CHIEF CONSTABLE’S

OPERATIONAL REPORT

TO THE CHAIR AND MEMBERS OF DEVON AND POLICE AUTHORITY

18 July 2003

1 1. MAJOR INCIDENTS AND POLICING DIARY

Murder/attempted murder

1.1 Murder/suicide – Feock in Cornwall

The Metropolitan police contacted this Force with details of the murder of Lynn Grant at her home address in London SE1 on 21 May. A request was made to find the deceased woman’s estranged husband Peter Grant, who was believed to be living at the former family home at Blackberry Farm, Feock in Cornwall. When officers went into the grounds they discovered Mr Grant hanging from the rafters of a barn. Enquiries are continuing in liaison with the Metropolitan police.

1.2 Attempted murder -

A 31-year-old man was assaulted with a one-foot-long spanner and run over by a car following a domestic argument on 21 May. A man was arrested and later charged with attempted murder.

1.3 Murder - Torquay

A 39-year-old Torquay man died as a result of his injuries following a fight on 26 May in the Ellacombe area of the town, following what appears to have been a dispute between neighbours over noise. A 24-year-old local man has been arrested and charged with murder. He is currently on remand awaiting a trial date.

1.4 Attempted murder -

Officers were called to Seymour Avenue, Newquay, following a report of a stabbing and street disorder on 4 June. Officers found a local man with a single stab wound to the chest. He was taken to Treliske Hospital where his injuries are described as not life threatening. As a result of enquiries a female was charged with wounding.

1.5 Murder –

On 26 June 2003, ambulance control reported they were attending the report of children having found their mother hanging at their home. Her estranged husband has subsequently been charged with murder and has been remanded in custody awaiting a trial.

Suspicious death

1.6 Drugs death - Plymouth

Officers were called to Derriford Hospital on 1 June in response to a report that a man had died after consuming ecstacy. Two local men were arrested at the hospital and have since been bailed pending further enquiries.

2 1.7 Suspicious Death - Newquay

Police are investigating the death of a 27-year-old woman whose body was recovered from rocks in Newquay on 1 June. A 34-year-old man was arrested and released on police bail pending further enquiries.

Violence

1.8 Stabbing - Exeter

A man was walking down Sydney Road, Exeter, on 16 May, when he entered into a brief conversation with another man. The man pushed the victim and stabbed him in the chest area before walking off towards Marsh Barton. The victim was treated at Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital and his injuries are not life threatening. Enquiries are continuing with Exeter CID to locate the offender.

1.9 Attempted rape - Seaton

A woman was forced into the female public toilets on the Esplanade, Seaton, sexually assaulted and threatened with what she believed to be a handgun on 19 May. Two local men have been arrested and bailed pending the result of forensic and other enquiries.

1.10 Serious assault -

A woman was making her way home through Poltair Park, St Austell, on 1 June, when she was assaulted by an unknown man. The attacker threatened her with what may have been a knife and demanded sex. The victim was involved in a struggle with her assailant who then made off. During the assault she received some minor scratch type marks to her left arm and abdomen. Enquiries continue to locate the offender.

1.11 Female threatened with knife -

A woman had stopped her vehicle at the traffic lights opposite Callington police station on 3 June when a man armed with a knife tried to open the door of her vehicle. The vehicle’s doors were locked and the man was unable to gain entry, allowing her to drive away.

Officers located the suspect to a caravan, where the man threatened the officers with a knife and a hammer. They managed to arrest him after using CS spray to subdue him. He was later charged with Public Order - Affray and remanded to HMP Exeter.

3 1.12 Forced entry to address - Plymouth

Officers were called to an address in the North Prospect area of Plymouth following a report of a woman suffering from mental health issues on 3 June. The woman threatened to harm herself with kitchen knives and stab the next person to enter the house. Local PSU trained officers forced entry to the house and arrested the woman before extinguishing a fire. The woman was seen by mental health practitioners and released without charge.

1.13 Serious assault - Paignton

A young person was seriously assaulted at Clennon sports field in Paignton on 5 June. The incident involved two white and two black youths. One youth sustained serious head injuries. The other two youths were located and arrested later that evening. Both were interviewed and bailed pending further enquiries.

