UK backs facial recognition project that helps Beijing catch masked protesters March 15, 2020 The government has partnered with Beijing to back a project aimed at developing facial recognition technology that can identify people wearing masks. The Home Office and the Metropolitan Police are both involved in a programme that carries out research jointly funded by the Chinese state — despite the country’s reported use of surveillance technology to [...]
Knifeman shot dead by police in Westminster March 9, 2020 Armed police shot a knifeman dead in Westminster last night after he was spotted “acting suspiciously”. Officers on patrol spotted a man acting suspiciously at around 11.25pm last night, who later produced two knives when he was challenged by police. Armed officers responded to the incident, which is not being treated as terrorism, and a [...]
Sadiq Khan budget: Uncertainty over Met’s special operations funding February 24, 2020 Sadiq Khan will spend an extra £227.6m on the Metropolitan Police in 2020-21, however its specialist operations branch may face future funding uncertainty. Khan’s £18.5bn 2020-21 budget was approved by the London Assembly today. He plans to increase day-to-day spending for the The Mayor’s Office for Policing And Crime (MOPAC) to £3.89bn, which includes funding [...]
Exclusive: Tory mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey calls for £104m ’emergency crime budget’ February 24, 2020 Tory mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey will attach an amendment to the mayor’s budget in an attempt to inject an extra £104m to the Metropolitan Police’s coffers. The London Assembly will vote on Sadiq Khan’s £17bn 2020-21 mayoral budget at City Hall today. The 25 assembly members can successfully add amendments to the budget, or over [...]
Mayoral candidate Siobhan Benita wants to ‘Love London Better’ February 22, 2020 For a brief moment in 2019, the Liberal Democrats looked a serious chance of upending Britain’s two-party political hegemony. After years in the political wilderness, the party rode a wave of Brexit uncertainty and parliamentary division to top Westminster YouGov polling in late May, eliciting cries of jubilation from long suffering Lib Dem supporters. It’s [...]
Rory Stewart: We need less politics and more action to tackle terrorism February 5, 2020 Speaking to a man in Streatham who’d cradled a bleeding victim after Sunday’s terrorist attack reminded me of many places far away. I remembered the attack on my compound in southern Iraq, the screams and wreckage of bombs in Baghdad and Kabul, my friend Haider who was killed by terrorists, because he worked for me [...]
Police evacuate Soho over suspected World War 2 bomb February 3, 2020 The Metropolitan Police have evacuated an area in Soho as they assess whether an old World War 2 bomb has been uncovered. They were called to Dean Street after reports of an unexploded ordnance at 1.48pm today. The London Fire Brigade is also on the scene. The Met said: Officers continue to work in Soho [...]
Man shot dead by armed police in Streatham, South London February 2, 2020 A man has been shot dead by armed officers in Streatham in South London, following an incident that police described as terror-related. The Metropolitan Police said a number of people had been stabbed in Streatham, and later confirmed that the man who had been shot at around 2pm was dead. The Met said there that [...]
Rumble at the Old Bailey: Police called after ‘violence’ at gangland murder sentencing January 27, 2020 Police attended an incident at the Old Bailey today after people were thrown out of court following reports of violence in a gangland murder trial sentencing. The City of London Police said it deployed officers for “reassurance” after people were ejected from court this afternoon at the sentencing of the killers of knife crime victim [...]
Finablr shares plunge after owner pledges stock as collateral for Travelex debt January 24, 2020 Shares in payments firm Finablr plunged to a record low today after its owner pledged more than half the company’s stock as security for debts incurred buying foreign exchange company Travelex. In an update to the stock exchange this morning, Finablr disclosed that majority owner B. R. Shetty had pledged 392.2 million shares, over 56 [...]