.

Members will have to pay on average an extra 3.2 per cent of their salary into their pension schemes as well.

Police, fire and Armed Forces personnel are also expected to be affected by the changes, though their ‘normal pension age’ will remain at 60.

In 2007/08 reforms introduced by Labour, the normal pension age for civil service, NHS and teacher pension schemes rose from 60 to 65.

However this only applied to new members, so the majority of scheme members will still have a pension age of 60.

Those within 10 years of their pension age on April 1, 2012, will be able to take their pension under the current final salary conditions, rather than the new career average.

Teachers and nurses will see a THIRD of their pension incomes wiped out under government reforms

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Three cheers for Harry Smith!

  By surreywebmaster | 18/05/2013 - 10:43 | In The News, Pensions finance etc, Technology/Computing
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Being online aged 90 has made my old age less lonely. Others aren’t so lucky

As grief over my wife and son eased, I wanted to join the land of the living. I wish more seniors could reap the benefits I haveHarry Leslie Smith

Click here for more about – Harry Leslie Smith

There’s no getting around it: I am from the class of 1923, which makes me very old. When I was a boy, people thought our technological limit was reached with the dazzling Flying Scotsman’s train engine. At the time, I probably agreed. I had seen a film of the Flying Scotsman at the pictures, which left me dizzy with envy for the passengers. I marvelled at the people who could afford to ride that locomotive and gallop between London and Edinburgh in less than eight hours. I was born into a Britain where the majority of the population didn’t have a telephone, the wireless or indoor plumbing. Now our island is interconnected with motorways, airports and the internet. The speed with which we can now communicate or impart information, swap jokes, share files and holiday snaps leaves me gobsmacked. In my lifetime, I have gone from learning Morse code to sending messages on Twitter.

Older person using computer

‘It is hard to expect a senior citizen to be on Facebook if they can’t afford to heat their home because of the limits of their state pension.’

The internet has become our agora, the meeting place where diverse opinions can be debated alongside comments on last night’s football match. For those able to participate, it is a wonderful place to learn, speak one’s mind or relax by playing an online game. For me, being able to navigate through the internet has made my old age a less lonely place. The death of my wife and then the loss of one of my sons forced me to confront and become familiar with this new, and at first forbidding computer equipment. Simply put, as my grief over my wife and son eased, I wanted to join the land of the living and all of the diversity it offered.

My early attempts to become computer literate were hard, frustrating and comical. But I knew I would persevere because that is what I have always done when faced with difficult problems. I reasoned that if I could learn to drive an antiquated Leyland lorry during the war, the rudiments of the internet were no match for me. For some time, it was a strained tug of war but eventually I mastered the basic elements, which permitted me to go online and explore this strange and virtual universe.

Being engaged online has given me the chance to interact and share my life stories with people from different lands and cultures. It has let me experience new ideas and kept me in close contact with old friends and family, now scattered across the globe.

Unfortunately, the pleasure I have found in being connected to the internet is not an option for far too many people in the United Kingdom. Recent figures from an ONS report that 7 million people in Britain remain unconnected to the internet and 14% of the adult population have never logged on. More worrying, and what should give pause to many readers, is that although the number of seniors using the internet is increasing, only 27.3% of women over the age of 75 are actively using the internet, compared with 43% of men 75 years of age and older.

The reason why elderly female pensioners aren’t using the internet isn’t because they have a dread of new technology. It all comes down to the insurance man’s actuary table – women generally outlive their spouses. For many widowed women, their golden years are spent in the lonely preoccupation of trying to stretch their pennies into pounds. It is hard to expect a senior citizen to be on Facebook if they can’t afford to heat their home or eat a proper diet because of the limits of their state pension.

Being connected to the internet is supposed to open up new vistas for its users. It can bring the planet and all its wonders to your laptop. It allows you to interact with so many interesting people, but always from a safe distance. As you age, your health and mobility may become impaired, so having the opportunity and the finances to get online makes life less lonesome. It can make you more engaged with your community and your family. It is as important as having a telephone, a stable bank account and a bus pass. All of those elements and access to a computer can make your senior years more pleasant and worthwhile.

