Cop used intelligence database for blackmail attempts

Pc Amerdeep Singh Johal of West End Central police station has been jailed for six years for attempting to blackmail 11 victims using data from the 'CrimInt' database.

Pc Jailed over Blackmail Attempts (BBC)

You have the right to film in a public place

Though as you'll see in this FILM, police officers may try to stop you: they may try to intimidate you, and may seem to believe that filming in a public place is an offence!

Police violence and deception at the Climate Camp

After yesterday's admission that the police and government gave the misleading impression that 70 officers had been injured in contact with Climate Camp protestors, its interesting to look back at other ways in which they tried to smear the camp, and at some of the beatings they meted out. Bear in mind the reality, now agreed on by all sides, was that over one thousand protesters interacted with the same number of police for a week without a single officer being injured. (Sadly the same can't be said for the protesters.)

The following extract from the BBC News on 5th August 2008 contains points of interest:

1. The BBC anchor's reference to 'violent clashes' (0'27") - sorry to have to correct you BBC, but 'clashes' are where two sides are fighting!

2. The display by the police of items actually taken from the camp (see also, entertainingly, HERE), confusingly intermingled with items found 'nearby', including the famous throwing star, and kitchen knife block (1'26"). Now, it seems quite a leap to assume, as the police and BBC do, that these items were abandoned by people from the Camp, when there are 1.6 million other people in the immediate vicinity of Kent and Medway. Given the apparent willingness of the police to tell other lies in this case, is it too much to suppose that they planted the items? (The thug making the presentation, by the way, is Chief Superintendent Gary Beautridge.)

3. Violence. Look at the man struck in the face at 2'19": his head flies backwards and forwards like a rag doll. Look at the girl stuck in the crush at 2'26": though she can hardly move the cop lashes out viciously and strikes her with his club.

Film HERE.

Police and minister lied about Climate Camp casualties

Whether gullibly or cynically we know not, but Police Minister Vernon Coaker has up till now peddled the police lie that 70 officers were injured during the August 2008 Climate Camp at Kingsnorth, Kent. This lie was used to justify the use of blanket search powers during the £5.9m police operation against climate-change protesters.

But Coaker has now written to the Lib Dem's David Howarth to say: "Kent police have informed the Home Office that there were no recorded injuries sustained as a result of direct contact with the protesters." The causes of the twelve recorded injuries that did occur included "heat and sun", and a "possible wasp".

Sources:
Apology over policing 'injuries' (BBC)
Those Kingsnorth police injuries in full: six insect bites and a toothache (Guardian)
Government overstated police injuries at Climate Camp (Lib Dems)