
Hundreds of town centres to see more police patrols in crime ‘blitz'
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said residents and businesses have a 'right to feel safe in their towns' but the last government left a 'surge' in crime.
In a statement, she said: 'It's time to turn this round, that's why I have called on police forces and councils alike to work together to deliver a summer blitz on town centre crime to send a clear message to those people who bring misery to our towns that their crimes will no longer go unpunished.'
She said part of the neighbourhood policing guarantee includes investment of £200 million this year to begin the recruitment of thousands of new neighbourhood policing officers.
Speaking to members of policing and business sectors at Derby County Football Club's Pride Park Stadium on Thursday, Ms Cooper said every area will have 'named contactable officers for residents and businesses to be able to turn to'.
Ms Cooper said: 'It's one of the most important things to restore confidence in policing is to have those neighbourhood police back on the beat dealing with those very crimes that cause so much problem.
'And if we don't see the police on the streets, then confidence is lost. And I think that is what's happened for far too long.
'If shoppers don't feel safe, they will stay home. People will just stay out of our town centres, and that heart of community will be lost.
'I think these kinds of crimes have been dismissed for too long because crime erodes the social fabric that binds us together and keeps communities strong.
'We've made town centres the very heart of the safer streets mission for this summer, taking back town centres from thugs and thieves – at the heart of that is rebuilding neighbourhood policing.'
Half a million shoplifting offences in England and Wales were recorded by police last year, up 20% from 2023.
In a statement, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: 'We are on the side of local businesses, and our plan for change is helping create the right conditions for our great British high streets to thrive.
'The safer streets summer initiative will play a vital role in achieving this by keeping footfall high, communities and those that work in them safe, and the economy growing.'
Anthony Hemmerdinger, managing director of Boots, said: 'Retail theft alongside intimidation and abuse of our team members is unacceptable, so we welcome this additional support from Government and the police to strengthen shop worker protection.'
Police and crime commissioners across England and Wales have developed local action plans with police, including in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Humberside, Devon and Cornwall.
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Scottish Sun
26 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Inside Brit party holiday hotspot where drug-fuelled teens urinate on each other & terrorise island on high-speed quads
A TEENAGER off his head on booze climbs on to the balcony of a club's VIP section, drops his trousers and urinates on the revellers dancing below. A few doors down, cannabis-laced vodka cocktails are openly on sale while laughing gas balloons are being flogged in the smoky backroom of a bar for 20 euros a box. 11 Tourists without helmets on quad bikes speed past boozy revellers in Laganas Credit: Ian Whittaker 11 When the Sun visited Laganas, thousands of teens were marauding down the main strip by 11pm on Saturday Credit: Ian Whittaker 11 The air was clammy and filled with the constant roar of quad bikes, which can be rented for 50 euros a day Credit: Ian Whittaker Meanwhile, a quad bike overloaded with screaming tourists taking selfies roars down the street at high speed — with none of the young passengers wearing helmets. And British DJ Kai Roberts, 24, was left in a coma on Sunday following a quad bike crash on the Greek island. Thankfully his condition has since improved, although his mother says it's 'going to be a long recovery'. Incredibly, these are all incidents that took place on the Laganas strip on Zante AFTER a massive police crackdown was enacted. We can reveal that 50 cops from the capital Athens were parachuted in to claw back control. Bouncer Collins Michaels says corrupt bar owners and out-of-control Brits have been responsible for dozens of casualties at the notorious Laganas party resort before the Greek government took action. Pulling back his shirt to reveal a stab wound on his right arm, Collins, 54, told The Sun: 'The young kids never stop being naughty because this is often their first time on holiday without their parents. 'I often see teenagers climb on to the balcony of the VIP section at my club then pee on the people below. 