126 cab drivers charged with sexual or violent crimes – The Independent

Posted April 18th, 2016 in news, sexual offences, statistics, taxis, violent offenders by sally

‘The number of cab drivers charged with violent or sexual offences in London is at a five-year high.’

Full story

The Independent, 17th April 2016

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Tiny proportion of stalking cases recorded by police, data suggests – The Guardian

‘Only a tiny proportion of all stalking cases are recorded by police, figures have suggested, leading to calls for more training for police to recognise the crime and provide support to victims.’

Full story

The Guardian, 18th April 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Number of dropped Crown Court prosecutions at highest level in five years – BBC News

‘The number and proportion of prosecutions dropped at Crown Courts in England and Wales has risen to its highest level in five years. More than 12,600 cases were discontinued from 2014 to 2015 – one in every eight Crown Court cases. At the same time, the proportion of Crown Court cases resulting in a conviction fell below the 80% mark for the first time since 2010-11.’

Full story

BBC News, 11th April 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Suicide attempts at UK immigration removal centres at all-time high – The Guardian

Posted April 5th, 2016 in deportation, detention, immigration, news, reports, statistics, suicide by sally

‘The number of suicide attempts in immigration removal centres is at an all-time high, averaging more than one a day, according to official figures.’

Full story

The Guardian, 4th April 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Police are ignoring law-breaking cyclists says traffic lawyer – The Guardian

Posted April 4th, 2016 in bicycles, fines, news, police, road traffic offences, statistics by sally

‘The police are turning a blind eye to law-breaking cyclists, traffic lawyer Nick Freeman – who calls himself Mr Loophole – has claimed after new statistics showed a sharp fall in the number of police penalties handed to cyclists.’

Full story

The Guardian, 1st April 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

British Transport Police ends plan to scrap Tube sex crime unit – BBC News

Posted April 4th, 2016 in complaints, London, news, police, sexual offences, statistics, transport, women by sally

‘A specialist policing unit which investigates sexual offences on the Tube will not be disbanded the British Transport Police (BTP) has confirmed.’

Full story

BBC News, 2nd April 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Ten new laws that come into force in April 2016 – and how they affect you – The Independent

‘April 2016 is a month of big changes for people living and working in the UK. A number of new laws and policies are coming into force, affecting just about everyone from public sector workers to dog owners. Here’s what the new laws could mean for you.’

Full story

The Independent, 3rd April 2016

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Senior judges are hanging up their wigs. Replacing them won’t be cheap – The Guardian

‘The only branch of governance in which the public still has some faith is the judiciary – and it is facing a serious recruitment crisis.’

Full story

The Guardian, 4th April 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Cannabis arrests down 46% since 2010 – police figures – BBC News

Posted April 4th, 2016 in drug offences, drug trafficking, news, police, statistics by sally

‘Arrests for cannabis possession in England and Wales have dropped by 46% since 2010, figures obtained by BBC Breakfast suggest.’

Full story

BBC News, 4th April 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Routine use of council gagging orders ‘leaves Britain open to corruption’ – The Independent

‘The UK has left itself open to corruption at the heart of local government, transparency campaigners warned, after it emerged that council workers have been routinely issued with gagging orders when they left public service.’

Full story

The Independent, 3rd April 2016

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Hashtag applications on the rise #TimesAreChanging – Technology Law Update

Posted March 30th, 2016 in enforcement, intellectual property, internet, news, statistics, trade marks by sally

‘Research by Thomson CompuMark has highlighted the effect of the changing social media landscape on trademark applications.’

Full story

Technology Law Update, 30th March 2016

Source: www.technology-law-blog.co.uk

Theresa May ‘wrongly deported 48,000 students’ after BBC Panorama exposes TOEIC scam – The Independent

‘Home Secretary Theresa May allegedly wrongly deported up to 50,000 international students after an English test cheating scam at one school was used to incriminate all who had sat the test.’

Full story

The Independent, 29th March 2016

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Children in care homes ‘excessively criminalised’ – The Guardian

Posted March 30th, 2016 in care homes, children, criminal justice, news, police, statistics, young offenders by sally

‘Children living in care homes are “excessively criminalised” compared with other boys and girls, campaigners have said.’

Full story

The Guardian, 30th March 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

EU referendum: Rules giving ‘free pass’ to terror suspects – BBC News

‘Being in the EU makes it harder for the UK to stop serious criminals and those with suspected terror links entering the country, a UK minister is to say.’

Full story

BBC News, 30th March 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Judges overturn practice of double conviction for aggravated offences – The Guardian

‘A long-established legal practice of imposing double convictions for racially or religiously aggravated offences has been overturned by a high court ruling that could influence national crime statistics.’

Full story

The Guardian, 20th March 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Nuisance calls by ‘ambulance chasers’ soar despite attempts at crackdown – Daily Telegraph

‘One in five people receives an unsolicited, nuisance call every day in a practice fuelled by “ambulance-chasing lawyers,” a report has warned. The compensation culture, which is driven by claims management companies, has soared, despite government attempts to crack down on the practice.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 21st March 2016

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Do initiatives involving substantial increases in stop and search reduce crime? Assessing the impact of Operation BLUNT 2 – Home Office

‘This study assesses the impact on crime of the Metropolitan Police’s Operation BLUNT 2, which ran from May 2008 to April 2011.’

Full report

Home Office, 17th March 2016

Source: www.gov.uk/home-office

Mass stop and search by police doesn’t reduce crime, says study – The Guardian

‘The use of large “surge” stop-and-search operations by the police has no discernible effect in reducing crime, according to newly released Home Office research. The study looks at the mass use of stop and search by London’s Metropolitan police to tackle knife crime in 2008/09, at a time when officers were carrying out one search every 20 seconds on average nationwide.’

Full story

The Guardian, 17th March 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Deaths in detention a ‘national stain’, says report – BBC News

Posted March 18th, 2016 in death in custody, mental health, news, police, prisons, statistics by tracey

‘More than 200 people have died of “non-natural” causes in detention in Britain since the start of 2014, says the Equality and Human Rights Commission.’

Full story

BBC News, 18th March 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Battlelines drawn as shaken baby syndrome controversy set to run – The Guardian

‘Shaken baby syndrome is back in the news. Monday’s BBC Panorama programme focused on this most contentious of subjects and was itself prompted by the General Medical Council’s prosecution of Dr Waney Squier, a consultant neuropathologist who used to give evidence against those charged with injuring their baby but now provides expert evidence in their defence. On Friday she was found guilty by the GMC of giving “expert opinion evidence outside your field of expertise” in several cases that came before the criminal or family courts, and could be struck off the medical register as a result.’

Full story

The Guardian, 15th March 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk