Smoky, The WW2 K9 Hero

A Yorkshire Terrier who saw action in the Pacific during World War II, Smoky was initially found in February 1944, abandoned in a foxhole in the jungles of New Guinea. The dog was included in a dozen combat missions and survived more than 150 air raids. Like famous World War I veteran Stubby, Smoky used her sharp sense of hearing to warn of incoming artillery shells. One of Smoky’s most famous exploits was at a crucial airstrip in the Philippine Island of Luzon. The dog pulled a telegraph wire through a narrow 70-foot pipe, saving construction time and keeping workers and engineers safe from enemy fire. When not in harm’s way, Smoky entertained troops with a variety of tricks and self-taught antics. The dog died on February 21, 1957; she was 14 years old. Smoky’s exploits are chronicled in detail in the book Yorkie Doodle Dandy, written by her adoptive owner William A. Wynne

Source: Dogtime.com

Beloved French Police Dog Killed in War on Terror

A much-loved longtime law enforcement canine lost its life last night as members of France’s elite hostage rescue and counter-terror team known as RAID assaulted a Paris apartment safe-house containing individuals suspected of planning another attack, according to reports.

The Belgian Sheepdog named Diesel is said to have died as it made its way through an apartment building ahead of a tactical team to look for booby traps and explosives. As the dog was going about its mission a woman wearing a suicide vest and toting an AK-47 suddenly appeared, blowing herself up shortly after engaging police.

During that exchange and explosion, Diesel was killed, the BBC reports. Five members of the police team were also lightly injured during the engagement. More than 5,000 rounds of ammunition were used by police in the siege and the apartment building is so badly damaged that it could totally collapse.

Diesel was seven years old and highly trained to integrate with RAID’s teams who face some of the the most challenging tactical scenarios imaginable. The hero dog’s death has resulted in a flood of social media tributes, with the hashtags #Diesel and #JeSuisUnChien making their rounds on Twitter.

In all, two suspects were killed and seven were taken into custody. Thereare conflicting reports as to status of the supposed terror mastermind of the Friday the 13th Paris attacks and whether he was at the apartment building or not.

The attackers who were sacked by the RAID team are said to have been about to strike Charles de Gaulle International Airport and a major shopping district in central Paris.

Source of article: Foxtrot Alpha

Frinton residents pay security firm to patrol streets

Hundreds of residents in a seaside town are each paying a private security firm more than £100 a year to patrol their streets because of a lack of police.

Frinton-on-Sea in Essex has no police station but six police community support officers (PCSOs) who must travel around by bus or bike. The town of about 4,000 residents has just one pub, the Lock and Barrel, and one fish and chip shop.

Frinton’s police station closed 20 years ago and the nearest, in nearby Walton-on-the-Naze, is also set to be closed and sold by Essex police due to spending cuts. This means Frinton’s nearest station will be in Clacton-on-Sea, about 8 miles away, where the crime rate is much higher.

Police chiefs warn cuts will 'fundamentally change' policing in UK

 

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Now, the security company AGS has revealed that 300 residents pay it £2 each a week for staff to drive around the town every night between 7pm and 7am, as well as to provide an emergency phoneline – though residents call 999 if the situation is serious.

The situation has led to Essex’s police and crime commissioner, Nick Alston, voicing his concerns about a two-tier police system, as seen in countries like South Africa.

But Stephen Beardsley, the head of AGS and a former soldier, said “We have no powers – no more than the average citizen’s arrest – but for us, we are about being a deterrent.

“We want to make our presence felt to deter people from doing what they are going out to do.”

AGS employs three people who share two vehicles to carry out patrols. Each officer wears a uniform similar to that of a police officer, and a body camera.

Beardsley, 50, predicted that private security firms would become the norm. “It is a job for the police and we have a fantastic police force, but they are so overstretched it’s unbelievable,” he said.

“It must be demoralising for them to be stuck in doing paperwork, fearing for their jobs. I feel sorry for them. But there is no getting away from it; private security will be part of the norm in years to come.”

Let's move to Frinton-on-Sea, Essex

 

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In August, there were 39 crimes reported in Frinton. These included 13 violent and sexual offences and 11 instances of antisocial behaviour.

Alston said: “It is not for me to say what residents should or shouldn’t do, but I do have concerns that residents in relatively low crime areas are considering funding private security patrols.

“It has the potential to create a two-tier policing system. I would prefer that all of us who are residents in Essex pay a responsible amount for policing through our council tax.