'I was stabbed in my arm by a tourist as I was trying to control a group of kids in 2016. The wound was really deep and I spent two weeks in hospital. The strip was rampant — completely out of control — before the crackdown last year and there was so much fighting. 'Something needed to be done or more lives were going to be lost.' Brit DJ, 24, in coma after horror quad bike accident on party island Zante where he had landed 'amazing' club residency 'Last year went crazy' Kai, from Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, is the latest visitor to end up in dire straits having moved to Zante to work as a DJ this summer. He was a passenger on a quad bike that slammed into a wall on a coastal road on the island at around 5pm local time. Kai — who was due to fly home two days after the crash — is still in hospital, having been treated for a bleed on the brain, according to his brother Corey Roberts, 18. The DJ allegedly had to wait an hour for an ambulance before he was taken to the general hospital on Zante. After a CT scan revealed the bleed, he was flown to the Greek mainland where he was put in a medically induced coma at Ioannina University Hospital. The quad bike driver escaped with minor injuries. Corey said: 'My brother is my idol. He's well known, and everywhere he goes everyone loves him.' I last visited Laganas in 2018 after a group of 17 British teens were taken to hospital having drunk bootleg booze containing the deadly chemical methanol. Two years earlier, Hannah Powell, 21, was left fighting for her life and with just ten per cent eye function after drinking a cocktail laced with the same substance, which bar owners had been adding to their home brew to cut costs. The young kids never stop being naughty because this is often their first time on holiday without their parents. Hannah, from Ormesby, Middlesbrough, also needed a kidney transplant and said: 'I was blind — I didn't realise at the time. I thought we had the curtains shut.' But my research has found that the constant chaos and carnage that became the hallmark of Laganas got even worse after Hannah was blinded. 11 British DJ Kai Roberts is in a coma after he crashed his quad bike on party isle this week Credit: Facebook 11 A Medusa Stoned Eyes cocktail laced with cannabis was on sale for 14 euros at a bar that also specialised in shisha pipes Credit: Ian Whittaker 11 In 2016, Hannah Powell was blinded by booze laced with methanol Credit: Supplied 11 In 2011, Robert Sebbage was stabbed to death in Laganas afer a taxi row Credit: ENTERPRISE NEWS AND PICTURES Sigouros Raftopoulos runs three of the six private medical clinics on Laganas Road that provide first aid and ambulance services. He says there was a worrying number of quad bike, scooter and car accidents before police from the capital were flown in. He said: 'Last year went crazy. There were so many cases that involved air ambulances and transfers to Athens. 'We have lots of road accidents. Compared to this time last year we are 50 to 60 per cent down. We are seeing around 20 patients a day total, but during high season it could be 40 to 50 patients. 'You can see the strip is less crazy now. The quality of the booze has been upgraded and there are a lot more police, a lot more checks and a lot more controls.' In 2011, Robert Sebbage, 18, from Tadley, Hants, was stabbed to death outside a fast-food restaurant in Laganas after one of his group pointed a laser pen at a taxi driver's eye. Four other British teenagers from Basingstoke were wounded in the 3am attack. Another low point came when US university graduate Bakari Henderson, 22, died of severe head injuries after he was battered by bouncers working at Bar Code in July 2017. The fight was captured on video and reportedly kicked off after he tried to take a selfie with a waitress. It then spilled outside, where eight security guards repeatedly stamped on his head before leaving him unconscious on the ground. Six Serbian nationals, a 34-year-old Greek and a 32-year-old British national of Serbian descent were among those arrested and charged with voluntary manslaughter. In 2022, five of them were convicted of intended fatal bodily harm while another was convicted of fatal bodily harm, and all were handed jail sentences from ten to five years. But even that did not stop the violence. In July 2023, British tourist James Taylor, 18, was caught on camera being repeatedly beaten by four bouncers at CherryBay nightclub in Laganas. James, from Middlesbrough, suffered two black eyes, a swollen jaw, injuries to his head, a bust lip and a cut on his knee. He claimed he was set upon after standing on a chair to take a selfie. We have lots of road accidents. Compared to this time last year we are 50 to 60 per cent down. We are seeing around 20 patients a day total, but during high season it could be 40 to 50 patients. Sigouros Raftopoulos The footage went viral on social media and a Serbian national was