Police, camera… clean-up!

Dubbed ‘Grimewatch’, police at the John Street station have taken a novel approach to keeping their kitchens clean. Staff were told on Tuesday about a plan to install CCTV in order to catch colleagues who do not wash up. Brighton’s new police commander, Chief Superintendent Graham Bartlett, said the camera should be a deterrent to stop people leaving a mess in the kitchen, which has been plagued with dirty crockery and rubbish.
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Ten years in prison for taking a photo – better make it a good one

‘Thousands of people take photos every day. What if one of them seems odd? Terrorists use surveillance to help plan attacks…’ This is the headline used by the metropolitan police on their latest anti-terrorism campaign. Scare mongering perhaps? Well not this time. Read more

‘Careless cyclists’ to blame for own accidents say Sussex Police

Cyclists in Brighton and Hove are to blame for a third of the accidents they are involved in according to Sussex Police. Inspector Phil Clarke commented to The Argus last week that: “There is an increasing problem in the city with some cyclists riding irresponsibly and sometimes unlawfully.” Figures reveal that last year a total of 131 cyclists suffered injuries as result of collisions, 23 of those cyclists, sustaining serious injuries. Read more

Student receives £1500 from Thames Valley Police

Jonathan Leighton has received a £1500 out of court settlement and a formal apology from Thames Valley Police after being arrested on the 13th of January this year on the suspicion of littering.
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Thoughts on the art of dissent

Two weeks ago, ‘Smash EDO’ protesters blocked off Lewes road as they paraded from the Sussex University campus, and attempted to reach the EDO MBM/ITT factory responsible for the manufacture of weapons components. Read more

Street violence in Brighton

“Students wandering home drunk, being loud and drawing attention to themselves render themselves vulnerable.”

West Street, 2am on a Friday night: Groups of clubbers emerge onto the streets and wait around – for friends, for a taxi, for a decision on where to go next. The police cars parked around the city centre go largely ignored.

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Chaos as police block anti-war demo

• Police use pepper spray, batons and dogs to stop anti-war march

• First-year student violently arrested on campus

• Lewes Road closed for several hours

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Sussex student raped in Digital club

A nineteen-year-old female Sussex undergraduate was the victim of a serious sexual assault at Digital nightclub in the early hours of Wednesday 8th October. Read more

Senior police officers arrested for wine theft

They may have cautioned you for underage consumption of a bottle of Frosty Jack’s or two in your time, but it turns out that the police enjoy a tipple just as much as the rest of us.

Two of Brighton’s senior police officers were arrested on suspicion of stealing wine from Marks and Spencer in Shoreham, near Brighton, at the end of last month.

Chief Inspectors Sharon Rowe and Jim Torbet have been suspended from their positions on full pay, pending investigation.

The pair were reportedly stopped at the Marks and Spencer store in the Holmbush Centre on the belief that they had walked out without paying for their wine.

Rowe, 44, is District Commander of Worthing. The mother of two was the first woman to make the rank of inspector in Brighton and Hove in 1998. Torbet, 54, joined the Sussex Police in 1980 and has held several senior posts in the force. He currently works in the professional standards department, effectively policing the police.

A spokeswoman for Sussex Police has confirmed,

“Two police officers have been suspended as a result of a criminal investigation. They have been bailed pending further inquiries.”