Assault on police officer

1.14 Assault on officer - Exeter

An inspector was assaulted at his home near Exeter and sustained minor injuries on 21 May. The offender, a 41-year-old local man, was believed to have been under the influence of drugs at the time of the assault. He also caused damage to the officer’s vehicle. He was arrested and subsequently charged with assault occasioning bodily harm and criminal damage to a vehicle.

1.15 Assault on police officer using a car -

Two officers attempted to speak to the female driver of a stationary Vauxhall Cavalier in Bodmin on 28 May. The woman started to drive away from the scene, trapping one of the officer’s feet. The officer was treated by an ambulance crew and diagnosed as having strained ankle ligaments. He reported unfit for duty and as a result was sick for 15 days.

The driver of the vehicle voluntarily attended Bodmin Police Station and was interviewed. Enquiries are continuing to locate a male passenger who is wanted on warrant.

1.16 Officers injured on duty - Paignton

Two officers were called to a report of a disturbance in Paignton on 1 June. On arrival one man was arrested for public order offences. A second man then assaulted one of the arresting officers and was himself arrested. Both men violently resisted arrest and further police assistance was called to the scene. They were restrained and taken to Torquay police station. Both offenders have been charged with assault.

4 Firearms

1.17 Firearms incident - Plymouth

Two people were reported trapped in a Plymouth flat on 13 May. A further report was received that a man had been seen inside the flat with a firearm and was making threats. He managed to escape the building with the weapon and made off into a nearby park, where he was challenged arrested and later charged with arson with intent to endanger life and a firearms offence.

1.18 Deployment of armed officers - Newquay

Officers received a report of a wounding at a shop in St Columb Minor, Newquay, on 2 June. Armed officers were deployed in support of unarmed colleagues and one man was arrested at the scene and another at a house nearby.

One man has been charged with two counts of serious assault, one relating to a separate incident. The second man has been charged with offences of threats to kill and damage relating to other local matters.

1.19 Firearms Incident – Beaford, near Winkleigh

Police received a report that a man had made threats to shoot his estranged wife and her boyfriend on 3 June. Enquiries resulted in the deployment of armed officers to an address in Beaford near Winkleigh, where a 37-year-old man was located. Four firearms were temporarily surrendered and some licensing offences disclosed. No arrest was necessary but enquiries into the allegation and the licensing matters are continuing.

Robbery

1.20 Robbery - Exeter

A robbery took place at a shop in Sidwell Street, Exeter, on 16 May. Following a scuffle with staff, a man stole property from the store including cash from the till. The offender made off but a member of the public pursued him on foot and he was detained by police. A 28-year-old man has been charged with the robbery.

Arson

1.21 Arson – Dawlish Warren

A suspicious fire broke out at a commercial premises in Dawlish Warren on 25 May. The nature of the fire meant that 13 DFRS engines attended and it took all 13 pumps six hours to get the fire under control. Serious damage has been caused as a result, which is estimated to be approximately £1.5 million pounds.

5 1.22 Arson - Tiverton

Officers on patrol saw smoke coming from a rear garden of a home in Tiverton on 5 June. A large timber shed was on fire in the rear garden of an elderly resident’s bungalow.

A number of people were evacuated while the fire service brought the blaze under control. No one was injured but the fire caused extensive damage. The fire is being treated as suspicious.

Road Traffic Collisions

1.23 Serious RTC - Plymouth

An 18-year-old man appeared to lose control of the red Peugeot 205 he was driving when entering Charles Street from Drake Circus roundabout on 15 May and collided with a lamppost. He was treated at Derriford Hospital for a fracture to his right femur. His condition was described as stable.

1.24 Fatal RTC - Smeatharpe

A single vehicle road traffic collision occurred at Jacks Cross, near Smeatharpe, on 16 May, when a Ford Escort left the road and collided with a tree. The vehicle was extensively damaged and the driver, although initially trapped in the vehicle, was released by firefighters. The driver was transported by police helicopter to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital but later died.

