CID and Uniform work together to catch assault gang

An assault on Saturday afternoon at Godstone station resulted in two teenage boys in hospital and their 13 year old female friend with minor injuries.

The four suspects arrived in a car and assaulted the first victim, knocking him to the floor and kicking him in the face.  His friend and girlfriend were assaulted too when they went to assist.

On interviewing the girl named the suspects and an operation was set up to arrest them.

Officers on football duty were asked to assist towards the end of their shift, stepping into to create four arrest teams with CID.

After Briefings and safety checks were done, the first two teams arrested their suspects first, with the second two teams achieving their goals after a few hours.

DS Paddy Kerr said “this was a really good example of joint working with CID and Uniform teams at Croydon, Inner London and the NPTs”

“As a result we managed to get all suspects, some relevant clothing and admissions in interview.”

“Some officers were due to book off at 8pm, but worked on through to assist us in the arrest until the early hours of Sunday morning.”

Supt Martin Fry said “I wish to personally thank the below named officers who became involved in this operation and carried out key roles to ensure a prompt investigation allowing some very viscous offenders to be charged and put before the courts at the earliest opportunity.”

“Many of those concerned worked extended hours at short notice and I’m proud to see, yet again, the dedication, energy and enthusiasm showed by the officers of London South Area.”

Officers involved:

PS Taylor, APS Nilmadhub, PS Beresford, PS Davis, APS Bradley, PS Awty,

PC’s: Oakley, Carter, Ord, Foster, Hill, Oram, Walden, Burton, Patterson, Weston-Collinson, Lau, McAdam, Elkins, Piper, Thomas, Ahmed, Hall, Ramsen, Spencer-Briggs, Saunders and Wabara.

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Magistrates Courts switch onto LIBRA

The following information has been disseminated directly from the CJU and is effective immediately.

‘Nationally, every magistrate (and youth) court is now conducting their case business and administration functions on a new system called LIBRA. The Libra system is a giant leap forward (over previous court systems), providing an electronic interface with other systems, such as PNC. It also means BTP CJU can access (remotely) all court records.

The new BTP custody & case system (CuCase), when it comes on line, will have an electronic interface with Libra, allowing the transfer of case information.

However, as good as Libra might be, because many of our courts have restructured their ‘in house’ processes, around Libra, most will no longer except faxed charge sheets, for the purpose of listing the case. This, unfortunately, has lead to a number of BTP cases not being put before the court and, effectively, falling at the first hurdle.

In an effort to overcome this problem, current procedure is now amended:

Ø      With immediate effect - although a copy of the charge & bail sheet should continue to be faxed, to the relevant court, directly after charge a copy of the defendant’s charge & bail sheet must be faxed to the BTP CJU (fax – 020 7027 6461 or 6462).

Upon receipt of the charge sheet, the CJU will examine Libra for case listing, where a new charge case is found not to be listed CJU will ensure the court are made aware of the case and the offence details are entered onto the system (in time for the first hearing). 

AS Numbers:

When faxing charge sheets please remember to add the AS number (for recordable offences), the AS is a key element and a mandatory field on the Libra system! ‘

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Movement form guide

A quick guide has been created regarding completion of Movement forms.

Please see the attached document for further details. 

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Working and Well open day postponed

The next Working and Well health and wellbeing open day scheduled for 1 April at FHQ has been postponed for operational reasons.

Keep an eye out for posters advertising the new date at stations and offices.

The event will be open to all staff, officers and their families, with a focus on women’s health, and feature advice and information on healthy living, as well as housing options, financial advice, and free head and neck massages. Private sessions will also be available with a nurse to discuss any particular health issues.

L Area Welfare Officer Derek Reale said: “Although this open day will focus on women’s health, it will be open to all and there will be plenty of advice and information that applies equally to both sexes.

“We also plan to host a second event in June targeting male health issues, to coincide with national men’s health week, which will also be open to all.”

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London South Crime Reduction Unit

Crime committed in our communities impacts on the quality of life socially, economically and environmentally. This is also true of crime committed on our railways because the railway is part of the wider community – it provides employment, it is a neighbour and it provides a vital public service in transporting us from A to B.

Most crime is opportunistic and by taking reasonable cost-effective and pro-active steps those opportunities can be dramatically reduced. However reducing crime and the fear of crime can only be achieved when everyone works together in partnership.

BTP London South has three dedicated Crime Reduction Officers (CRO’s)  They are all specially trained in both Crime Reduction techniques and Architectural Liaison (Designing out Crime) and are dedicated to providing a service solely for the railway industry, and their activities are designed to address the various challenges facing Britain’s modern and growing railway.

