Latest news with #policework
BBC News
10 hours ago
- Health
- BBC News
Sergeant finds job 'well-suited' to being autistic
An autistic police sergeant has said the condition helps him in his Flo Linscott, 50, from Hayle, has worked for Devon and Cornwall Police for 26 years but was diagnosed as autistic just two years is a police sergeant for the Cornwall Diverse Communities Team which he said was "a good job choice" for someone with the condition."I realise now that the work routine, the uniform, the internal code of conduct, following orders and approved practice - even the shift work - is well-suited for my condition," he said. "I was diagnosed later in life although I always suspected the differences from growing up, my career and everything else."But what I found was really wonderful and helped me in my own job is that within the Devon and Cornwall Police we have a neurodiversity support network and that was one of the helping hands that gave me the confidence to then get myself assessed... and ultimately got my diagnosis," he added. 'Super anxious' The National Autistic Society describes autism as a condition which influences how people experience and interact with the world and says more than one in 100 people in the UK are Linscott said he was not surprised when he was diagnosed."Autistic people will recognise that there are elements where you will mask or you will present yourself in a certain way to perhaps hide some of the inner things that you're going through yourself," he said."So you could be super anxious about a certain thing that's about to happen, albeit once I've rehearsed how I'm going to conduct myself, it then becomes a bit more predictable."Then it becomes safe and then you can relax completely."But it doesn't always work out that way, which is why I then rely on my colleagues in the same network." Sgt Linscott now peer supports newly-diagnosed police officers and those who think they may be neurodivergent."We share experiences and we share advice because even though there's a lot of commonality between autistic people, we're all so different," he explained."So if you've met one autistic person, you've met one autistic person."But because I have an understanding of my own neurodivergence, I can relate to theirs. "I have helped a few officers back to work or helped them stay at work. "As this is a two-way exchange, the whole process helps me too - I now know I am not the only one who perceives the world this way." Force equality, diversity and human rights officer Teresa Berridge works alongside Sgt Linscott and said: "Being an autistic person... this enables him to put himself in the shoes of others with, perhaps, a greater desire to truly understand what that person's own experience is and how different situations may impact them."Sgt Linscott is a really well-known police officer in his local area and this is testament to his ability to engage and understand people, to listen and hear their concerns and actively seek out solutions to help them."
CBS News
5 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Heroic police bloodhound named Bruno killed by food laced with nails, sparking outrage in Italy
The horrific killing of a police bloodhound, who helped find nine people over the course of his sniffer-dog career, has outraged Italians and sparked a criminal investigation to find his killers. Bruno, a 7-year-old bloodhound, was found dead Friday morning in his shed in southern Taranto. His trainer, Arcangelo Caressa, said he had been fed bits of dog food laced with nails. In a social media post Tuesday, Caressa urged police to "find the killers before I do." Premier Giorgia Meloni, who was photographed with Bruno after one of his heroic rescues, said on social media that his slaughter was "vile, cowardly, unacceptable." Lawmaker Michael Vittoria Brambilla, a longtime animal rights activist, filed a criminal complaint with prosecutors under a new law that she helped push through stiffening penalties for anyone who kills or mistreats an animal. The editor of the Il Giornale daily, Vittorio Feltri, voiced outrage, saying Bruno had done more civic good in Italy than most citizens. Caressa said he had told prosecutors that he suspected he was the ultimate target of Bruno's killers, and that Bruno was killed "to get to me." He cited his efforts at rescuing dogs that were being used for illegal dogfights, saying he had already received threats for his work. He said he gave police investigators the names of two people who he suspected. He told local media he received death threats in the weeks leading up to Bruno's death, the BBC reported. "It wasn't a random gesture. They want me to step aside. But I will never give in. This is a vile attack, done for money and revenge," he told the Corriere della Sera newspaper. In a tribute to Bruno posted on Facebook, Caressa wrote: "Maybe you're wagging your tail among the stars, or maybe you're watching us in silence, with those kind eyes that said everything without the need for words." Ciao Bru', è il tuo fratello umano che ti parla. Sono certo che sei ancora al mio fianco, anche se non potrò mai più... Posted by Arcangelo Caressa on Sunday, July 6, 2025 "You weren't just a dog," he added. "You were my faithful shadow, my strength in dark moments, the good heartbeat of the world." The new animal protection law, known as the Brambilla law, went into effect on July 1 and calls for up to four years in prison and a 60,000-euro (around a $70,000) fine, with the stiffest penalties applied if the mistreatment is committed in front of children or is filmed and disseminated online. Feltri said the penalty should be even greater than four years, saying animals must be respected "especially when they behave heroically" as Bruno had. Caressa said that during his career, Bruno found five people alive during rescues and located the bodies of four people who had died, but whose bodies were able to be returned to their loved ones.
