Relationship building to tackle misinformation
Police vans on fire. Attacks on emergency workers. Terror and unrest. Families devastated by the utterly awful situation in Southport. My thoughts are with them. Really conscious proceedings are active so will be mindful what I say as once an arrest has been made, or charges brought, you cannot do or say anything that could […]
Lucy Letby: A Global Story and a Local Force
It would be remarkable if the name Lucy Letby isn’t now known to most people in the UK, or indeedaround the globe. The trial of the nurse, found guilty of the murder of seven babies and attempted murder of sixmore, has made for harrowing reading. It has been announced that a statutory inquiry – wherepeople […]
Rebuilding the Police and Media Relationship
Relationships between the media and police, fractured in recent years, may be on the mend. A response by The Society of Editors, the Crime Reporters Association and The Media Lawyers Association to an independent report on the operational handling of the tragic case of Nicola Bulley is calling for changes to make the police and […]
The Tragic Consequences of Carrying Lethal Weapons
Knives causing untold misery is unfortunately not new. Two recent cases of teenagers killing teenagers, one outside a primary school, bring home the devastating consequences of carrying a knife. There will be background on these tragedies that I know nothing about. But the headlines are harrowing and paint a very depressing picture of access to […]
How do we keep MPs safe?
How do we keep MPs safe? That is a question that might not be on the lips of many voters or commentators as we currently hurtle towards the Election. However it is a really important question and the subject of a new political drama starring James Corden and Anna Maxwell Martin, The Constituent. The play […]
Devolution and Its Impact on Local Governance
Devolution. Campaigning around the election is gathering pace. One thing is clear whichever party gets in the commitment to devolution appears to be safe. Unlocking hundreds of millions of pounds from central Government to be used by regional leaders, who know their own communities and what they need and want, is a positive thing to […]
81 per cent of Brits say they trust their local papers more than the nationals
An interesting stat from comedy series Hold the Front Page where Josh Widdicombe and Nish Kumar explore grassroots journalism. This week saw them at Bradford newspaper Telegraph & Argus and was comedy gold. They got Chris Packham into a wheelie bin to highlight a great big litter pick undertaken by volunteers, highlighting really great work […]