Surrey Police chief to speak on crime on BBC radio breakfast show
Mr De Meyer, who began his policing career with the Metropolitan Police in 1997, said when he joined Surrey Police in 2023 that he hoped to improve rates of detection for crimes such as violence against women and burglary.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
7 minutes ago
- BBC News
Ex-miners hope Orgreave inquiry will bring answers
Former miners and campaigners have welcomed the news of a public inquiry into the violent confrontation outside Orgreave coking plant in 1984 during the year-long miner's than 40 years after the clashes between police and striking miners, the BBC spoke to some of those present that day about what they hoped the national review would achieve. At the start of 1984 Bob Heron was a miner at the Eppleton Colliery at Hetton-le-Hole, County like tens of thousands of his colleagues, by March he had walked out in opposition to plans to shut 20 UK on 18 June he found himself among hundreds of striking miners heading to Orgreave, in South Yorkshire, to join a picket line outside the coking plant."It was really frightening the whole of that day," he recalls."We didn't go down there for a fight, we were down there in trainers, jeans and T-shirts and the police were down with truncheons, shields, helmets and body armour."The events of that day would later become known as the Battle of Orgreave, after miners and police officers clashed, with more than 100 left Mr Heron said he and his fellow picketers had not gone with the intention of staring a fight."It was orchestrated by the police and the government, it was at a very high level the decisions were taken and its time for those people to be brought to justice," he said. Recounting his own experience of the day he described the moment when police officers came out on horseback, causing the picket line to scatter and leaving him separated from his colleagues."I got pushed down the embankment and as I was getting myself together a police dog came up behind me and ripped my jeans and grabbed my leg," he managed to get the dog off but the police dog handler had shouted at him pointing to his leg."When I looked it was pouring with blood and my trainer was full of blood," he said the handler had told him to get behind the police lines where there were ambulances waiting and he was taken to Rotherham still has the scars from the bite and said it was clear to him the police had come "ready for a fight"."It had been well orchestrated right from the beginning," he said."We do need to find out who was responsible right at the top." Former Derbyshire miner John Dunn, from the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign, said he hoped the inquiry will get to the truth of what happened."How did 6,000 police know to be waiting in full riot gear and why where they given the instructions to run rampant through innocent people?"We only wanted a job, to feed our families, to live in a decent community."For that people had their head smashed, bones broken and for the 95 [miners who were arrested] the threat of life imprisonment."Mr Dunn said he would like to think that justice could still be delivered after so long and people held to account."We've got to expose what happened, who gave the orders, why it was planned then."He said they had been "denied justice" for 41 years and the inquiry was an "opportunity"."It's our turn. We want to tell our story and the truth to be out," he said. Chris Kitchen was also at Orgreave in June 1984 and is now the general secretary of the National Union of said the inquiry was a "long-time coming"."We need to show that we were actually the victims and we were being manipulated at the time for political reasons."Mr Kitchen said what happened at Orgreave was well-documented, but it had happened at picket lines across the country in 1984 and it was essential no other industry faced that kind of action."There shouldn't be a price on justice, and that justice shouldn't be time-barred," he said."We need to make sure the inquiry gets to the bottom of what did happen so protections can be put in place."There are people that suffered and that are still suffering from what happened 41 years ago and they deserve the truth to get out." Alan Mardghum, from Durham Miners Association, vividly recalls the men who came home to the North East after Orgreave."They were traumatised, they had never seen that level of violence, it was new in a British industrial dispute," he said."The lads that were there went through the mill, they remember it like yesterday."He said the biggest impact was a "total lack of faith in the police", saying: "It was a shock to the system to see British policemen acting like that."He said while he was pleased there would be a full inquiry he hoped it would have access to all the papers, even those embargoed until decades from now, and said it was a regret many papers and evidence from the period had been destroyed."I hope its a full inquiry, I hope they look and ask who gave the orders for multiple police forces to be deployed, who gave the orders for them to be tooled up with riot gear, with horses, with riot shields, batons and truncheons."It was like a military offensive and that needs to be addressed."He said hundreds of miners had been "seriously injured" and "we saw people changing film around to make it look like the miners had instigated the violence"."That was totally untrue and we need that to come out and the responsible people need to be held to account."Announcing the inquiry Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the events of 18 June 1984 had "raised concerns that have been left unanswered for decades, and we must now establish what happened".She said together with campaigners she would work to support the Rt Revd Dr Pete Wilcox, the Bishop of Sheffield, who will lead the review, in order to "build an inquiry that gets the answers they and their communities deserve." Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.