1.25 Fatal RTC - Newquay

An ambulance and a red Ford Fiesta collided on the A3059 at Newquay on 24 May. Six casualties were removed from the scene to Treliske Hospital and another person was pronounced dead at the scene. On 27 May, a 21-year-old man also died as a result of the injuries sustained in this collision.

1.26 Fatal RTC - St Ives

A motorcycle, Mini Metro and Ford Transit van collided on the A3074 in St Ives on 27 May. As a result of the collision, the rider of the motorcycle, a local 42-year-old man, sustained fatal injuries.

1.27 Serious injury RTC - Launceston

A single vehicle, serious injury collision occurred on the A30 near Plusha, Launceston, on 4 June. A white Peugeot 205 left the road on the offside mounting a bank and then rolled back onto the carriageway ending up on its roof. The four occupants of the vehicle were all from the same family - a husband and wife and their two daughters aged four and two.

6 The two children both sustained potential life threatening injuries. The two-year-old was ejected from the vehicle still in her car restraint and ended up on the carriageway. The four-year-old sustained a severe cut to her head. The children were initially detained in the high dependency unit at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, but have since made good recoveries.

Both the husband and wife were arrested after providing positive breath tests as there was some dispute over who had been driving at the time of the incident. They have since been bailed pending further enquiries.

High profile arrest

1.28 Arrest after three years – Plymouth

Police arrested a man they had been seeking for three years at Plymouth railway station on 4 June following allegations made by numerous young males of rape and gross indecency. He had been living in Thailand in order to avoid arrest. The arrest follows enquiries made by officers from the major crime investigation team in Plymouth as part of Operation Emotion II.

Other

1.29 Severed gas main - Middlemoor

During the course of building work on the Middlemoor complex 23 May, damage was caused to a main gas pipe. This resulted in an evacuation of the training college and nearby office buildings. Approximately 300 members of staff and members of the Police Authority were affected by the evacuation.

Court successes

1.30 Tough sentences for armed robbers

Robbers who inflict terror on shop assistants for relatively small sums of money are being reminded of the tough sentences they can expect. A total of almost 18 years was given to two Plymouth offenders. In March, a heroin addict was jailed for ten years for a string of 17 robberies in Plymouth in four months. He used knives, an axe and a machete to terrorise counter assistants. One month later, an offender got seven-and-a- half years for the robbery of a Plympton store with a BB gun.

1.31 Car ban thief sent to prison

A Torbay motorist who persistently drove while banned and who also committed burglaries whilst on bail has been jailed for two-and-a-half years. He was convicted of three offences of driving whilst disqualified, three of having no insurance and two offences of burglary.

7 1.32 Jail for chain gang

A gang of three who attacked an innocent dog walker with chains has been sent to prison for periods of three and four months. All three defendants were under the influence of drink and hallucinogenic drugs at the time of the attack. The victim chose not to testify but CCTV evidence secured the conviction.

1.33 Heroin dealer gets five years

A drug dealer from Luton who discarded 13 wraps of heroin while being chased by the police has been jailed for five years. He was convicted of possessing a class A drug with intent to supply. The sentence sends out a stern message that drugs and dealers will not be tolerated in Plymouth.

1.34 Persistent city burglar jailed

An Exeter offender was sentenced to 21 months in prison after burgling several business premises in the city. He pleaded guilty to the three charges, plus two earlier offences. The court heard how he breached probation orders and did not respond to help from the prolific offender unit in Exeter.

1.35 Verbal abuse ordeal for officer

A gay police officer was subject to verbal abuse as he walked through with his partner. At the trial, the offender was found guilty and ordered to pay £125 to each man and £50 costs. The justice system does not tolerate homophobic behaviour in any form. This follows an incident earlier in the year when a Swansea City football supporter was jailed for 15 months at Exeter Crown Court after racially abusing a black civilian detention officer.

1.36 Three jailed over drugs factory find

Three conspirators have been jailed after police discovered one of the biggest drugs factories ever found in Cornwall, hidden in a farmer’s hay barn. The three men were jailed for periods of between two and three years after admitting conspiracy to produce drugs.