“For example an extra 50p per week would fund an extra 300 officers in Essex working on behalf of the whole community, and not just those who can afford, and are prepared to pay considerably for private security.

“Such an increase in council tax would still mean we in Essex pay less through our council tax than the average across the English counties.”

Essex police have announced £60m in cuts over the next five years. Force bosses admit they cannot guarantee resources will be sent to low-level crime reports.

Terry Allen, a town councillor, said Frinton was split over the patrols: “There is a niche for private security, as long as they do a good job. But the concern is that this is something for the police. I know in our area, £1m of our council tax goes to Essex police and that would be enough to pay for dozens of police officers.

“As it is, we’re lucky if we see two. The result is, people are concerned about what goes on when they open their front door, that’s their priority. The government’s priority is terrorism, cybercrime and organised crime. That’s not what you think about when you’re in your home.”

Atricle Source: Mail Online

POLICE FEDERATION HITS OUT AT DOG SECTION CUTS

The following is an article from the York Evening Press:

PLANS to merge North Yorkshire Police's dog section with units from two other forces could present a risk to officers and a reduced service.

The announcement was made this week that the force's dog section would be merged with the units from Cleveland Police and Durham Constabulary next summer, with an aim to cut costs by more than £3m over the next five years.

A North Yorkshire Police spokeswoman said the number of police dogs, such as PD Thor whose successes have been featured in The Press previously, fluctuates due to fitness, training and retirement, and "at this point it is not known whether or not any police dogs will need to be redeployed or re-homed as a result of the merger proposal. If that were to happen, the change in numbers would be very small".

Bases will be set up for dog handlers in Harrogate, York, Northallerton and Ryedale, which will allow dog units to better reach rural areas, and could give each force access to more dogs per shift.

Chief Constable Dave Jones said the change was "simply common sense", and would "give us more officers and dogs available for deployment", but Sergeant Mike Stubbs, chairman of the North Yorkshire Police Federation which represents rank and file police officers, said he wanted to see more evidence that the merger would increase coverage in rural areas, and believed the changes could cause a risk to officers through extended working hours.

Sgt Stubbs said: "The simple fact is that there are going to be fewer North Yorkshire dog handlers available to track criminals and deploy to public order incidents. I am not aware that Durham or Cleveland have overcapacity in their dog sections, such that they will be able to replace what is being lost. The likelihood is that, when incidents arise, they will be committed in their own force area in any case.

"We also have serious concerns about the move to 12 hour shifts. North Yorkshire is a very different environment to Cleveland or Durham - our dog handlers have to cover a massive area. Is it right they should be expected to do a blue light emergency run on demanding roads towards the end of a 12 hour shift, having already driven many miles across the county in the course of their shift. There are laws and limits for commercial drivers to protect against the effects of driver fatigue which the police enforce. It defies common sense that those principles are being ignored for drivers of police vehicles."

Source: York Evening Press

Top Safety Accreditation for GB Security Solutions Ltd

GB Security Solutions Ltd has been awarded accreditation from Safecontractor for its commitment to achieving excellence in health and safety.

Safecontractor is a leading third party accreditation scheme which recognises very high standards in health and safety management amongst UK contractors.

Safecontractor accreditation will enhance the company’s ability to attract new contracts and its commitment to safety will be viewed positively by its insurers when the company liability policy is up for renewal.

Safecontractor is applicable to most sectors although it is particularly relevant to food manufacture, property, facilities management, retail and leisure sectors, all of which are big users of contracted services.

John Kinge, technical director of Safecontractor said, "Major organisations simply cannot afford to run the risk of employing contractors who are not able to prove that they have sound health and safety policies in place."

"More companies need to understand the importance of adopting good risk management in the way that GB Security Solutions Ltd has done. The firm’s high standard has set an example which hopefully will be followed by other companies within the sector.

Safecontractor plays a vital role in supporting our clients in meeting their compliance needs, whilst working with their contractors as they progress through the accreditation process.”

Under the Safecontractor scheme, businesses undergo a vetting process which examines health and safety procedures and their track record for safe practice. Those companies meeting the high standard are included on a database, which is accessible to registered users only via a website.

Client-organisations who sign up to the scheme can access the database, enabling them to vet potential contractors before they even set foot on site. These clients agree that, as users of the scheme, they will engage only those who have received accreditation.

Over 210 major, nation-wide businesses, from several key sectors, have signed up to use the scheme when selecting contractors for services such as building, cleaning, maintenance, refurbishment or electrical and mechanical work.