London South Crime Reduction Unit is available to all police staff and officers within the area and have developed direct contacts into the railway industry. Any matter can be referred to the department, from trespass issues, TVM offences, lighting, CCTV, or any other initiative that you believe could reduce offences from occurring.

Office: 0207 9043535 – 43535.

Deni Hamilton Harris – 07788924131  [email protected]

Jerry Isterling – 07887896326 [email protected]

Graham Cottington – 07920857131 [email protected]  - Schools officer

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Victims and Witness conference

Capita’s second national Victims and Witnesses conference will be held in London on Friday 27 March for those working within the criminal justice system.

Ensuring a positive trial process, sensitive to the requirements of victims and witnesses, is crucial for gaining the best evidence, and in order to achieve this, it is imperative that the criminal justice system provides victims and witnesses with effective protection and support.

The conference offers delegates the opportunity to:

§          Gain a national policy and strategy update from the Crown Prosecution Service

§          Hear an overview of the new Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority

§          Explore successful methods for handling anti-social behaviour cases

§          Learn effective ways to protect the identities of witnesses

§          Discover how community engagement can help tackle the fear of crime and encourage witnesses to give evidence

§          Understand the importance of developing strong and secure information-sharing protocols

§          Gain good practice for supporting young witnesses during and after the trial process

For booking, further information and pricing details, please click here to see the conference brochure.

You can book online by clicking the Book now button, quoting booking reference code EMMK.

For further information, please contact Sajid Khan on 0207 960 7720 or email [email protected].

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Do you want to be a Police Officer?

An internal recruitment window has opened for any BTP employees who wish to become police officers, with priority given to those who live near the police stations where vacancies exist.

Senior Recruitment Manager Sonia Howell said: “BTP recognises that our employees have valuable experience and knowledge and we therefore welcome applications from current BTP police staff, PCSOs and special constables wishing to become police officers.

“At present we would particularly invite applications from employees who live in particular postcodes (please click here to see the list).

“These are locations where we are currently short of applicants and anticipate filling vacancies over the next 18 months.”

The following eligibility criteria apply, in addition to the standard criteria to become an officer:

§          Priority will be given to applicants who live in the postcodes indicated above

§          If you apply for a location not within easy commutable distance of your current home, you must commit to relocating to that location at your own expense upon commencing training.  This must be considered a permanent move. 

§          PCSOs and police staff must have successfully completed their probationary period and are subject to the tenure policy.

§          Special constables must currently be serving at least 16 hours per month (and should remain doing so during the course of their application).  Special constables must also have reached independent patrol status.

§          All applications must be supported by the applicant’s line manager / head of department.

§          All applicants must provide their most recent IPA and sickness record and must demonstrate they are not in breach of BTP's sickness policy.

§          There must be no outstanding disciplinary issues.

Please click here  to see the full intranet notice about the vacancies and how to apply.

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March CCUG

The next Chief Constable’s User Group meeting is taking place on Wednesday 18th March.  This month your representative will be Jason Schweiger. 

The Chief Constable’s User Group (CCUG) is running as a staff suggestion scheme, where attendees have the opportunity to put forward suggestions on ways to improve on the performance and delivery of our services. 

Could you please email your suggestions for Jason Schweiger to raise at the meeting: [email protected]

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Faulty Captor Spray

London North has recently received reports of captor being deployed and the spray being ineffective. This may be the result of a faulty batch of incapacitant.  It is therefore asked that any similar incidents are reported to APS Fowler in LSA Operation Dept.

Such comments should also be included in the Use of Force Forms after each occurrence. 

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BTP love story hits the papers

An officer from London South’s Core Team 4 has made the papers with his new bride.

PC Andrew Redmond and Donna Redmond, who works in the BTP Control room, wrote to the London paper after getting married in January, to tell them about their big day.

Congratulations from all at BTP London South.

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Golf day at Swanley

Monday 9th March sees the next event in the BTP London South Golf Society calendar.

The Spring Scramble will be held at Pedham Place Golf Centre, in Swanley.

Arrive for 8.45am for a coffee and a bacon roll, followed by 18 holes of golf.  The first to tee off will start at 9.45am.

This will be in pairs as a Texas Scramble before finishing off with a two course dinner. 

Cost as usual £30 for members £35 for guests.

Please contact the secretary Calvin if you can play as it is a pairs event and he needs to end up with an even number!

Contact Calvin on 01303 256391 or 07941 760406 or email [email protected]

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