Covert stings catching car criminals / 24dash.com, 24 October 2008
http://digbig.com/4xsnh
"Prolific car crooks are being caught by covert technology with a 100 per cent conviction rate.
In addition to sting vehicles fitted with covert cameras, Hammersmith & Fulham (H&F) Motor Vehicle Crime Squad is using electrical equipment with tracking devices as bait to catch car criminals. Decoy mopeds and motorbikes are also being deployed across H&F."

Lincolnshire Police to use high-resolution aerial photography to fight crime / Public Technology, 27 Aug 2008
http://www.publictechnology.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=17105
"The latest high-resolution aerial photography is set to assist Lincolnshire Police in the fight against crime and their response to major incidents. The Lincolnshire Force has taken delivery of a countywide GeoPerspectives aerial photomap, supplied by aerial survey company Bluesky."

Handheld computers to help police spend more time on patrol and less on paperwork/ Public Technology, 6 Aug 2008
http://www.publictechnology.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=16915
"Cable&Wireless has signed a three year framework agreement with the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) to offer an integrated, managed, mobile information solution for use by police forces across the UK, to equip officers with instant information when out on patrol. Under the agreement, Cable&Wireless will offer police forces an off-the-shelf managed solution, which includes software and hardware. The solution works by interfacing with force systems and applications, giving police officers access to vital information while they are out on the beat. The solution runs on handheld computers and works as a functional mobile computer unit."

Fears over privacy as police expand surveillance projectDatabase to hold details of millions of journeys for five years /The Guardian, September 15 2008
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/sep/15/civilliberties.police?gusrc=rss&feed=politics"The police are to expand a car surveillance operation that will allow them to record and store details of millions of daily journeys for up to five years, the Guardian has learned.

Police hail 'Blackberries' switch / BBC, 28 August 2008
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7586259.stm
"North Wales Police say the policy of issuing each officer with a hand-held computer had saved hundreds of thousands of pounds in man-hours.
Chief constable Richard Brunstrom said the Blackberries meant officers had access to the police national computer and spent less time behind desks."

Police helicopters to catch speeding drivers / 24dash.com, 27 August 2008
http://www.24dash.com/rss/feed.rss/2008-08-27-Police-helicopters-to-catch-speeding-drivers
"Police helicopters armed with radar guns are being used in Essex to catch speeding drivers. The helicopters will be equipped with number plate recognition technology that will allow them to read number plates from 700ft. They are also fitted with a "skyshout" public address system to warn drivers of a detection or pursuit. Essex County Council will put up 26 signs in high risk accident areas warning motorists they are being watched. Councillor Norman Hume said he hoped the..."

Pilot uploads interviews into digital age
Jane's Police Review, 30 July 2008
http://jpr.janes.com/
"Officers in Lancashire Constabulary are ditching traditional tape recordings of suspect interviews to go digital in a trial which should save time and increase integrity and security, according to the force. Lancashire Constabulary has this week become the first in the country to introduce digital recording and storage of interviews."
[Sub required]

Robots on the beat by 2084 / silicon.com, 13 August 2008
http://hardware.silicon.com/storage/0,39024649,39270424,00.htm
"Robocop will become a reality within the next 75 years according to a top UK robotics expert. Abusive drunks or knife-wielding thugs can expect to feel a metallic hand of the law on their shoulder in 2084, according to robotics expert, professor Noel Sharkey of the University of Sheffield."

Police to get thousands more mobiles / silicon.com, 22 July 2008
http://www.silicon.com/publicsector/0,3800010403,39262814,00.htm
"The government is to spend an extra £25m to put thousands more mobile devices in the hands of police to further reduce paperwork and give officers on-the-spot access to info when out on patrol."

Tweaked Kevlar vest stops bugs as well as bullets / New Scientist, 28 July 2008
http://digbig.com/4xgcb
"TO SOUP up your bulletproof vest, why not make it antibacterial, too? Jie Luo and Yuyu Sun of the University of South Dakota in Vermillion have done just that, using a molecule called polymethacrylamide (PMAA)."

The video-aquatic / Officer.com July 2008 Issue

http://www.officer.com/print/Law-Enforcement-Technology/The-video-aquatic/1$42409

"Imagine a crime scene's evidence lay just below, at the bottom of a lake — not the optimal environment for evidence discovery and retrieval. An investigator brings out a submersible remote-operated vehicle (ROV) and sends it into the murky depths, and soon a viewing monitor shows eerie images of drowned victims on the lake bottom."

Digital stakeouts / Officer.com, July 2008 Issue
http://www.officer.com/print/Law-Enforcement-Technology/Digital-stakeouts/1$42407
"When the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) conducts sustained surveillance of marijuana grow fields, they need video systems that not only produce high-quality images, but that also tolerate rain, humidity and temperature fluctuations — even dirt."

