The proposal was being discussed at a time when forces face 20 per cent spending cuts. The biggest-ever police privatisation programme ran into difficulties yesterday when two forces at the centre of the £1.5bn scheme delayed the project in the face of stiff opposition. The private sector had been given carte blanche to come up [...]
18
May 2012
Police forces put £1.5bn privatisation plan on hold
May 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment
16
May 2012
Potato suppliers scammed Sainsbury’s out of millions
May 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment
A director of a major potato firm who bribed a supermarket buyer with millions of pounds to secure huge overcharged contracts has been found guilty of corruption. Andrew Behagg, a 60-year-old finance director at food supplier Greenvale, faces a heavy prison sentence for passing on brown envelopes full of cash to a buyer who spent [...]
08
May 2012
Covert checks by private detectives on the background of Labour politicians are expected to take centre stage at the Leveson Inquiry tomorrow. At the start of what looks likely to be an explosive week of evidence at the inquiry into press ethics, Russell Middleton, temporary Assistant Chief Constable of Devon and Cornwall, will explain how [...]
05
May 2012
Anti-corruption pledges urged – but Surrey chief fears she cannot stop ‘distasteful’ exodus. Dozens of people involved in Britain’s biggest private-sector policing contract have been ordered to sign “anti-corruption” agreements amid concerns about senior officers retiring and then immediately rejoining on lucrative deals with security firms. Surrey Chief Constable Lynne Owens – the head of [...]
02
May 2012
Cannabis: Britain’s growth industry
May 2, 2012 By Leave a Comment
At farms across the UK, business is booming – but now violent gangs are muscling in. Against the steady hum of an extractor fan, the handheld video camera pans over a small forest of green plants. The unmistakable serrated leaves of cannabis flutter as gentle gusts of warm air from a heating unit waft over [...]
23
Apr 2012
‘Atmosphere of mistrust’ created by CRB regime: case studies
April 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Campaigners believe that mass vetting through Criminal Records Bureau checks has created an “atmosphere of mistrust” that leaves children at greater risk. Here are two cases that back up their claims. :: A bricklayer saw a toddler walking alone in a village just before she drowned in a pond, but did not stop to help [...]
20
Apr 2012
A spurned lover has been convicted of assaulting her partner – by biting his penis during a furious row. Vicious Sinead Walker, 40, grabbed hold of Vincent Rennoldson’s manhood and tried to “pull it off” when he angrily ordered her out of his flat. The drunken mum-of-one – who had guzzled an entire bottle of [...]
