Latest news with #policeofficers
The Independent
15 hours ago
- The Independent
3 Haitian police officers and 2 civilians killed as gangs overrun a central region
Three Haitian police officers and two civilians were killed in the country's central region, where gang violence has surged, the government and a police union said Wednesday. The officers were members of a specialized unit known as UDMO, which is largely activated during protests and disturbances. A video shared on social media show gunmen dragging the bodies of at least two officers near a burning armored vehicle as heavy gunfire fills the air. SPNH-17, a local police union, said that two 'brave citizens' fighting alongside the slain officers in Artibonite also were killed. It called on the government to better protect police as it warned they were preparing to revolt. 'The government does not give the police any importance. If they took this seriously, they would have made the means and support available to the police and the military to end the insecurity,' the union said. 'Too many police officers have fallen.' Haiti's transitional presidential council said that the government was mobilizing all necessary resources to investigate the killings and honor the memory of those slain. From October 2024 until the end of June, more than 1,000 people were killed, 213 injured and 620 kidnapped in Haiti's Artibonite and Central departments, according to the U.N. human rights office. A Kenyan-led, U.N.-backed mission is helping Haiti's National Police to quell gang violence, but officers often are overwhelmed by powerful gangs with military-grade weapons. At least two Kenyan officers have been killed this year, both in Artibonite.
Associated Press
16 hours ago
- Associated Press
3 Haitian police officers and 2 civilians killed as gangs overrun a central region
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Three Haitian police officers and two civilians were killed in the country's central region, where gang violence has surged, the government and a police union said Wednesday. The officers were members of a specialized unit known as UDMO, which is largely activated during protests and disturbances. A video shared on social media show gunmen dragging the bodies of at least two officers near a burning armored vehicle as heavy gunfire fills the air. SPNH-17, a local police union, said that two 'brave citizens' fighting alongside the slain officers in Artibonite also were killed. It called on the government to better protect police as it warned they were preparing to revolt. 'The government does not give the police any importance. If they took this seriously, they would have made the means and support available to the police and the military to end the insecurity,' the union said. 'Too many police officers have fallen.' Haiti's transitional presidential council said that the government was mobilizing all necessary resources to investigate the killings and honor the memory of those slain. From October 2024 until the end of June, more than 1,000 people were killed, 213 injured and 620 kidnapped in Haiti's Artibonite and Central departments, according to the U.N. human rights office. A Kenyan-led, U.N.-backed mission is helping Haiti's National Police to quell gang violence, but officers often are overwhelmed by powerful gangs with military-grade weapons. At least two Kenyan officers have been killed this year, both in Artibonite.
ABC News
a day ago
- ABC News
Woman pepper sprayed by police during mental health welfare check says officers 'should have just left'
A woman who is suing the State of NSW over the actions of police officers who pepper sprayed her during a welfare check has insisted she did not act aggressively towards them "in any way". Police attended the then-48-year-old's Western Sydney home in September 2021 after they were alerted to a reference to self harm she made on the phone to an insurance company. The NSW District Court has heard that after being told she may be liable for $150,000 in damages from a police pursuit involving her son, she told a representative words to the effect of "I might as well just kill myself". But she has given evidence that she called back and told the representative she did not mean it. In footage from police body-worn cameras, the officers are heard telling the woman's ex-partner, who was at the house at the time, that they might need to take her to hospital under the Mental Health Act. They tell the man that if they are not able to speak with her at the door, they will force entry. The woman's lawyers say that from a balcony above, she had told them she was fine and to "f*** off". Some officers entered by kicking the front door, while others scaled the balcony and went in through an unlocked bedroom, tasering her American Staffy. That began a search which ultimately lasted for some 45 minutes and at one point involved a police helicopter. The court heard she had run through a back door and was hiding in a neighbour's garden shed. In defence documents, the State argues "no more than reasonable force was used during and following the plaintiff's detention", and barrister Matthew Gollan has told the judge the officers held a genuine belief the woman may have attempted to kill or injure herself. Today, he cross-examined the plaintiff about the immediate lead-up to a burst of pepper spray — which was not recorded on the bodycam footage. "Before the spray was used, when you pushed open the [shed] door, did you do that because you wanted to hide somewhere else?" he asked. "No, I think I went into distress … I just wanted to be left alone, I was not suicidal in any way," the woman replied. When asked whether police told her to get on the ground, she replied: "I think so". Mr Gollan: "And you didn't?" Plaintiff: "I don't recall that, I don't remember that." Mr Gollan: "You stood your ground, somewhat defiantly?" Plaintiff: "I was never aggressive to them." Mr Gollan: "You weren't responsive to them, were you?" Plaintiff: "Because I was in distress." Mr Gollan: "You defiantly stood your ground, didn't you?" Plaintiff: "No, I didn't." During the cross-examination, the woman said that to have multiple police officers and a helicopter involved in the incident meant "all my neighbours looked at me like I was a murderer". "Someone with mental health [issues], and you're supposed to trust the people in blue, why would they pepper spray me?" she said. The woman has also expressed that she was fearful of police as a result of previous interactions, and felt that they had not "helped me much". Large parts of the cross-examination involved detailed questions about the woman's mental health, which she said she was aware of as an issue since 2016. But she told the judge that before the welfare check incident: "I was pretty good, like I was sad, but I was pretty good". Mr Gollan suggested that as early as 2016, she had been urged to seek psychiatric help, but she disagreed that she had ever received a referral. The hearing continues on Thursday.
BBC News
a day ago
- Health
- BBC News
Mental health issues affecting more Surrey Police officers
A rising number of Surrey Police officers are being signed off due to mental health issues, amid multiple pressures which have left many "really struggling".A Freedom of Information request submitted by Police Oracle, a news website which covers policing issues, found that 242 officers had periods of absence in 2024/25 due to stress, depression, anxiety or is a 26% increase on the previous year, and according to the vice chair of Surrey Police Federation (SPF) Gary Stephen, not a said the combination of stress, mounting workloads and pay was creating a "cocktail for tragedy". "The mental load on officers has increased to such a point where officers are really struggling," he said."The amount of traumatic events police officers have to deal with during their careers are not highlighted enough."Add this to the stress of workloads being so high and pressurised, and then not being remunerated well enough, and it is a cocktail for tragedy."Confirming the figures, Surrey Police said it has a number of support resources for those who are include free access to mental health first aiders, police chaplains, a 24/7 Employee and Volunteer Assistance Programme, and a force medical officer. A demobilising and defuse service is available following a single incident of trauma exposure, while officers working within higher risk departments - such as roads policing and domestic abuse - can have psychological screening. Earlier this year the SPF backed calls for greater trauma support after it was revealed that three officers in the county had taken their own lives in increase seen in Surrey Police is part of a national trend described as "very worrying" by the wellbeing lead for the Police Federation of England Wales, Paul believes the above factors have "contributed to an extreme rise in mental ill health within the police" which, if unchecked, will only increase further.
Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Times
People smugglers to be named for first time in new sanctions regime
Corrupt police officers and people smugglers will be publicly named for the first time in a new sanctions regime targeting those aiding illegal immigration to Britain. On Wednesday about two dozen people will be named in the first ever list of those who will be barred from the UK and have their assets frozen. Among those to be named on Wednesday are two corrupt police officers from a foreign country suspected of facilitating people smugglers. The Foreign Office has not disclosed which country they work for. The new sanctions regime will target anyone involved in assisting illegal immigration to the UK.
