Forces remain on track for Uplift target, says Home Office

Forces remain on track with their targets for recruiting new officers, according to Home Office data. According to the latest quarterly update, shared by the College of Policing, there are now 13,576 officers recruited for the Uplift programme. It means forces have reached 68 per cent of the 20,000 target… The government remains on target for Uplift recruits, says the Home Office. But frontline officers say forces still aren’t up to strength....

Disruptive behaviour: keeping firearms off UK streets

Preventing weapons from getting into the hands of violent criminals is a relentless task for policing. In London alone, more than 450 weapons were recovered last year. They are usually obtained through criminal networks and armourers, often exploiting cultural, ethnic and familial links to source regions. The market is supply-driven,… Keeping firearms of UK streets is complex work but old fashioned ‘nous’ is a vital tool in CT policing, an officer reveals....

Officer who started as DC in insurance fraud unit now heads it up

Detective Chief Inspector Tom Hill has just taken up the position having previously been the deputy head of the department.  DCI Hill had been an officer for more than 15 years and was one of the first detectives to work in the IFED when it was launched in 2012.  Since… City of London Police has just appointed a new head for their Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department ...

All systems go behind the CT firewall

The digital world is both the biggest opportunity and the biggest threat in policing. As a result, the need for staff with specialist IT expertise is huge – and by their very nature they rarely come from the traditional policing route. Counter Terrorism Policing HQ is hosted by the Metropolitan… With machine reading, AI and the online world rapidly expanding, the demand for IT workers in counter terrorism has never been greater. As part of our CT insight series, an IT staff officer reveals what life is like....

Superintendents' lead says policing needs to be more flexible

Kent Chief Superintendent Paul Fotheringham told the Sunday Telegraph that a degree of flexibility is needed within the job in order for policing to remain an attractive career choice. He said: “There's no escaping the fact that we can't compete in many ways with the private sector when it comes… Paul Fotheringham, President of Police Superintendents' Association, has said that the way officers and staff complete desk-based work needs to change ...

New Deputy Chief for Warwickshire

DCC Franklin-Smith began his policing career in 2002 with Surrey before he transferred to Warwickshire in 2007. A year later, in 2008, he joined the National High Potential Development Scheme and worked in various uniform and detective roles up to the rank of Superintendent. In 2012 he was seconded to… Former Assistant Chief Constable, Alex Franklin-Smith, has been appointed as the force’s new Deputy Chief Constable. ...

Hertfordshire cancels PEQF courses “to process additional applications”

The force told Police Oracle that “students on the next two intakes through the PEQF route will now be starting on intakes in May.” When asked the reason for the delay, a Hertfordshire spokesperson said: “Having reviewed our annual training calendar, it was decided to cancel two training courses, one… The force has cancelled their next two training courses, one due to start in late March and the second in early April. ...

CT policing: drawing on the talents of seconded officers and staff

The work of officers tackling the most dangerous offenders active in the UK is closed off to the public and most of policing itself. Awareness of activity comes after a major incident such as the failed bomb attack in Liverpool last year. But the need for CT officers is increasing… With a national recruitment campaign under way, the Head of Counter Terrorism Policing reveals why he isn’t looking for the usual suspects....

Hampshire appoints two new ACCs

The pair officially started in their new roles yesterday. ACC Catherine Akehurst, who began her policing career with Greater Manchester in 2003, will oversee the force’s Joint Operations Unit, encompassing Roads Policing and Contact Management across Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Thames Valley. The new ACC has moved to Hampshire… Hampshire has appointed two new Assistant Chief Constables, ACC Catherine Akehurst and ACC Robert France. ...

GMP welcomes new ACC

In her new role as ACC, Sarah Jackson will have the responsibility of the Crime portfolio, including Serious and Organised Crime, Public Protection and Forensic Services. She had previously worked with GMP before transferring to Cumbria in 2017 where she worked as Head of Professional Standards and the Commander of… New Assistant Chief Constable, Sarah Jackson, has returned to her old force in a move from Cumbria ...