Daily Mail
7 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Manchester Airport 'police attacker' denies he 'saw red' and began 'pummelling' officer who was trying to arrest his brother
One of two brothers on trial for assaulting police at Manchester Airport today denied that he 'saw red' and began 'simply pummelling' an officer. Footage of the confrontation last July went viral on social media after PC Zachary Marsden was caught on film kicking prone suspect Mohammed Fahir Amaaz. He and his brother, Muhammad Amaad, now 26, are both on trial accused of using 'a high level of violence' against PC Marsden and two female officers. A jury has been shown CCTV and police body-worn footage showing Amaaz striking and kicking the officers, leaving PC Lydia Ward with a broken nose. Meanwhile Amaad was captured raining punches on PC Marsden, who was armed, before both brothers were Tasered and arrested. The officers had been attempting to arrest Amaaz, then 19, as he was suspected of headbutting a passenger at a Starbucks café minutes earlier. Giving evidence at Liverpool Crown Court last week, Amaaz claimed that when he was 'grabbed' by PC Marsden at the Terminal 2 car park pay station he hadn't realised he was a police officer. He said he resisted arrest even when he saw his police uniform because he feared PC Marsden was 'going to batter me to the point where I'm dead.' 'It just felt like I was fighting for my life,' he added. Today Amaad - who earlier said he realised from the start that the trio were police officers - was cross-examined over the level of force he had used against PC Marsden after pushing him away from his brother. He was shown slowed-down footage of how he repeatedly punched the officer, who had backed away onto a seat against one side of the pay station. Amaad denied forcing PC Marsden towards the wall, saying he had his eyes closed after the officer had thrown a punch towards him. 'He didn't pose a threat to you, did he?' asked Adam Birkby, prosecuting. Amaad replied: 'He'd just smashed me in the face, you're talking about seconds.' 'Was that in retribution for him punching you in the head?' Mr Birkby asked. 'No,' Amaad replied. Asked if he accepted throwing six punches, Amaad said he 'wasn't counting'. He denied that PC Marsden no longer posed at threat by that point, telling the jury all the punches he threw were 'defensive'. Mr Birkby asked: 'Is the reality that in the heat of the moment you saw red and just started throwing punches at this officer?' 'No,' Amaad said. Denying pushing PC Marsden into a corner, left-handed Amaad said the officer was holding onto his T-shirt. Asked by Mr Birkby why in that case he was punching his head rather his hand, Amaad said he was 'just in the moment'. Questioned on whether he was holding the officer down 'so you could land your punches with your dominant left hand on his head', Amaad replied: 'No.' Mr Birkby put it to Amaad that he was 'simply pummelling him with six punches when he was in a position where he could not defend himself'. 'I disagree,' he said. Earlier Mr Birkby quizzed Amaad on why they hadn't called police after airline passenger Abdulkareem Ismaeil allegedly racially abused their mother and threatened to kill Amaaz. Amaad denied that airport CCTV showed his brother had been inviting Mr Ismaeil outside for a fight, and insisted he wasn't lying to protect support his account. 'I'm going to suggest that from start to finish it was your brother who was angry and aggressive, do you agree?' Mr Birkby asked. 'I disagree,' Amaad replied. Amaad accepted that he would have expected police to want to speak to his brother about the headbutt. But he denied making a 'connection' with what happened five minutes earlier when the officers arrived to arrest Amaaz at the pay station. Earlier Amaad, a former KFC assistant manager, told jurors that he reacted in defence of his brother because he thought PC Marsden was 'choking' him. Asked by his barrister Chloe Gardner if he immediately saw they were police, he replied: 'Yeah.' Amaad said the officers 'grabbed' his brother without announcing who they were or what they wanted and began forcing him towards the ticket machine. 'I didn't understand the need for the aggression,' he said. Amaad said he saw an officer - who he later learnt was PC Marsden - 'grab' his brother by the neck, and responded by saying: 'Easy, easy, easy.' 'I was trying to de-escalate the situation,' he told the jury. Amaad said at this point he wrongly thought PC Marsden had both hands around his brother's neck. 