Everyone in this country should be part of this ever-evolving information highway, including the elderly and those on fixed incomes. I know if more seniors were able to access the internet they would be better able to voice their concerns about elder-care, the NHS and our current economic crisis.

The internet has given me something that the Flying Scotsman could never do: a chance to keep pace and still be part of the conversation with a much younger generation.

Harry Leslie Smith is a survivor of the Great Depression, a second world war RAF veteran and at 90 an activist for the poor and for the preservation of social democracy. He has authored numerous books about Britain during the Great Depression, the second world war and postwar austerity.

It was a life sacrificed through a family’s poverty, a child’s hunger and a nation’s ruin. It was a life redeemed through war. It was 1923….

Photo from Harry’s Twitter profile.

Read also: Is Cameron’s Britain what we fought for in the war?

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Secret arrest plans in disarray

  By surreywebmaster | 17/05/2013 - 19:17 | In The News, Policing - General
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A plan by police chiefs to introduce a new system of secret arrests has been thrown into doubt after Theresa May intervened to insist forces should confirm to the media the names of people who are not charged.

Theresa May Criminal belives suspects who have been arrested should not normally be named until they are charged.

Proposals by the Association of Chief Police Officers, (Acpo) sought to end the naming of suspects on arrest, unless there were exceptional circumstances.

This would effectively end the practice whereby police forces would give journalists an off the record steer that a name was correct if it was put to them.

The Home Secretary had previously indicated her support for the move, providing there was no change to the system of naming people once they had been charged.

But now in an unexpected intervention, Mrs May has said she supports the idea of police forces confirming when the media puts correct names to them.

The proposals are due to go before the College of Policing on Monday to be discussed and ratified.

But writing in The Sun newspaper Mrs May indicated her concern that the plans were going too far.

She wrote: “Where the Press have already identified the suspect and asked for confirmation from police the police should confirm it. There should be a presumption of transparency throughout the system.”

Her comments come after the Prime Minister David Cameron expressed his concern over the situation, insisting there was “no simple answer”.

Speaking during a trip to the United States he said there was a “difficult balance” between publicising the arrests and respecting the privacy of suspects.

One of the main arguments against secret arrests has been the claims that the publicity helps encourage victims to come forward with evidence.

Earlier this month police confirmed that publicity surrounding the arrest of entertainer Stuart Hall on allegations of sexual assault encouraged more of his victims to come forward and speak out.

Last month Hall pleaded guilty to 14 counts of indecent assault against girls as young as nine.

Sources at Acpo said chief officers had no intention of “getting into a spat” with the Home Secretary but would not be redrafting the proposals in light of her comments.

The difference of opinion raises the prospect that a policy could be introduced across Britain’s 43 forces that is at odds with the Home Secretary’s views.

A Home Office spokesman said: “It is there in black and white what the Home Secretary thinks. We will not be adding to that at this stage.”

Secret arrest plans in disarray

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Retired police staff member Claire Spillett

  By surreywebmaster | 17/05/2013 - 18:57 | Obituaries, SPRCA
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Fellow pensioners

I have received the following from HQ:-

The Chief Constable regrets to notify staff of the death on 10th May 2013 of retired member of staff Claire Spillett at the age of 48 years. Claire joined the force on 21st September 1987 and after 23 years and 7 months service was ill health retired on 2nd May 2011. Claire spent the majority of her career in Criminal Justice with her last post being within Quality Assurance based at Reigate.

Our late colleague is survived by her husband Eric. At this time please can any letters or cards of condolence be sent to Eric via Samantha Goolding, Criminal Justice, CPS Offices, The Gateway, Guildford.

Funeral arrangements are still to be arranged and once confirmed will be circulated.

Tony Forward

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*Nigel, where’s your troosers..?

  By surreywebmaster | 17/05/2013 - 18:42 | In The News, Scotland
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The Ukip leader was left stranded in the middle of Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, surrounded by around 50 nationalists and socialists calling him a racist, but demanding that he: “Go home to England”.