2. OPERATIONAL PRIORITIES

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2.1 Successful operation to prevent illegal gatherings

The Force successfully worked alongside other agencies to avert any illegal gatherings during this year’s Glastonbury festival.

In June last year more than 1,000 people set up an illegal gathering on the disused airfield at Smeatharpe. Many of the people had been unable to gain access to the organised festival at Glastonbury.

The Force and other agencies took positive action to minimise the risk and reassure local residents. A high-profile police presence was maintained and 23 people ware arrested. A number of vehicles were also removed.

This year additional officers patrolled designated areas in order to intercept anyone intent on setting up an illegal gathering. Resources were made continuously available throughout the Force area in order that police could respond quickly to any possible incursion.

No illegal gatherings were reported anywhere in the Force area throughout the Glastonbury weekend.

2.2 Parking enforcement in Plymouth

Plymouth City Council adopted parking enforcement some years ago and took the responsibility for on street prosecution. As a result of this, police traffic wardens in Plymouth concentrate on policing incidents which benefit the community.

Since de-criminalisation of parking offences, police traffic wardens in Plymouth have been dealing with incidents such as crime and collision-related work. Other local authorities have begun to examine the possibility of adopting a similar scheme.

2.3 Neighbourhood Watch Week

The National Neighbourhood Watch scheme celebrated its 21st year in June. A variety of activities were planned in Devon and Cornwall to increase public confidence in neighbourhood associations, celebrate Watch week and allow people to participate in schemes.

2.4 Property marking exhibition in Exeter

Crime reduction officers teamed up with members of the Marsh Barton Forum to hold a one-day roadshow on the Exeter industrial estate. The joint initiative aimed to show businesses on the estate how they can help themselves to reduce the chances of becoming a target for criminals.

A range of commercial property marking products and services was on display and free ultraviolet post coding of property were available.

2.5 Drug Action Teams

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The police played a large part in the Communities Against Drugs Week (2–6 June). Several events took place to promote positive action to tackle drug misuse and inform parents and teenagers. Rural outreach services have been put in place to get substance misuse education and advice to more remote areas of our community. One example of the excellent work carried out has been the opening of a parents support group in Kingsbridge. Further examples are park wardens (dealing with issues such as dangerous needles in parks) and a new bus (wheelz project) which provides mobile information to youngsters in the rural communities.

2.6 Government cash for fight against drugs

New Government funding will assist the Force in the fight against drugs. The number of drug arrests has recently gone up, due to proactive policing and covert intelligence operations. A new unit with special powers to carry out financial investigations will be set up within the existing Financial Investigation Unit to allow the police to intrude on the lifestyles of those who supply and deal drugs.

2.7 Plea for extra cash – Plymouth

The issues relating to drugs in Plymouth were debated in the House of Commons on 17 June in a bid to secure extra cash to get more addicts into treatment. A city bid for £1.1m from the Government’s Invest to Save budget is currently being considered by the treasury.

2.8 New investigation launched

A new investigation into the death of heroin addict Rachel Whitear has been launched. She was found dead with a syringe in her hand at an Exmouth bedsit in May 2002. The 120-day investigation, led by Wiltshire Police, commenced on 21 May after toxicology tests revealed the heroin in her body was insufficient to have killed her. Her parents requested the new investigation to establish exactly how she died.

2.9 New Car For Fight Against Crime

As part of a sponsorship deal, ADT Fire and Security Plymouth handed over the keys for a new Vauxhall Astra hatchback to Superintendent Andy McGahan. Working in partnership with the police, ADT is committed to educating local residents about crime prevention. The new vehicle will allow crime reduction officers to meet more people and victims of crime, helping them to secure homes and businesses.

2.10 Car license dodgers

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New measures to tighten the vehicle licensing and registration system have been announced. Under the new system, effective from January 2004, registered keepers will be responsible for taxing their vehicles at all times. This should make life easier in tracing keepers of abandoned cars and tackling car crime. Levels of unlicensed cars are high within Devon & Cornwall at approximately 6%. Some of these are criminals but others are low income families who cannot afford the tax. The new system should be able to make this differential.

