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	<title>Open Eye Communications</title>
	<link>http://www.openeyecommunications.com</link>
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		<title>If doctors can do it, and soldiers, sailors and airmen can do it, can the police?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The world famous Mayo Clinic has taken the healthcare initiative and started a Social Media Center focused on healthcare.

The United States Department of Defense has created a Social Media Hub for military related issues

Who will sieze the moment and create one for UK policing?
]]></description>
		<link>http://www.openeyecommunications.com/interestingthings/if-doctors-can-do-it-and-soldiers-sailors-and-airmen-can-do-it-can-the-police/</link>
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		<title>Fancy a chat with Nick Herbert?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[So: Busting to offer an opinion on the Government&#8217;s plans for policing but can&#8217;t get to London? Can&#8217;t find a Minister to listen? Technology to the rescue&#8230;
Policing minister Nick Herbert will be undertaking a live online Q&#38;A at 11.00 BST on Monday 2 August on the Number10 website to answer your questions on the Government’s plans to change the face of policing over the next five years. Earlier this week, the Government launched the consultation Policing in the 21st Century: Reconnecting Police and the People, which contains proposals for ways to make police in England and Wales more available and responsive, more accountable, more effective, and better value for money (allegedly).
You will be able to submit questions during the Q&#38;A directly into the discussion or via twitter (see. told you should be on Twitter! &#8211; find me at twitter.com/openeyecomms)
They will be using the CoveritLive platform, which I have previously seen used very effectively by a Neighbourhood Inspector in Cumbria (in conjunction with the local newspaper). Worth joining the chat just to ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.openeyecommunications.com/blog/fancy-a-chat-with-nick-herbert/</link>
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		<title>Rebalancing the Licensing Act &#8211; Consultation</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The Home Office has launched a consultation asking for opinions on government plans to overhaul the current licensing regime, in order to give more power to local authorities and police. The aim is to deal more effectively with alcohol-related crime and disorder, while also promoting responsible business.
The proposals include:

overhauling the Licensing Act to give local authorities and the police much stronger powers to remove licences from, or refuse to grant licences to premises that are causing problems
allowing councils and the police to permanently shut down any shop or bar that is repeatedly selling alcohol to children
doubling the maximum fine for those caught selling alcohol to minors to £20,000
allowing local councils to charge more for late-night licences, which will help pay for additional policing
banning the sale of alcohol below cost price

The necessary forms to offer your view can be found here
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		<link>http://www.openeyecommunications.com/interestingthings/rebalancing-the-licensing-act-consultation/</link>
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		<title>Connecting with Twitter</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Are you following me on Twitter?
Essentially, I use three key channels to reach my police and public sector audience.

The blog, for those longer pieces that require a view or a bit more thought. This is emailed to those people, like you, who subscribe.

The ‘interesting things’ section of the www.openeyecommunications.com website. This is regularly updated with things that catch my eye, but that I don’t want to write a longer blog piece about. This is not emailed out. It’s regularly updated, but you have to visit the site to see the items (go and bookmark the page now!).
Twitter, for those shorter, more immediate items, that I think will add value to the people who ‘follow’ me and want to stay in touch with what’s happening in policing and the public sector.
Increasingly I am also using twitter to replace texting. As more and more friends and colleagues sign up to twitter, it’s becoming easier to direct message them on twitter than to email or text. This allows me to arrange meetups, offer ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.openeyecommunications.com/blog/connecting-with-twitter/</link>
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		<title>‘Minority Report’ technology used by police to predict crimes</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Software that can predict when and where future violent crimes will be committed is being used in Britain for the first time.
Two police forces have begun trialling the sophisticated programme, which has echoes of the Tom Cruise film Minority Report, where psychics are used to stop criminals before they commit a crime. The system, known as Crush (Criminal Reduction Utilising Statistical History) evaluates crime records, intelligence briefings, offender profiles and even weather reports, to identify potential flashpoints where a crime is most likely to occur.


The “predictive analytics” technology has been credited as a key factor behind a 31 per cent fall in crime and 15 per cent drop in violent crime in Memphis, Tennessee. John Williams, of the Memphis Crime Analysis Unit, said: “This is more of a proactive tool than reacting after crimes have occurred. This pretty much puts officers in the area at the time that the crimes are being committed.”
The software has been developed by IBM.
story from the Telegraph
]]></description>
		<link>http://www.openeyecommunications.com/interestingthings/%e2%80%98minority-report%e2%80%99-technology-used-by-police-to-predict-crimes/</link>
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		<title>Reform of the criminal justice system</title>
		<description><![CDATA[As they say &#8220;timing is everything&#8221;, so congratulations to the staff at Thames Valley Probation who have scooped a prestigious  national award for their pioneering work introducing restorative justice  as part of community sentences. The probation trust won the award at this year’s Howard League for Penal Reform’s Community Programmes Awards, which is pretty timely as the whole RJ agenda seems to be shooting back up the &#8216;this is really important stuff&#8217; agenda.
Justice Minister Crispin Blunt, speaking at NACRO, gave his first  public speech this week on the direction and reform of the criminal justice  system.
In the speech he called for more restorative justice  and recompense for victims; improved rehabilitation of offenders;  smarter sentencing; more decision- making at local level; increased  voluntary sector involvement and more effective community sentences.
Detailed plans in the speech include:

