And The Beat Goes On...

....and on and on.

A schoolgirl has been rushed to hospital after she was mauled by an unregistered XL Bully as she played in the garden. The 10-year-old, who was bitten in the neck by the out-of-control animal, remains in hospital as the summer holidays begin, while a woman, 37, and two teenagers, aged 13 and 15, have been arrested. The woman was arrested on suspicion of possession of a banned breed of dog, allowing a dog to be dangerously out of control and child neglect. Meanwhile, the two teens were arrested on suspicion of allowing a dog to be dangerously out of control and possession of a banned breed of dog. They have since been released from custody. The dog was seized at the scene and remains in police kennels.

And over in Coventry meanwhile... 

A mother was mauled to death by a family dog which had never previously shown any signs of aggression, her partner said last night. Kelly Reilly, 33, was discovered 'unresponsive' in her flat in Coventry by her horrified partner Noel Spring, 50, shortly after midday yesterday. Paramedics rushed to the scene in a matter of minutes, but, despite their efforts, Ms Reilly died a short time later, according to West Midlands Police.The dog - understood to be a bull mastiff - was seized by officers, the force said.

Who exactly is it that 'understands it to be a bull mastiff'..? The owner, who was clearly an animal lover, despite seemingly not having the resources to manage such a breed? 

Ms Reilly had two children who no longer live with her and was unemployed due to her poor health and history of seizures, Mr Spring said.

The police are characteristically clueless, or want us to think they are: 

Police said they did not believe the dog was a banned breed, following the recent spate of fatal attacks involving XL Bullies.'Although the breed of the dog is yet to be confirmed, at this stage we do not believe it to be of a banned breed. However, a full assessment will be required before we can confirm this.'

Here's what the useless bastards claim to believe what they are told is a pure bred English Bull Mastiff: 

It couldn't be any more of a 'pitbull type dog' if it had a toddler's arm in its jaws...

Here's a breed-standard stock image:

Someone needs to go to Specsavers. 

Has The Penny Finally Dropped?

Home Secretary Suella Braverman is now pushing for a ban of the American XL Bully breed, arguing they are a 'clear and lethal danger' - particularly to children.

What took you so long? 

On Sunday West Midlands Police launched an investigation into what went wrong.

Oh, this'll be good! 

A force spokesman said: 'We're investigating after three people were bitten by a dog in Birmingham yesterday.

'An 11-year-old girl ran past the dog as it was being walked by its owner in Bordesley Green, when she was bitten.

'Two men intervened but were bitten and left with injuries to their shoulders and arms.

'They were taken to hospital to be treated for their injuries.

And you turned up and shot the animal and arrested the owner, right? 

Right? 

'The dog was initially taken to a local vet to be checked over before being taken into secure kennels while the investigation continues.

'The owner of the dog has been spoken to by officers.'

I think we can clearly see what went wrong - the WMP aren't fit for purpose.  

No, WMP, You're Doing That Yourselves...

A policewoman who made up a story about transphobia in the workplace during a job interview for a promotion has been found guilty of gross misconduct.

Disgraced Sergeant Sarah Srivastava was given a final written warning after she lied that colleagues had discriminated against a transgender officer and that she had stepped in to challenge their behaviour.

During the misconduct hearing, the counsel for the West Midlands Police condemned Srivastava for bringing ‘discredit to the police service’ and for undermining ‘public confidence’ in the force.

...by not sacking her.

Put The Dangerous Bitch Down...

A schoolboy had to have stitches in his leg after being mauled by a trainee police dog at a cop’s house on Christmas Day.

There's taking your work home, and then, there's this: 

Sergeant Fleur Tedshill, an experienced dog handler for West Midlands Police, had been looking after the training pup at her home in Brierley Hill, Birmingham.

The black dog, called Penny, was being trained by the police officer after her working police dog Snap retired.

Sgt Tedshill and her family had been celebrating Christmas Day when the attack on the boy took place. Penny has now been removed from the home and placed into West Midlands Police’s kennels, and will be reassessed.

What? I really think you should cut your losses, don't you? 

“We are still investigating this incident and the matter has been referred to our professional standards department, as is standard practice in incidents such as these.”

 I don't see any Bonio in your future...

How Many More Of These Attacks Will We Tolerate?

The victim, who was in her 80s, suffered fatal injuries when the 'dangerously out of control' animals - believed to be pit bulls - cornered and attacked her.

An air ambulance was dispatched and landed near her home but she was confirmed dead at the scene.

No, I don't mean attacks on innocent pensioners enjoying some post-lockdown fresh air in their garden when the four-legged weapon dogs of their neighbour maul her to death. That goes without saying, and it seems the police are quite happy to tolerate dangerous dogs in their area. 

