Babak Belurs

Kamis, 24 September 2020

County lines raids: 1,000 arrests and £1.2m drugs seized - BBC News

More than 1,000 people have been arrested and an estimated £1.2m worth of drugs seized in a police crackdown on so-called "county lines" gangs.

Young and vulnerable people are used as couriers to move drugs and cash between cities and smaller towns.

Police said raids in the past week, involving all 43 regional forces in England and Wales, had been the most successful of their kind.

Almost 200 weapons and £526,000 in cash were also seized.

During a week-long operation, police forces also shut down about 10% of the phone lines (102) being used for drug dealing.

County lines is the term used to describe criminal gangs who move illegal drugs from big cities to more rural locations and sell them via dedicated mobile phone lines.

It is a "business model" which now dominates the drug trade, according to BBC home affairs correspondent Tom Symonds.

Investigators said restrictions imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic and a better understanding of mobile phone data had helped them target the drug dealers operating the lines.

The operation resulted in:

1,041 arrests
The discovery of an estimated £876,000 worth of cocaine, £87,000 worth of crack cocaine and £234,000 worth of heroin
Seizure of £526,000 of cash
Confiscation of 196 weapons including 130 knives, 18 firearms, 5 samurai swords and 10 knuckledusters
102 "deal line" devices, linked to phone numbers used to buy drugs, were shut down
1,551 vulnerable people were contacted by police for safeguarding purposes
69 referrals to the National Referral Mechanism as potential victims of human trafficking/modern slavery
Visits to 861 cuckooed addresses - a practice where drugs gangs take over the homes of vulnerable people to sell drugs

Key to the county lines trade are mobile phone numbers advertised in smaller towns but controlled by gang leaders in cities like London, Birmingham and Liverpool.

The gangs send bulk text messages to customers informing them of what is on offer, with cocaine and heroin the most common drugs for sale.

Gangs then have to transport the drugs to the areas where they are sold, often using young or vulnerable people, who are enticed or threatened into being involved.

The phones used are usually pay-as-you-go, but police are obtaining communications data from network providers and analysing the calls and texts sent and received to work out who controls the line.

The evidence is so strong, defendants often plead guilty without going to trial, police said.

Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Graham McNulty, the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) lead for county lines, said: "We know now what a county lines phone looks like."

Home Secretary Priti Patel said the results of the operation were "hugely impressive" and tackling county lines was a "priority" for the government.

She said it had invested £25m in the "crucial work".

Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk

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2020-09-25 02:56:11Z
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Coronavirus: 10pm pub curfew comes into force in England - this is how the first night went - Sky News

The first night of a 10pm curfew on pubs and restaurants has passed largely without incident in England - but some venues are warning that the absence of late-night drinkers could put their future into jeopardy.

In London, there was a small police presence on the streets of Soho last night, but no problems were reported.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick joined a patrol in Shoreditch, a fashionable area in the capital's east, to remind the public of the measures they need to follow to stop coronavirus from spreading.

Scotland Yard is planning to step up its enforcement of COVID regulations in the coming days and weeks as infection rates in London continue to rise.

The big test for premises and the police will likely come on Fridays and Saturdays, where greater numbers of people head to pubs and bars.

The Met said enforcement - which could include on-the-spot fines - will only take place as a last resort, but warned officers "will not hesitate to use their powers to deal with flagrant breaches of the regulations".

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said: "The vast majority of Londoners have stuck to the rules and responded positively to the unprecedented situation we are in. We thank them for that.

"Throughout the last few months we have continued to step in where necessary to protect the public, even as the rules relaxed, with officers working hard to tackle challenging incidents such as unlicensed music events throughout the summer - sometimes facing extreme hostility and even violence.

"However, it is clear that there is a renewed need for everyone to do everything they can to minimise the risk of transmission of what is a potentially deadly disease - that means everyone following the rules."

Wolverhampton Police posted a video on Twitter thanking the public for complying with the new regulations, and said all venues had shut at 10pm.

However, the measures in Wales are slightly different, as pub-goers will be given an extra 20 minutes to finish their drinks following last orders at 10pm.

The curfew comes as the UK reported 6,634 new coronavirus cases in the 24 hours to 9am on Thursday - the highest daily total ever recorded.

A further 40 people are reported to have died within 28 days of testing positive for COVID-19, official figures show. The last time the daily death toll was higher than 40 was on 14 July, when 44 deaths were recorded.

Sky News correspondents in London and Birmingham were in the city centre as 10pm approached to see how the curfew was handled.

LONDON: "Overall, people were compliant"
By Ashna Hurynag, news correspondent

If anyone was anticipating anger on the first night of the nationwide curfew, they'd be pleasantly surprised. Overall, people were compliant - and after initially flooding the streets when the clock hit 10pm, they dispersed into the night.

In Soho - the party district that promises a feast of fun and festivity - the fluorescent vests and jackets of enforcement officials stood out among the revellers lapping up the last few hours of social freedom at their favourite dining hotspots.

But barely seconds after they'd taken their final sip of their drink, just minutes before 10pm, venues were wiping down tables, stacking chairs and ushering people out the doors.