Policing 2(2): special edition on Crime Science / Psychology and Crime News, 22 July 2008

http://crimepsychblog.com/?p=1916


The latest issue of Policing (vol 2 no 2) is a special edition on Crime Science featuring in particular the work of the Jill Dando Institute at University College London .

Contents include Ken Pease wondering How to Behave Like a Scientist? and articles on Mathematics, Physics, and Crime, Evolutionary Psychology and Fear of Crime, Crime Prevention Strategies, Forensic Geoscience, Vulnerable Localities, Mobile Phone Crime, Evaluating Crime Prevention and Technology and Policing.

Two articles not part of the special edition on whether Northern Ireland is a model for Post-conflict Police Reform and on the Policing of Fraud.

Dorset Police extend contract for microwave radio, wide area network
http://www.publictechnology.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=16466

MLL Telecom is to continue to manage the fixed, microwave radio, wide area network it built for Dorset Police in 2003. The initial contract of five years has been extended for an additional two years until December 2009.

The network provides data and voice services to the majority of police stations in the county of Dorset. Over 30 fully licensed, point-to-point wireless links form the network, allowing access to mission critical systems 24 hours a day.

AXON Captures the Officer's Perspective / Officer.com, 14 July 2008
http://www.officer.com/web/online/Technology/AXON-Captures-the-Officers-Perspective/20$42273
Steve Ashley
"The problem with the cameras we've been using in law enforcement is that they tend to be affixed to a stationary mount in our vehicle. While we wear a body microphone, if we wander out of the narrow viewing field of the camera - usually aimed out in front of the vehicle - our audio will be recorded, but our video won't. And, if we wander too far away from the vehicle, the audio is lost as well. There ought to be some way to get a recording of what we see, wherever we are. Now there is. It's called AXON, and it's from TASER International."

Video Sharing Site Offers Training Videos, Crime Footage for Police / GovTech, 9 July 2008
http://www.govtech.com/gt/articles/375769?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=new%20JPS_2008_7_9
Jim McKay
“BLUtube, a new online video sharing platform from San Francisco-based PoliceOne.com, is helping to ensure more messages are shared among the police officers who stand to learn from them. "It sounds horrific, but if you break it down step by step, it's actually incredibly important that it's there where officers can see it," said Robert Dippell, PoliceOne's online director. "There are a lot of videos that are useful as situational examples where something went drastically wrong."

Police mobile devices move closer / Computing, 30 June 2008
http://www.computing.co.uk/computing/news/2220293/airwave-supply-police-mobile
Tom Young
"Police forces in England and Wales will be able to procure pre-packaged systems to give frontline officers handheld computers as part of framework deals with suppliers Airwave Solutions and Cable & Wireless. The framework agreement was signed by the National Policing Improvement Agency – the central body which procures new technology for the police - and give forces the choice of the two systems. Forces will still be able to procure independent systems should they wish, though the Airwave and Cable & Wireless deals are likely to be cheaper and faster to implement. The deal also gives forces a choice of networks, devices, applications and support services."

[France] Recording interrogations is not enough - more safeguards needed for rights of detainees / Amnesty International, 3 June 2008
http://www.amnestyusa.org/document.php?id=ENGEUR210042008&lang=e
"In line with the recommendations of the CPT, Amnesty International's research concluded that the introduction of audio-visual surveillance measures in police stations would be an important protection measure against ill-treatment. The organization has also called on the French authorities to introduce a range of legislative, judicial, and administrative measures to prevent torture and other ill-treatment and to ensure the prompt, independent, impartial and effective investigation of any case where there is reason to believe torture or ill-treatment may have occurred."

Brown pledges annual commons debate on surveillance / The Register, 17 June 2008
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/06/17/brown_ippr_speech/
Joe Fay
"Gordon Brown today accepted MP’s recommendations for an annual report and debate on the state of UK surveillance in a speech which rejected charges that the government’s increasing use of high-tech surveillance compromises British citizens' liberties. He also said the government was considering subjecting all new UK legislation to something called a “freedom of expression audit”."

Angles of Observation / officer.com, 28 May 2008
http://www.officer.com/web/online/Technology/Angles-of-Observation/20$41565
"Keeping in mind thermal imagers cannot see through objects, we should change our angle of observation so that we are able to get a clear picture on our TI. During many surveillance observations, our viewpoint may be obscured or blocked by objects such as trees, debris, or other materials. By changing the position of the TI or ourselves, we can greatly improve our chances of seeing an image on our TI screen."