I mean attacks on the public purse by idiots in blue: 

A vet had raced to the scene armed with a tranquiliser to sedate the animals, which have since been seized to establish their breed.

They don't need to be alive for that. What does it even matter, since the new legislation that you supposedly demanded to help 'protect the public' isn't being used anyway?  

Making It Official?

In court, Banfield's lawyer said he should not have to do community service because of his difficulty working with criminals.

Yeah, we've all noticed the West Midlands Police 'work ethic' in action, so for once, I can believe it!

West Midlands Police said Banfield has been suspended from his job and is facing a disciplinary probe into gross misconduct.

I'd love to be able to say it's an open and shut case and they couldn't screw it up. Wouldn't you? 

Import The Third World, Get Third World Neighbourhoods...

...the sort of neighbourhoods where this is commonplace:

Two girls aged two and three were rushed to hospital in Birmingham after being mauled by an escaped guard dog in a shocking street attack.

The two girls were both injured during the attack in the Saltley area of the city, with one dragged around in the dog's mouth 'like a rag doll'.

It is understood that a guard dog escaped from nearby business premises before attacking the two girls.

If that's a genuine trained guard dog, I'll eat my hat. It's a mutt, untrained, probably kept as - well, not a pet, even - more like a four-legged burglar alarm. Scenes like these are common in Delhi and Karachi.  

This, however, is Birmingham, Alum Rock, to be precise. But the only difference is that the weather isn't as warm.

Police said the animal has been seized.

Why? Why wasn't an ARV despatched? I know they have a lousy track record, but this is ridiculous! If not for passers-by coming to the rescue, this would have been worse.

"It's clear that the officer's conduct fell far below what we would expect."

And why would that be? Because he's done it before, and got away with it, I have no doubt. 

But this time, the man who was stopped filmed it:

'The officer was with a colleague on patrol and part of their duties was ensuring people are adhering to Covid restrictions.

'The man explained he was heading to work - that's clearly a justifiable reason to be out and about and there was no suspicion he had committed any offences.

'As such, he should not have been challenged in the way he was.'

So, you can't deny it. You've no choice but to admit it. 

What are you going to do about it? Because I know what you should do. Assuming there's Lidl around up there.

Sounds About Right For West Midlands Police...

A machete-wielding thug attacked a mother's car while she was dropping her four-year-old daughter at school.

The woman, 23, said her family's car was attacked outside the gates of a school in Dudley, West Midlands, on Wednesday morning.

Shocking footage shows a man thrashing his weapon through the windscreen and onto the car bonnet at around 9.10am.

Well, at least the police will finally be able to do the job they are paid f..

Oh. 

The woman, whose partner was driving, claimed police failed to attend the scene despite four 999 calls from other parents and the school.

Perhaps they should have lied and said he wasn't wearing a mask? 

The culprits fled the scene, but the woman did manage to note down the number plate of the grey-coloured Mercedes van. However, she claims she didn't hear anything from the police after reporting the incident and was merely given a police log number.

She claims she called officers via the non-emergency number 101 to find out what was happening only to be told an officer would be in touch on Thursday.

Is anyone really surprised? Their lame excuse is that they were told the offender 'had fled' and there was 'no longer any danger'. 

And that's not the worst of it...

The woman said her partner was later pulled over by police officers due to the smashed window. He explained what had happened to officers, who she said were 'gobsmacked' and told him to get it fixed.

/facepalm 

The mum later said that an inspector had been in touch, following media inquiries, and an officer was due to take a statement on Wednesday night.

Ooh, a complaint got her a whole day knocked off the sluggish response!  

Well, Stop Challenging Then!

A West Midlands Police spokesman said: "These are challenging times and our officers are adapting to the new legislation and guidance which has changed many times during the pandemic.

"Government law says that no person may, without reasonable excuse, enter or remain within a relevant place without wearing a face covering.

"We understand that these restrictions are difficult for everyone, but we must all follow the rules to overcome this pandemic."

It helps if you teach your officers what those rules actually are, rather than allowing them to make it up as they go along: 

The 28-year-old said he told officers he had asthma and he was medically exempt but claimed one of them demanded his details and threatened to arrest him in a branch of Lidl in Birmingham.

Mr O'Hagan said he insisted he did not "need to disclose his medical history" but claimed he was eventually handcuffed in front of other shoppers and taken outside. "I'd forgotten my phone, my wallet, my inhaler and they kept going: 'You need to prove it, you need to prove it'."

He went on: "I explained - as per the Government website - you don't have to have a card on you and it was just a verbal thing you needed to say."

Mr O'Hagan said his partner returned home to collect his exemption cards and inhaler, but this was not enough to satisfy the police.

He added: "They took me out of handcuffs, de-arrested me and had a look at my records but said that, because my inhaler didn't have my name on it, they would still have to fine me."