Police officers attempted to persuade two taxi drivers to take Mr Farage away from the trouble but both refused as the protesters continued to barrack the MEP with chants of “racist Nazi scum”.

A shaken Mr Farage told reporters: “We have never had a reception like this anywhere in Britain before. Clearly, it’s anti-British and anti-English. They hate the Union Jack.”

Police officers then insisted for his own safety that he enter the Canon’s Gait pub, the wooden doors of which were then locked.
The protesters continued to jeer and shout abuse, with some unveiling a 20ft banner that, referring to next year’s referendum, stated: “Vote Yes for Scotland”.

Nigel Farage barricaded in Scottish pub and rescued by police riot van

Video: - Alex Salmond: Nigel Farage protest ‘needs to be put into context’

*Nigel, where’s your troosers..?

See also - Ukip donor brands women ‘hostile’ for wearing trousers

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Whole life terms for police killers – Home Secretary speech to Federation conference

  By surreywebmaster | 15/05/2013 - 13:56 | In The News, Policing - General
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Criminals who kill police officers in England and Wales will face compulsory whole life sentences, Home Secretary Theresa May has announced.

May - Conference 2013(Click to view video)

She unveiled plans for a change in legislation at the Police Federation conference in Bournemouth.

Mrs May stressed that to kill a police officer was “to attack the fundamental basis of our society”.

Earlier, Federation chairman Steve Williams said officers felt “totally dejected” by recent cuts and reforms.

‘Appalling crime’

The current minimum sentence for a police murder is 30 years.

Mrs May announced that the government is to propose the minimum term should be increased to life without parole.

The home secretary told rank-and-file officers the murder of a police officer was “a particularly appalling crime”.

“We ask police officers to keep us safe by confronting and stopping violent criminals for us,” she said.

“And sometimes you are targeted by criminals because of what you represent.”

She added: “We are clear – life should mean life for anyone convicted of killing a police officer.”

The Criminal Justice Act 2003 permits Justice Secretary Chris Grayling – following consultation with the Sentencing Council – to make an order to change starting points for sentences.

In this instance, it enables him to change the starting point from 30 years to a whole life order, meaning offenders could not be released other than at the discretion of the secretary of state on compassionate grounds – for example, if they are terminally ill or seriously incapacitated.

‘Severe penalty’

The Sentencing Council, the official body that oversees sentencing in England and Wales, issues guidelines for judges and magistrates to work to for all offences other than murder.

A spokesman said: “Introducing whole life tariffs for those who murder police officers would involve changes to the law, which is a matter for Parliament, rather than the Sentencing Council.”

But he confirmed that the government had a duty to consult with the council before new legislation could be brought in.

The Sentencing Council says that, as things stand, whole life orders can be imposed in murder cases “if the court decides that the offence is so serious that the offender should spend the rest of their life in prison”.

There are currently 47 prisoners in England and Wales who have been given whole life tariffs, including Rosemary West and “Yorkshire Ripper” Peter Sutcliffe.

During her address, Mrs May called for an end to “frivolous” claims by police officers who have accidents on duty.

She said suing someone after slipping on their property was “not the sort of attitude” officers should exhibit.

Her comments come after it emerged recently that one police officer, PC Kelly Jones, had taken legal action after tripping on a kerb at a Norfolk petrol station in August.

Mrs May also revealed plans to allow police to take over shoplifting prosecutions where goods taken were worth less than £200.

‘Stop pretending’

The home secretary emphasised the importance of raising public trust in policing and said there should be “zero tolerance” of malpractice.

Mrs May, who faced a question and answer session after her speech, was heckled at last year’s conference after she told officers to “stop pretending” they were being singled out and would “have to make their share” of public spending cuts.

Police Federation chairman Steve Williams, who had earlier welcomed Mrs May’s sentencing plan, told her morale was low as a result of the government’s programme of cuts and reforms.

Speaking at the conference, he urged the home secretary not to “hang your reforms on the reprehensible behaviour of a handful of officers”.