Bars and restaurants who have clawed their way through a difficult summer were eager to abide by every letter of the new restrictions and do everything in their power to sidestep a hefty fine.

Licencing inspectors, community wardens and even the commissioner of the Metropolitan Police were out enforcing the new curfew.

Some Met officers marched door to door in the early evening reminding premises of the new kick-out time.

But they hardly needed checking up on, the venues were broadly prepared for the early shutdown despite the few days' notice.

Yet many feel frustration knowing how many millions of pounds will be lost during this six-month ban on late night frivolity.

BIRMINGHAM: "By 10pm, it felt more like 4am"
By Becky Johnson, Midlands correspondent

By 10pm. Birmingham city centre was eerily quiet.

The pubs and bars on Hurst Street had called last orders at 9.30pm. By the official closing time, everyone had trickled away.

On a street that usually has some of busiest bars in the city, it felt more like 4am.

"This is when people are usually just arriving," one bar owner said. "The students don't usually come out until 10pm or 11pm. People must have just decided it's not worth coming out at all."

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It wasn't any busier in other parts of the city centre.

"We usually do 40% of our trade after 10pm," the marketing manager of Aluna, a cocktail bar in the Mailbox said. "That's all gone."

A group of students were scathing about the new rule and whether it will reduce coronavirus transmission.

"People will just risk the rules. The night won't end here. They'll be having parties," they said.

A "normal" Thursday night is a vague memory here, pre-pandemic, when people crowded into pubs and clubs.

"We did okay" tonight, one bar owner said. "But by okay, I mean we did 25% of the business we did on a normal Thursday."

Many are openly questioning whether their business will survive six months of this.

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2020-09-25 02:39:23Z
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Walsall derelict building fire: People urged to stay away - BBC News

Residents were evacuated from their homes when a fire broken out at a derelict building.

Photos show smoke and flames billowing from the site, in Marsh Lane, Walsall, West Midlands.

West Midlands Fire Service said 50 firefighters were at the scene and a hydraulic platform had been deployed.

Police said they were at the scene assisting with road closures and the evacuation of local residents. People have been urged to avoid the area.

Covid: Cardiff 'could go into local lockdown' - BBC News

Wales' capital city is facing a local lockdown as coronavirus cases rise "rapidly".

Cardiff council leader Huw Thomas has warned of potential restrictions on travel and different households mixing.

He told a virtual meeting of the authority that over the past seven days, the area has seen 38.2 cases per 100,000 people.

Mr Thomas said the city was on the verge of entering the Welsh Government's "red zone".

He said if that was to happen "then I fully expect that we will be implementing further restrictions as we have seen elsewhere" in south Wales.

Cardiff is home to 366,903 people and would be the seventh area to have tighter restrictions imposed.

People living in Caerphilly, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Bridgend, Blaenau Gwent, Merthyr Tydfil and Newport cannot leave their areas without a reasonable excuse.

Should Cardiff follow them into lockdown, it would mean more than a 1.2 million people - about a third of Wales' population - would be under tighter restrictions than the rest of the country.

Conservative councillor Jayne Cowan asked Mr Thomas if Cardiff would be put into a local lockdown in the next 48 hours.

He replied: "We'll look at the numbers again in the morning and make a decision based on that".

It comes as Caerphilly's lockdown has been confirmed for at least a further seven days.

Mr Thomas said restrictions could be introduced "at speed" and could include a ban on households meeting or travel outside of Cardiff.

The council leader said the coronavirus test positivity rate stood at 3.8%, which exceeds the government's amber threshold of 2.5%.

There has been a sharp rise in hospital emergency attendance in the past week, he added, with the spread of infection "most frequently found within household settings".

Household mixing 'happening far too frequently'

"Our test trace and protect data suggests this is particularly in cases where family bubble rules have been breached, and also where people are mixing in indoor home settings and not following the rule of six," he said.

"The truth is that indoor mixing with people not in extended households in homes, cafes, bars and restaurants is happening far too frequently."

Mr Thomas said there had been a significant rise in those aged 35 to 50 testing positive.

Any new restrictions would need to be introduced by the Welsh Government.

Mr Thomas said he met First Minister Mark Drakeford and Health Minister Vaughan Gething prior to Thursday night's council meeting.

The threshold for foreign countries to be added to the list of destinations where people need to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in the UK is 20 cases per 100,000.

Welsh Conservative health spokesman, Andrew RT Davies, tweeted that a "if such a decision is imminent, it's incumbent on the Welsh Labour government to bring forward a package of financial support for the many businesses (particularly hospitality) that will be devastated by the news".

He said a blanket lockdown of the city "really isn't local".

Rhun ap Iorwerth, Plaid Cymru health spokesman, said: "It's deeply concerning that the virus has gotten a hold again to the extent in which tighter restrictions are being considered in more and more areas, and that this now includes our capital city, our most populated area, is a sign of the severity of the situation. "Shutting pubs slightly earlier isn't going to be enough - the Welsh government must think of a suite of new steps, which are perhaps stricter but for a shorter period, in order to control these new spikes."