We shouldn't be surprised, for one thing, WMP are the most dysfunctional farce in the country, and for another, the real reason for this dogged determination to pin something on the poor sod is because he had the temerity to argue. 

Mr O'Hagan appealed the fine and the fixed penalty notice was quashed. He has now complained to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), the force watchdog.

Will they take appropriate action? Probably not. 

H/T: Suzanne Evans via Twitter 

Well, It'll 'Free You Up', It's True...

Police should be freed from handling some domestic abuse and harassment complaints so they can focus on fighting crime and responding to emergencies, one of the country’s most senior police officers has suggested.

David Thompson, chief constable of West Midlands police, said forces were increasingly responsible for “policing relationships”, safeguarding and protection but it was “debatable whether or not that’s actually something best discharged by the police in all cases”.

...but I suspect you'll merely spend that extra time policing Christmas parties and pandering to fringe causes instead. 

As well as whining in the media that you've been wronged when we recognise you for the lazy, risk-averse identity politics-pandering farce that you really are.

Utter Cowardice...

Police were called after reports that up to 100 mourners - including a Birmingham MP - turned up at a city cemetery for a funeral - in defiance of the coronavirus lockdown.

Officers were alerted by worried staff after a large crowd gathered at the gates of Sutton New Hall Cemetery yesterday, Wednesday, April 1.

And sprang into action, keen to ensure that the emergency legislation was followed, without fear or favour, right?

West Midlands Police confirmed it was alerted to reports of a large crowd but officers found 15 mourners in family groups observing social distance rules.

No action was taken.

Oh. So, groups of 15 are OK after all?

Only six mourners are now permitted at any funeral in the city under Covid-19 restrictions.

Imagine my surprise...

Slow Learners...

West Midlands Police is beefing up its dangerous dog unit in response to a 12 per cent increase in attacks and offences in the last year.

Finally! They can start with their call handlers.

And an eye on the costs, too:

Officers are also taking action to speed up enforcement action to slash the £430,000 a year costs of keeping dogs in kennels before destroying them or sending them back to their owner.

Looks like someone has finally realised what I've been saying for a long time.

The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner’s board was also told that while animal cruelty is often seen as a low priority it often an indication of other criminal activity from domestic violence to organised gangs.

 What took them so long?

But offences involving banned fighting dog breeds - including the Japanese Toza, the Pit Bull Terrier - have fallen year on year down from 122 in 2016-17 to 91 last year.

 Why are there still cases? These things were supposed to be eradicated by this law.

Chief Inspector Dawn Miskella said: “Nationally there has been a correlation between organised crime and dangerous dogs offences. We often find we are dealing with dangerous dog type issues when we are dealing with other forms of criminality, for example if we execute a warrant at an address where we’d got drugs intelligence we would often find a certain type of dog at those addresses.”

There's little need for them if you're a law-abiding person, is there?

"It's like banging your head against a wall and this is not a little crime."

Natasha says she contacted West Midlands Police straight after the incident and received a call back the following day.

"Someone rang me and we ended up in an argument as he wasn't bothered about the injuries," she said.

"I'd been attacked by this dog and he was talking about police resources - if this had been a child they might not have survived.

"Then I heard nothing after that and I kept chasing to get updates and then I went to Little Park Street station as it had been over a week.

"I was promised that someone would ring and no phone call came. So I rang them on Friday to ask what's going on and I keep getting passed from pillar to post and that dog is still out on the street."

Funny that they should worry themselves about police resources. They seem to waste enough of them themselves. Sometimes spectacularly.

A spokesman for West Midlands Police said: "We were made aware of a dog attacking another dog and its owner in Radford Road in Coventry just before 9pm on Monday, April 23.

"The attack is believed to have taken place just before 8.30pm that night.

"The 32-year-old woman sustained injuries to her hand and was treated at hospital. Her dog was also injured and required veterinary treatment.

"Enquiries remain on-going and anyone with information is asked to call police on 101, quoting crime reference 20CV/90589W/18."

Yes, I'm sure you're on the case.

Maybe divert some of the resources you expend on monitoring your Twitter account trying to head off the latest PR disaster on to walking a beat instead?

Why Try To Run When You Haven't Mastered Walking?

The NSPCC has called on the Government to make sending sexual messages to children illegal as disgraced footballer Adam Johnson makes a second appeal against his conviction for child sex offences.

Excellent timing, NSPCC!

And you'd think they had more important things to worry about, wouldn't you? 

This must be that 'joined up government' people are always saying we need...

"They didn’t even have time to grieve properly."

Mrs Robinson said the couple were ‘arrested straight away at the hospital’ and held in custody.

Speaking from her home in Tamworth, she added: ‘They are devastated ... They are not hiding anything. The police are quite willing to accuse the parents who would never do anything to their children.’