The biggest applause came when he called for the government to abandon plans for compulsory severance, which are currently subject to negotiation.

Chief Inspector of Constabulary Tom Winsor, who is behind hotly debated changes such as fast-track recruitment and lower annual pay for new constables, was also due to address officers.

On Tuesday, shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper told the three-day conference that government plans to withdraw from the European Arrest Warrant agreement would make it harder to catch criminals who went on the run abroad.

“The killing of a police officer is a particularly heinous crime that should be punished with the severest possible sentences”

Shadow policing minister David Hanson

Whole life terms for police killers – Home Secretary speech to Federation conference

The Home Secretary’s complete speech can be read here.

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Police killers should get ‘life means life’ sentences

  By surreywebmaster | 15/05/2013 - 09:19 | In The News, Policing - General
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The sentence for criminals who kill a police officer should be increased to the toughest “life means life” tariff, the Home Secretary will announce.

Police killers should get 'life means life' sentences

Theresa May said the existing starting point of 30 years should be raised to the “whole life” category which is currently reserved for the very worst types of murderer.

The announcement, to be made during Mrs May’s speech at the Police Federation annual conference in Bournemouth, will be seen as a move to appease front line police officers who are unhappy over changes to pay and conditions.

At the same conference last year the police jeered the Home Secretary and urged her to resign.

In a speech Mrs May is expected to say: “To attack and kill a police officer is to attack the fundamental basis of our society.

“We ask police officers to keep us safe by confronting and stopping violent criminals for us. We ask them to take risks so that we don’t have to.”

“That is why I am clear that: life should mean life for anyone convicted of killing a police officer.”

Since 2000 there have been 12 direct killings of police officers in the line of duty, including the 2005 murder of PC Sharon Beshenivsky in Bradford, West Yorkshire.

Her three killers each received a tariff of 35 years, meaning they must serve that length of time before becoming eligible for parole.

Under the “whole life” order proposed by Mrs May, police killers will never be eligible for parole and will normally die in jail.

In cases where a defendant is convicted of murdering a police officer, the sentencing judge will have to take the whole life order as a starting point but they will retain discretion on whether mitigating factors could reduce the sentence.

The change can be brought in relatively quickly by Chris Grayling, the Justice Secretary, subject to votes in the Commons and the Lords, and after consultation with the Sentencing Council.

Steve White, vice chair of the Police Federation of England, welcomed the move, suggesting that public confidence in sentences needed to be restored because so many offenders were released early.

“I think the murder of a police officer should attract a full life tariff, absolutely, we have been saying it for a long time,” he told Radio 4′s Today programme.

“It does not get any more serious than murder and there is no hierarchy in terms of which life is more important than another.”

He denied that the move would appease officers in the wake of the “damage” Mrs May had inflicted on officers’ pay and conditions.

PCs Fiona Bone, 32, and Nicola Hughes, 23, were killed in a gun and grenade attack in Manchester last year. In February this year Dale Cregan admitted their murders. He awaits sentencing.

David Bieber, the former US Marine who murdered PC Ian Broadhurst on Boxing Day 2003, received a tariff of 37 years.

There are currently 47 murderers serving whole life orders, which are at present reserved for child killers, those who have killed multiple times or whose crimes were sadistic or highly premeditated.

Simon McKay, a criminal and human rights lawyer, said it would be wrong to move towards legislation that categorised victims.

He told the Today programme: “The murder of a police officer is a vile act but this is a regressive step.

“The starting point in sentencing guidance for individuals found guilty of a crime of this nature is 30 years but it’s only a starting point. it’s for judges not politicians to make the determination.

“In 2003, the power of politicians to dictate what sentences should be was taken away from them and given back to judges … who do have the power to impose whole life tariffs.”

He said there was a distinction between a pre-planned murder and someone who spontaneously killed an officer.

Police killers should get ‘life means life’ sentences

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Police being trained to use water cannon ahead of potential summer clashes

  By surreywebmaster | 15/05/2013 - 08:45 | In The News, Policing - General
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Hundreds of police officers are secretly undergoing training to use water cannon ahead of potential protests this summer, it was claimed today.