'I thought he was choking him,' he said. Amaad said he put his arm on the officer's arm and said: 'What are you holding his neck for? There's no need for it.' Denying pushing the officer, he added: 'I just wanted his hand off his neck.' Amaad said he then felt a 'bang' to the face and put his hands out. Saying he felt 'shocked' and 'stunned', he said: 'I genuinely didn't know what hit me, I was caught by surprise. 'I didn't know who was punching me, my eyes were closed.' Amaad said he and PC Marsden 'sort of fell over onto the chair' and he could feel 'punches and holding and grabbing'. 'I had to defend myself,' he added. Amaad said the incident happened 'really quick' and he felt 'disorientated'. 'I punched out because I was being punched,' he said. Amaad said when he felt the 'pulling and pushing' stop he 'stepped up' and saw PC Marsden pointing what he later learnt was his Taser at him. 'I just felt a sharp pain hit my chest,' he said. Amaad said his legs immediately felt 'weak' and he fell backwards into the seats. At that point he saw the officer had a firearm and feared he was going to be shot, so put his hands behind his head. 'I just thought to myself "I'm not dying today",' he said. 'I've been punched, Tasered, I'm not going to die today.' Questioned by Ms Gardner he said he 'considered' that PC Marsden might shoot him, Amaad said he did. Amaad said he then saw his brother 'flat' and 'stiff' on the ground. Jurors have been shown CCTV and bodycam footage in which Amaaz is Tasered after punching firearms officer PC Ellie Cook and PC Lydia Ward – who was unarmed – in the face. PC Marsden is then seen to kick Amaaz in the head as he lies on the ground. Today Amaad said he did not see PC Marsden kick his brother in the head because their elderly mother was in the way. Amaad said he was shouting out 'Mum' and was also worried about his young nephew. 'I didn't want her to be next. I didn't want the officers to start on my mum.' He denied reaching for PC Marsden's firearm. Asked again by Ms Gardner why he initially struck out at PC Marsden at the pay station, Ammad said: 'At that point I was trying to make him stop and defend myself.' When he gave evidence earlier in the trial, PC Marsden told jurors that as he attempted to gain control of Amaaz in order to arrest him, he felt an 'immense weight' pressing on him from behind. He later realised this was Amaaz's brother Amaad. His 'initial fear' was that 'someone is trying to get to my gun', a loaded Glock semi-automatic, out of its holster, he said. He said Amaad – who was 'taller and larger build than me' – then grabbed his body armour, dragged him to the bench and subjected him to 'blows from all directions'. PC Marsden said he had been assaulted on duty multiple times but could 'confidently' say the punches were 'the hardest I've ever felt in my life'. Asked today about the incident during which the airline passenger was headbutted by his brother, Amaad insisted it had been in self-defence. He said they had gone to meet their elderly mother from a flight, only for her to tell them a fellow passenger had been calling her a 'P*** b*tch' throughout the journey. Amaad said as they were walking through the arrivals hall she pointed out the passenger, Mr Ismaeil. He said his brother 'calmly' asked Mr Ismaeil to explain but that the passenger said the racial abuse had been aimed at a 'little girl' sitting nearby. Amaad said that as his brother asked for an apology, Mr Ismaeil threatened to 'smash' his brother, saying 'You don't know who I am' and 'I'll kill you'. Describing the headbutt, Amaad said his brother 'defends himself' because Mr Ismaeil was 'in his face'. Neither brother has ever been arrested, cautioned or convicted, the trial has heard. Amaaz denies assault by beating, two charges of assault causing actual bodily harm, and a charge of assault by beating of a police officer acting as an emergency worker. Amaad denies one charge of assault causing actual bodily harm relating to PC Marsden.
The Independent
36 minutes ago
- The Independent
Man arrested in murder probe after 72-year-old woman found dead
A man has been arrested after a 72-year-old woman was found dead in a house in Cheshire. Emergency services were called to a property in Pearson Street, Macclesfield, over a concern for welfare at a property on Friday, Cheshire Police said. A woman was found dead at the home at around 6.50pm, the force said. A post-mortem examination found the woman died of injuries to her head and neck. Police arrested a 49-year-old man on suspicion of murder on Monday. He remains in police custody for questioning. Detectives believe the death is an isolated incident and there is no wider risk to the public. The force said investigations will be continuing and an increased police presence was likely in the surrounding area.