BBC News
17-06-2025
- BBC News
'Memory man' West Midlands cop milestone spotting 3,000 suspects
A police officer with a talent for remembering faces has hit a new milestone of spotting 3,000 Pope, who has been nicknamed "memory man" by his colleagues, works on a West Midlands Police travel team that patrols bus, rail, and metro stations across the police community support office has spotted suspects in connection with offences such as attempted murder, assaults, and sex attacks."It's really hard to explain how I manage to remember and spot faces, as it just comes natural," Mr Pope, 47, said in a statement. He has spotted wanted men and women in crowded places, while waiting at traffic lights, and even while suspects were wearing face masks during the Covid starting a shift, he will often look through CCTV, video stills, and police briefings to get up to date on people who are wanted. Mr Pope joined the force in 2012. He was awarded a Chief Constable's Award in 2018, a year after hitting his 1,000-suspect is also an honorary member of the Association of Super Recognisers, a body that represents those with excellent memory skills and works with academics to encourage research into this Pope said it "was a nice feeling" to hit the 3,000 mark and he hoped to reach many more milestones in the future. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Telegraph
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Early release prison scheme could increase police workload, Government admits
Police could face extra work re-arresting criminals under a new scheme to release offenders early from prison, the Government has admitted. An internal Ministry of Justice (MoJ) document assessing the impact of the policy, revealed on the eve of Rachel Reeves's spending review, also warned it risked leaving victims feeling there had been 'insufficient punishment' of offenders. Under the emergency measures to tackle the prison overcrowding crisis, violent criminals, burglars and robbers recalled to jail will serve just 28 days behind bars. The early re-release scheme will apply to most prisoners originally jailed for between one and four years, even if they were recalled after committing another crime. The document read: 'Should some of the cohort of releases be re-recalled, it could lead to more work for the police service (for arrest and return to custody).' The Home Office is facing some of the biggest cuts in the Chancellor's spending review on Wednesday. While police are expected to receive above-inflation increases in their budgets over the next three years, chiefs have warned that the money will not cover a £1.3 billion funding black hole. Sir Mark Rowley, the Met Police Commissioner, previously warned that fewer criminals serving prison time would ' generate a lot of work for police ' and a 'proportion' of those released early would go on to commit another crime. He also accused ministers of having done 'no analysis whatsoever' of the impact on forces of such policies. Sir Mark further claimed that electronically tagging criminals would not stop them from reoffending. Measures to prevent 'breakdown of law and order' The MoJ admitted in the document that officials could not 'monetise the costs' of the extra time that police officers would face catching and arresting freed prisoners who re-offended. But it added: 'They are expected to be significantly outweighed by the benefits to the police of avoiding a breakdown of law and disorder.' Official projections have previously estimated that, without action, prisons could run out of space by November. The MoJ analysis warned this would mean 'court trials can no longer go ahead, and planned arrests are cancelled.' It added: 'This will threaten a breakdown of law and order, which is expected to result in increased crime, as those with a propensity to commit offences are not deterred from doing so, with no risk of apprehension and subsequent conviction. 'Significant public protection risks would arise from insufficient prison places for the most serious offenders.' But officials also admitted there could be a backlash to the recall measures, warning: 'It is possible that the victims of offenders released from recall may consider a shorter recall term to be an insufficient punishment for breaking licence conditions.' The MoJ document suggested that the 28-day recall scheme would free up 1,400 prison spaces, which ministers hope will see the Government through to the introduction of an overhaul of sentencing. Under the plans, prisoners will be released as little as a third of the way through their sentences for good behaviour and engaging with rehabilitation schemes. Killers and rapists will be freed halfway through their sentences, rather than two-thirds, if they behave well in jail. Last month, Baroness Newlove, the Victims' Commissioner, warned that freeing prisoners early who had already been shown to pose a risk to the public by reoffending would place 'victims and the wider public at an unnecessary risk of harm'. At present, criminals recalled to prison are only re-released after their case has been considered by the Parole Board, which decides if they can be safely freed to serve the rest of their sentence in the community. Last year, the number of recalled prisoners in jail at any one time increased by 10 per cent to 13,583, more than double the 6,000 seven years ago. It represented around one in seven prisoners being held in England and Wales.
The Herald
08-06-2025
- The Herald
KZN cop who won a car thought he was being summoned for disciplinary hearing
Greenwood Park policeman Sgt Nhlanhla Patrick Mhlongo's anxiety after being summoned for what he thought was a disciplinary hearing turned to elation when he was told he was the biggest winner of KwaZulu-Natal's excellence award. Mhlongo was not invited to the awards, held at the Durban ICC on Friday night. Instead, he was summoned to provincial commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi's office to sign a letter of warning for misconduct he knew nothing about. KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Col Robert Netshiunda said Mhlongo's anxiety changed to tears of joy when the supposed charge of misconduct turned out to be a brand new vehicle. 'Sgt Mhlongo never submitted any application for an excellence award, however, his brilliant performance in investigating and securing notable convictions, with over 184 years' imprisonment sentences for cases of murder, house robberies and other violent crimes in one year, earned him recognition,' he said. Mhlongo was given the nod by all 11 district commissioners, three deputy provincial commissioners and the provincial commissioner himself.