Resistance: Police train with water cannon at Longmoor Army camp near Petersfield in HampshireThere are currently six water cannons in the UK but all belong to the Police Service of Northern Ireland and none are held on the British mainland

The £1.3 million cannon was brought from Northern Ireland to a Hampshire air base where officers are being trained in its use, according to the Daily Mail.

The public order weapon is expected to be on standby during G8 talks at the Lough Erne resort in Enniskillen next month but its use is expected to fuel speculation that they could be introduced on the mainland.

Up to 4,000 Metropolitan Police officers are being trained how to use the cannon, shuttling up to the Longmoor base, near Petersfield, in groups.

They are undergoing drills in which some play a mob of rioters who get drenched with water fired in short bursts.

In the wake of the 2011 summer riots, a comprehensive police review concluded that water cannon would prove a “valuable” asset during policing.

Scotland Yard officers said the crowd dispersal weapon “would have been considered as a tactical option” had it been more readily available as violence erupted in towns and cities across the UK.

There are currently six water cannons in the UK but all belong to the Police Service of Northern Ireland and none are held on the British mainland.

Under current arrangements, police forces across England and Wales must provide 24 hours’ notice to access the weapons.

Senior officers have called for additional units to be purchased and then housed on the UK mainland, making them more readily accessible in future disturbances.

Each water cannon costs around £1.3 million and experts believe three vehicles would be needed to ensure operational capability across the UK.

Critics believe the machines are unsuitable and represent a move towards more militant policing.

Bernard Hogan-Howe, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, reacted cautiously to the prospect of acquiring water cannon to deal with future disturbances, stating that they had their “limitations” and were not necessarily the answer.

There have been reports of them causing serious injuries, including broken bones and a ruptured spleen.

Police being trained to use water cannon ahead of potential summer clashes

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Police could be fiddling crime figures, watchdog warns

  By surreywebmaster | 14/05/2013 - 19:16 | In The News, Policing - General
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Police could be deliberately fiddling crime figures, according to the police watchdog.

40pc of policemen will lose money under Winsor reforms

Tom Winsor, HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary, said he wanted to review how police forces record crimes amid concerns officers are deliberately changing statistics.

Tom Winsor, HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary, said he wanted to review how all the country’s police forces record crimes amid concerns officers are deliberately changing statistics.

The review will examine claims that police officers recorded fewer serious offences than the crimes that had actually been alleged.

Part of the study would be to see whether rapes had been under-counted because they had been classified as sexual assaults.

Other examples included theft being recorded as lost property, violence with injury being recorded as common assault and burglary being classified as theft in a dwelling.

The inspectorate would also look into suggestions that some officers would get prisoners to confess to crimes they had not committed in order to boost clear-up rates.

Mr Winsor said there was no evidence of substantial under-recording of crime but it was “legitimate to assess the matter”.

He told the Home Affairs select committee said: “The figures are critical to a whole range of decisions which elected officials, chief constables and others must make. Information is the oxygen of accountability and the information must be sound.”

Mr Winsor added: “There have been anxieties expressed in relation to the quality of crime data statistics. We will be doing an all-force inspection of the integrity of crime recording by the police and we will report on it when we have done it.”

He said the review would look at “circumstances where crimes are incorrectly recorded or not recorded as crimes but are recorded as incidents”.

He added: “It is alleged that from time to time police officers who are eager to improve their clear-up rates will all go to a prison and get some people who are already in prison to confess to crimes they did not commit, the ‘taken into considerations’.

Liberal Democrat committee member Julian Huppert asked: “Do you have any evidence to suggest this downgrading is happening substantially at the moment?”

Mr Winsor replied: “No. I think it is legitimate that we assess the matter, particularly in view of public anxiety that there may be something awry.”

Mr Winsor is due to speak to rank and file police officers at the annual conference of the Police Federation of England and Wales in Bournemouth later today.

Police could be fiddling crime figures, watchdog warns

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