reviewing sentencing policy and providing more effective community sentences, such as more robust community payback
introducing a Green Paper in the autumn which will reassess the  effectiveness of indeterminate sentences ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.openeyecommunications.com/blog/reform-of-the-criminal-justice-system/</link>
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		<title>The police have been alerted to your presence here&#8230;</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The future is getting scary.
A large advertising sign in a Tokyo subway station has been fitted with cameras that “read the  gender and age group of people looking at them to tailor their  commercial messages”.
So, a female teenager might see the latest fashion item and a teenage boy might see the latest bit of technology (I know that was stereotyping but&#8230;), whilst an elderly person would see something appropriate to their perceived needs.
How long before some genius links the age &#38; gender capability to a bit of facial recognition software and the relevant criminal database. As you walk past&#8230;&#8221;Welcome Mr Alderson, there is a warrant for your arrest. The police have been alerted to your presence here. Please contact the nearest police officer immediately&#8221;
Scary&#8230;
]]></description>
		<link>http://www.openeyecommunications.com/interestingthings/the-police-have-been-alerted-to-your-presence-here/</link>
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		<title>Home Office takes responsibility for alcohol licensing and enforcement</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The Home Office now has full  responsibility for alcohol licensing and enforcement which ministers  hope will lead to a more consistent approach.
This was formerly a shared responsibility with the Department for  Culture Media and Sport.
Minister for crime prevention James Brokenshire said, &#8216;We  continue to be concerned about the number of alcohol-related incidents  and the drink-fuelled violence and disorder that blights many of our  towns and cities.
&#8216;The government believes that the power to make licensing  decisions needs to be rebalanced in favour of local communities, so that  they can decide on the night time economy they want.
Stronger powers
&#8216;We have already committed to overhaul the Licensing Act to  give local authorities and the police much stronger powers to remove  licences from, or refuse to grant licences to, any premises that are  causing problems.
&#8216;We will toughen the sanctions for those premises found to be  persistently selling alcohol to children and will allow local councils  to charge more for late-night licences, ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.openeyecommunications.com/interestingthings/home-office-takes-responsibility-for-alcohol-licensing-and-enforcement/</link>
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		<title>Home Office&#8230;THE plan ! Yes, there IS a plan.</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The Home Office, in common with other Government Departments published its Structural Reform Plan this week.
Apparently &#8216;Structural Reform Plans are the key tool of the Coalition Government for making departments accountable for the implementation of the reforms set out in the Coalition Agreement. They replace the old, top-down systems of targets and central micromanagement&#8217;. There, now you know.
The five priorities for the Home Office are:
1. Enable the police and local communities to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour
Enable police forces and local communities to deal better with the anti-social behaviour and crime that blights people’s lives
2. Increase the accountability of the police to citizens
Make police forces more accountable to the communities they serve through oversight by a directly elected individual and transparency about what the police are doing locally to tackle crime
3. Secure our borders and control immigration
Limit non-European Economic Area migration, establish a Border Police Force to secure our borders and end the detention of children for immigration purposes
4. Protect people’s freedoms and civil liberties
Reverse state intrusion into the lives ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.openeyecommunications.com/blog/home-office-the-plan-yes-there-is-a-plan/</link>
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		<title>ASB: The Woolwich Model</title>
		<description><![CDATA[This week saw the publication of an essay, under the Royal Society of Arts brand, from Ben Rogers on anti social behaviour. The burning question: Can citizens tackle anti social behaviour?
Ben&#8217;s premise is that just as people are trained as first aiders (First Aid courses apparently started in Woolwich, hence the title), so they could be trained as community responders to tackle anti social behaviour.
The rationale is that in these difficult financial times, and against a philosophy of &#8216;co-production&#8217; of outcomes,  a community oriented, skills based, training programme which addresses effective ASB interventions, is designed by professional experts, is simple, so that almost anyone can master it, is aimed at adults and which appeals to civic or humanitarian motives, has merit.
Ben argues that three core skills should be taught:
Basic skills in self-protection and restraint ( It is important to know what physical steps to take to minimise the risk to oneself or others when confronted with a violent or potentially violent situation, including knowing how to position oneself to affect ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.openeyecommunications.com/blog/asb-the-woolwich-model-2/</link>
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