She went on: ‘I think [their arrest] is a formality. They have to investigate it. It’s [as if] because you weren’t with your child at the time you’re guilty, but that’s not always the case.’

 Indeed it isn't.

West Midlands Police has issued a statement confirming the child was aged 18 months and fell from the seventh floor.

The force said: "Police are investigating after a child fell from the seventh floor of a block of flats in Great Hampton Row, Hockley, at around 11.55am yesterday (Monday).

"The child, aged 18 months, tragically died at the scene.

"The death is currently being treated as unexplained and a post-mortem examination will take place in due course.

"The coroner has been informed."

Odd how they haven't arrested anyone. Wonder why?

Grammar Fun With West Midlands Police!

/facepalm

Gee, Thanks, Met Police….

A source said: “The plane was taxiing down the runway but we managed to turn it round. This was a big decision to take because of all the disruption it caused.

But we had to stop her going. It has probably saved her life.”

It’s nice that you can inconvenience an entire plane full of people so you can pat yourselves on the back & bask in the adulation of the left-wing, but seriously, what loss to the UK would she have been..?

Mind you, you’re amateurs at this compared to the West Midland Police:

Mr Justice Keehan, in the High Court, said he was "extremely surprised" at the secretive stance taken by West Midlands Police, which claimed the men could face retaliation if they were named. The force is still refusing to formally release photographs of the gang despite the judge’s forceful comments about the way officers had approached the case.

Oh, and it gets better!

Police had also argued that there was a risk innocent members of the public would be mistaken for members of the gang and attacked.

As you can imagine, that cut even less ice with the by now irascible judge:

"The surest way of eradicating or ameliorating the risk of misidentification is ensuring the fullest possible details of each of the (men), including photographs, are made public and given wide coverage by the media,” the judge said. "I am not satisfied that there is any credible evidence that there is a risk to the life of any respondent to these proceedings.

"Publicity about these (men) may cause embarrassment, distress or anxiety to the respondents or to members of their respective families and friends.

"Such would not have occurred if they had not engaged, as I have found they did, in the sexual exploitation of a vulnerable young female."

Quite. These are consequences.

When did the oh-so-overworked-and-understaffed police farce start to waste valuable resources on ensuring criminals didn’t have to worry about them?

H/T: @HandofGod7 via Twitter

Well, I Dunno, Can’t Be Too Careful, Chris…

The head of West Midlands police has criticised the “desperately unfortunate” decision by Education Secretary Michael Gove to appoint a former head of anti-terrorism to investigate an alleged plot by Islamic extremists to take over schools in Birmingham.

Well, who did he think would be best placed to investigate it? Certainly not anyone in his own organisation!

Chief Constable Chris Sims warned that the appointment of Peter Clarke, the former head of Scotland Yard’s counter-terrorism command, sent the wrong message about an investigation that followed claims religious hardliners had threatened to overthrow secular heads.

“This is a desperately unfortunate appointment. Peter Clarke has many qualities but people will inevitably draw unwarranted conclusions from his former role as national coordinator for counter terrorism,” he said.

“This is about governance of schools, it’s about social cohesion and the implications for schools operating in an area that’s predominantly from one ethnicity,” the chief constable told The Independent.

“I want to be absolutely clear… that this scrutiny hasn’t become a counter-terrorism investigation.”

Yet…

So….That Proposed New Dangerous Dogs Legislation…

It will be quite a minefield, especially the private property clause:

Officers had been called to Oldbury, West Mids, after they received reports of four men stealing copper wire at a nearby train station, on Sunday afternoon.

But as the men fled the scene, officers gave chase, and one dog and handler entered a private garden - before the dog attacked the young boy.

Expect the police to demand that they – and their dogs – be exempted from this in the fine print.

Strangely, the police aren't falling all over themselves to remedy this faux pas, either:

Mr Cutbill, who works as a warehouse manger, added: “We have not really had much contact with the police yet and will be speaking to them tomorrow.”

I’d let my lawyer speak for me, if I were you…

West Midlands Police have launched an investigation into the incident - although the dog and handler are both continuing to work while it is ongoing.

Which is somewhat different from the usual ‘desk duty until it’s sorted out’ message, isn't it?

Meanwhile:

Armed police chased a member of a suspected drugs gang through gardens after a car crash, a court heard.

And if they’d encountered a dog in one of those gardens and been savaged, I'm sure they’d have responded as so many US cops have done in similar circumstances. And would have shrugged their shoulders over the demands for recompense from the aggrieved pet owner. Yet it’s OK for their dogs to enter your garden and savage you?

And, just to recap further – it’s proposed that you and your dog should know the difference between an intruder and a child collecting his stray ball, but no such restrictions apply to the police or their dogs?