2.11 Slow down

Motorists in Cornwall are being advised to slow down, if their speed exceeds the limit, by new electronic signs in the county. The SpeedVISOR portable sign will be installed in villages and towns where excess speed is a problem. The data will be sent to the Force for analysing and could lead to further action such as speed enforcement.

2.12 Truancy initiative

Police will be trawling the streets of Torbay catching school children skipping lessons in a joint initiative with educational officers. In the last truancy sweep police spoke to 59 children, half of which were truanting with parents’ consent. Children not in school are more at risk from becoming victims of crime or of being drawn into criminal/antisocial behaviour.

2.13 R U Ok

A Plymouth initiative, sponsored by Plymouth Lions Club, is ensuring young people have all the information they require in order to access the support networks available to them (eg alcohol and drug abuse helplines, sexual health, Samaritans and also organisations such as police, social services and CAB). The ‘r u ok’ cards and posters have been handed out to secondary school pupils during lessons and talks at schools by police youth affairs officers.

2.14 Run to the Sun

This year’s Run to the Sun event was a great success. Although there were 56 arrests and 133 recorded crimes, these numbers are relatively low considering there are up to 200,000 visitors to the area. An impressive police presence ensured that any ‘boy racers’ had no place to go for their ‘burn ups.’

2.15 Neighbourhood policing

The introduction of 245 Neighbourhood Beat Managers marks the commitment of the Force to the community. Neighbourhood policing will be introduced incrementally over the next year and will markedly improve the visibility of police officers. There will be more than 350 designated neighbourhoods within Devon and Cornwall. These beat managers will develop an in depth knowledge of their patch and be responsible for any issues that arise, working with partners and the community to solve the problems. They are at the heart of policing.

11 2.16 Positive changes

The Force is receiving positive feedback in respect of the changes being made within the Force, especially in respect of call handling and neighbourhood policing. These views have been expressed at recent Police Authority Liaison meetings. Early public response to the Police Community Support Officers has also been extremely positive, mainly due to their visibility on the streets. We are in the process of restructuring the special constabulary to work closer with beat managers to deliver even better neighbourhood policing.

2.17 Radio mast fears

A meeting was held at St Ives on 4 June in following fears expressed over the transmitters required to install the Tetra system. Officers attended to reassure the public that the new emergency communications system is safe. Local authorities cannot reject planning applications on health grounds, only on visual intrusion.

2.18 CCTV shows its worth

Three police officers and four store detectives took part in the pursuit of an alleged shoplifter in the Paignton area. The incident highlighted the value of CCTV as three times the suspect was spotted and officers were able to intercept. The chase ended with the Deputy Commander of South and West Devon BCU, Superintendent Barry Marsden, making an arrest as he was on his way home. A man has been bailed pending further enquiries.

2.19 An invitation to murder

A Midsummer Murder evening took place on the weekend of 20 June at Cockington Country Park. A theatre company acted out the murder on stage and the audience had to guess the culprit. It is hoped the celebrations raised £50,000 for two green champions (National Trust was the organiser). Prizes for the winner were presented by, the Acting Assistant Chief Constable, Steve Pearce QPM.

12 3. AWARDS AND COMMENDATIONS

3.1 Plymouth officers’ bravery recognised by national newspaper

Two officers were among 50 recognised by The Sun as the bravest in the country at a ceremony attended by the Home Secretary.

The recognition follows their actions in the city on 23 June 2002, when they gave first aid to a man after a car he was travelling in collided with a lamppost. They saw sparks under the car from a fire near the fuel tank. They grabbed the casualty, dragging him clear. When they were only five metres away, the car exploded endangering houses and vehicles nearby.

Home Secretary David Blunkett said: “Constables Stephen Reid and Stuart Talbot showed exceptional courage when they saved a young man’s life by dragging him out of a burning vehicle. They made a split second decision to act to protect others, without thought for their personal risk.

“All police officers show bravery and commitment every day in their vital role protecting our communities but constables Reid and Talbot’s actions are an outstanding example of individual heroism. I am grateful to them for their dedication and selflessness”

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