arrested — yet workers at the club tried to justify the attack by saying James had beaten a teenage girl, even posting photos to 'prove' it. Then last year, after 12 people aged 17 to 23 were charged with attempted homicide and weapons violations following a knife fight at a bar, the Greek government finally decided to take action. Citizen Protection Minister Michalis Chrisochoidis announced that 40 police officers and ten drug enforcement agents were being dispatched to Zante — also known as Zakynthos. He said: 'We are committed to ensuring the safety of residents and visitors. The reality in Zakynthos will significantly improve.' Security worker Collins, who also runs the Happy Traveller speedboat rentals company, says the 'craziness' has calmed down considerably since then. He said: 'Before, some bouncers were not professional. They thought security work was all about flexing muscles and going to the gym and taking steroids. 11 Bouncer Collins Michaels and boat trip saleswoman Alice Krorda Credit: Ian Whittaker 11 18-year-old Brits, from left, Bridget Carty, Livy Wiley and Emily Lappin Credit: Ian Whittaker 'Then, when the teenagers would start doing crazy things, they would beat them up. 'It's more peaceful now because there is more police control. 'Before, it was only local police and they tended to turn a blind eye to the bad behaviour if it was carried out by other locals. But now, with the Athens police overseeing them, they have no choice but to take action. 'A few bars and clubs have been closed down for breaking the law or playing music too loud after midnight. 'A message has been sent out that bouncers can't hit kids any more and the tourists have been told to report anyone who gets rough with them. 'Lethal death juice' 'I would say it's 80 per cent under control now — but it will never be completely peaceful as we have so many of you crazy Brits here in July and August.' When the Sun visited Laganas, thousands of teens were marauding down the main strip by 11pm on Saturday, many of them celebrating the end of their A-levels. Girls in tight-fitting dresses stumbled down the street sucking on vapes or clutching vibrators, while lads in outrageous fancy dress outfits were downing luminous shots inside the bars. The air was clammy and filled with the constant roar of quad bikes, which can be rented for 50 euros a day. One we spotted tearing down the strip at high speed was being ridden by three helmetless teenagers — a young lad and two girls — who were posing for a selfie being taken by the driver. Meanwhile, a Medusa Stoned Eyes cocktail laced with cannabis was on sale for 14 euros at a bar that also specialised in shisha pipes. In the backroom of another bar, a man was flogging laughing gas for 20 euros a box. When asked if a balloon could be purchased and taken outside, the bearded salesman said: 'No, they are illegal on the island.' Marijuana products were openly on sale alongside sex toys at the racier stores that lined the strip alongside those flogging typical tourist tat. 11 James Taylor from Middlesbrough who was beaten by bouncers in a Zante nightclub Credit: Michelle Taylor/NCJ Media 11 Sigouros Raftopoulos runs three of the six private medical clinics on Laganas Road that provide first aid and ambulance services Credit: Ian Whittaker Ralph Goodwin, 18, Will Bloch, 17, Monty Munday, 18 and John Simmons, 18, said they had been offered drugs during their week-long lads' holiday to Zante. Ralph, from Haslemere in Surrey, had just finished his A-levels and said: 'They don't sell it inside the bars and clubs, but we've had random people approach us in the street and offer to sell us cocaine. 'There's no ketamine here and we're not into drugs anyway. 'We just want to go out and have a good time and we've had a great lads' holiday. The only annoyances have been the bouncers, who are still really aggressive, and the ambulance workers, who will try to fleece you. 'A friend needed an IVF drip after drinking too much the other night and they charged him 450 euros. The booze here is deadly. I call it lethal death juice because a lot of it is home made. 'But in one place we were given three shots of water — literally water — and two cocktails for ten euros.' Bridget Carty, Livy Wiley and Emily Lappin, all 18 and from Marlborough, Wilts, were also celebrating the end of their A-levels, having paid £500 each for their package holiday. Livy said: 'We're all terrified of getting our drinks spiked. 'The taxi driver who picked us up at the airport warned us not to drink alcohol in the bars and clubs. 'He said the drink is 'strange' and it is 'easy to drug'. 'We had drinks at our accommodation before we went out yesterday and we covered our glasses with our hands all night, but we still had a good time.'

Leader Live
35 minutes ago
- Leader Live
What is a proscribed organisation?
