Interesting Facts

According to a report by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary 1.2 million stop and search incidents take place every year in the UK. (The problem is that more than a quarter of them are unlawful: Either the paperwork has been filled out improperly, or no clear reason given for the procedure. Stop and search, is the term used for when a police officer stops you and asks you what you’re doing and why you’re in an area and/or where you’re going. A police officer in the UK also has the power to stop and search you if they have ‘reasonable grounds’ to suspect you’re carrying: illegal drugs a weapon stolen property something which could be used to commit a crime, e.g. a crowbar The fact is, according to the same report, only 9% lead to an arrest, and that search-to-arrest ratio varies from 3% in Cumbria, to 7% the West Midlands, and 8% in Manchester and London, where most stop-and- searches take place. An even worse statistic is that black people are seven times more likely to be searched

According to a recent review to assess levels of fitness in Britain's police, over half of Metropolitan Police officers are overweight. (To be exact, 52 per cent of male officers and staff were overweight, 22 per cent were obese and 1 per cent were morbidly obese. You would think that chasing all those criminals would keep them fit.)

According to an article from the Sun newspaper, Police canteens in the UK serve mostly junk food and it's all subsidised by the tax payer. (In Humberside, a fry-up is £3.80 for “ten items, including bacon, sausage, eggs, beans and crumpets." Lunch choices in Cumbria include scampi and chips, burger and chips and deep-fried spicy battered chicken, all for £3.20, which wouldn't buy you a sandwich in a normal cafe. In Herts a pizza costs £2.35, and Manchester sells pies for £1.12. I think I'll have the chicken piri piri and rice from the Met. I visited the website to see if I could find the price, and it told me it uses cookies (I bet it does.))

Andy Sharp is Britain’s fattest policeman. (Mr Sharp weighs in at a whopping 29st. How could he be a policeman you might ask, well - there's only one fitness test you need to pass, and that's when you join. I don't know if it's the same in other countries. Mr Sharp was hunted down by the Sun newspaper, which let's face it couldn't have been difficult, you couldn't really miss him and once you spotted him he probably couldn't run away.)

The Metropolitan Police Force in London has arrested about 1200 people following the rioting that blighted England last week. (They say they expect the number of people arrested to rise to 3000.) "I lost my son. Step forward if you want to lose your sons. Otherwise, calm down and go home." Tariq Jahan, England 2011

The police tactic of confining demonstrators in a confined space is called kettling. (It's a particularly nasty practise that involves the formation of large cordons of police officers who then move to contain a crowd within a limited area, often holding them there for hours at a time. In January 2011 1.900 people signed a petition calling for the practice to be banned. In the USA it is known as corralling, which is an interesting analogy in itself. Should protesters be treated like cattle or tea bags?)

Fully-sworn British police officers are not employees, they are servants of the Crown. (According to the Police Federation, "Every sworn police officer in England and Wales is a ‘Constable’, irrespective of rank," ... "those who hold the Office of Constable are servants of the Crown, not employees. Police officers have access to most statutory employment rights afforded to employees, but it is a criminal offence for police officers to take industrial action." This means the British police cannot go on strike, but on the other hand, they can't be made redundant either, as a result some police forces are trying to enforce retirement, because regulations state that a policeman can be "required to retire" after 30 or more years' service.)

Police dogs in Cambridgeshire have their own "pensions" and "health plans". (Previously an officer would sign a disclaimer taking responsibility for the dog's actions and medical care - otherwise the animal would be re-homed. But now Cambridgeshire Police is paying for the food, vet bills and kennelling costs during an animal's retirement. Quite right too.)

Police are not allowed to strike. (They were banned from striking in 1919, after walk-outs that year by officers in London and Liverpool.)

More than 6,000 police are on London streets today - four weeks since the 7 July attacks in which 56 people died.