On Thursday the House of Lords backed proscribing the group under the Terrorism Act 2000 without a vote. But what is proscription and what does it mean for an organisation to be proscribed? – What is a proscribed organisation? According to the Government website, under the Terrorism Act 2000, the Home Secretary may proscribe an organisation if they believe it is concerned in terrorism, and it is proportionate to do so. Under the law this means the organisation commits or takes part in acts of terrorism, prepares for terrorism, promotes or encourages terrorism (including the unlawful glorification of terrorism), or is otherwise concerned in terrorism. Once an organisation is proscribed it is illegal to join or show support for it. – What does terrorism mean when talking about proscription? As defined in the Act, terrorism means the use or threat of action which involves serious violence against a person, involves serious damage to property, endangers a person's life (other than that of the person committing the act), creates a serious risk to the health or safety of the public or section of the public or is designed seriously to interfere with or seriously to disrupt an electronic system. The definition also sets out that the use or threat of such action must be designed to influence the government or an international governmental organisation or to intimidate the public or a section of the public. Additionally, it must be undertaken for the purpose of advancing a political, religious, racial or ideological cause. – What factors are taken into consideration when determining whether proscription is proportionate? According to the Government website, the Home Secretary will take into account the nature and scale of an organisation's activities, the specific threat that it poses to the country, and the specific threat that it poses to British nationals overseas. The Home Secretary will also consider the extent of the organisation's presence in the UK, and the need to support other members of the international community in the global fight against terrorism. – Which other groups have been designated as proscribed organisations? There are currently 81 international terrorist groups proscribed under the Terrorism Act 2000 and 14 organisations in Northern Ireland proscribed under previous legislation. The most recent proscription orders concerned Hamas, the Wagner Group, Hizb ut Tahrir and Terrorgram. Other organisations on the list include Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil), and various aliases, and al Qaida. – Once an organisation is proscribed, what becomes illegal? It becomes a criminal offence to belong, or profess to belong, to a proscribed organisation in the UK or overseas, or invite support for a proscribed organisation. It is also illegal to express an opinion or belief that is supportive of a proscribed organisation, reckless as to whether a person to whom the expression is directed will be encouraged to support a proscribed organisation, express an opinion or belief that is supportive of a proscribed organisation, reckless as to whether a person to whom the expression is directed will be encouraged to support a proscribed organisation. Other offences include arranging, managing or assisting in arranging or managing a meeting in the knowledge that the meeting is to support or further the activities of a proscribed organisation. It is also an offence to wear clothing or carry or display articles in public in such circumstances as to arouse reasonable suspicion that the individual is a member or supporter of a proscribed organisation, or publish an image of an item of clothing or other article, such as a flag or logo, in the same circumstances. – Once proscribed, will an organisation remain banned forever? No. The Home Secretary will consider deproscription on application only. The law allows any organisation or any person affected by a proscription to submit a signed, written application to the Home Secretary requesting that they consider whether a specified organisation should be removed from the list of proscribed organisations.

Leader Live
35 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Preferred candidate for chairman of Climate Change Committee announced
The chairman plays a key role in the committee's work of advising ministers on climate targets and reporting to Parliament on progress made in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The UK Government, Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive all agreed on Mr Topping as the preferred candidate for the CCC role, Mr Miliband said on Friday. Before any formal appointment, Mr Topping will be questioned by MPs on the energy and environmental audit select committees on July 16. Mr Topping is currently a member of the Climate Change Committee and previously held the position of the UK's high-level climate action champion. Following an 18-year private sector career in emerging markets and manufacturing, he worked as executive director of the Carbon Disclosure Project and chief executive of the We Mean Business Coalition. If approved, Mr Topping will replace interim chairman Piers Forster, a leading climate scientist who succeeded former environment secretary Lord Deben in the role in 2023. Mr Miliband said: 'I am delighted to announce the preferred candidate for chair of the Climate Change Committee – Nigel Topping will bring his extensive experience to this role, having already served on the Climate Change Committee for more than two years and as a UN Climate Change High Level Champion for Cop26. 'The CCC plays a vital role advising the UK and devolved governments on our climate targets and this announcement comes at a crucial time, as we deliver our mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower with good jobs, energy security and growth for the British people. 'Net zero is the economic opportunity of the 21st century and Nigel's strong business background will help us drive growth on the transition to net zero, unlocking opportunities for Britain. 'I look forward to progressing the appointment in the coming weeks along with ministers in the devolved governments.'