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2020-09-24 19:08:07Z
52781082196578

Boris is RIGHT: The damning stats which prove Brits ARE to blame for coronavirus spike - Express

The UK is on the cusp of a second wave of coronavirus infections after a record number of cases was reported this afternoon. In a televised speech on Tuesday, Boris Johnson warned there has been an “exponential” growth of coronavirus infections as he announced clampdown on face coverings and curfews on pubs and restaurants.

The Prime Minister paid tribute to the sacrifice of the British people in following the rules but acknowledged there had be “too many breaches” of the guidelines.

A study of 31,787 UK adults, conducted by health bodies and leading UK universities across 21 national surveys, has highlighted key flaws in the battle to contain the virus.

The project titled “Adherence to the test, trace and isolate system” found just 10.9 percent of people said they had not left their home for 14 days after being alerted by the NHS tracing system and told they had been in close contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case.

The data collected between March 2 and August 5, also found just 18.2 percent of people who reported having coronavirus symptoms in the past seven days, said they had not left home since feeling unwell.

Meanwhile, of those who reported coronavirus symptoms in the past seven days, just 11.9 percent requested a test.

The study says the figure is much lower than the 34 percent estimated by NHS Test and Trace and 35 percent by the Office of National Statistics

According to the study, some of the main reasons for not quarantining was having a dependent child.

But more alarmingly 14.3 percent of people did not think it was “necessary to stay away from people outside your household”.

The study identified young men as a key demographic for not following the guidance, it says: “Patterns of results were similar for all outcomes.

“Lower adherence was associated with being male, younger age, having a dependent child in the household, lower socio-economic grade, greater hardship, and being less informed about COVID-19 and guidance to prevent the spread of the virus.”

During his address to the nation 48 hours ago, the Prime Minister said: “While the vast majority have complied with the rules there have been too many breaches – too many opportunities for our invisible enemy to slip through undetected.

Yvonne Doyle, Medical Director at Public Health England, said: "This is the highest number recorded and a stark warning for us all.

“The signals are clear. Positivity rates are rising across all age groups and we're continuing to see spikes in rates of admission to hospital and critical care.

"We must all follow the new measures that have been bought in to help control the virus and download the new NHS Covid-19 App which is the fastest way of knowing when you're at risk."

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2020-09-24 18:45:00Z
52781074875560

Coronavirus test shortage forcing thousands of GPs and nurses to stay off work, government told - Sky News

Thousands of GPs and nurses are being forced to stay off work as they cannot get tested for COVID-19, the professional body for general practitioners has said.

The Royal College of GPs (RCGP) has written to Dido Harding, head of the government's £10bn test-and-trace programme, warning that staff absences could hit the flu vaccination drive that ministers say is vital to stop the NHS becoming overwhelmed this winter.

Patient care will suffer because family doctors and practice nurses are having to isolate at home at the same time as the reopening of schools, universities and some workplaces - which is leading to more people seeking an appointment - it says.

Professor Martin Marshall, chair of the RCGP, told Sky News that test and trace logistics and capacity must "urgently improve" in order to help tackle COVID-19.

"GPs tell us that they are struggling to access tests for themselves and their teams. We simply cannot afford to have practice staff having to isolate, taking them out of frontline clinical practice," he said.

"A lack of access to testing is already impacting on capacity in general practice, as staff isolate whilst awaiting results, and the care that can be delivered to patients.

"We also want to see GPs having access to tests for patients who have a clinical need. Currently the only alternative is to refer them to Test and Trace.

"This will help us to differentiate between COVID-19 and other potentially serious conditions."

The disclosure around medical workers who are unable to get a test follows weeks of mounting concern over the number of teachers, parents of school-age children and NHS staff who have encountered problems - with some being told to go hundreds of miles to be checked.

Professor Marshall added: "If patients with symptoms of COVID-19 or people at risk of infection start attending GP appointments as a first port of call, it risks compromising infection control measures that have been put in place and has the potential to further spread the virus.

"Without sufficient capacity and resources, it would also risk overloading general practice, which is already pressurised with consultation rates back to pre-pandemic levels and GPs and our teams preparing to deliver the largest ever flu vaccination programme and for a potential second wave."

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The college's letter comes as official figures showed that the number of tests processed in the UK fell for three days in a row between Sunday and Tuesday, culminating in just 188,865 on Tuesday - about 35,000 below the recent average and the lowest number for 13 days.

Boris Johnson has pledged to dramatically increase capacity so that 500,000 tests a day can be carried out by the end of October in an attempt to curb the spread of the virus by identifying outbreaks and isolating those infected.

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2020-09-24 17:57:14Z
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Covid: Scottish university students banned from going to pubs - BBC News

Students are being told not to go to pubs, parties or restaurants in a bid to stem a spate of coronavirus outbreaks at Scottish universities.

Hundreds of students have tested positive at campuses across the country, with many more self-isolating.

Universities have now pledged to make it "absolutely clear" to students that there must be no parties.

And they will not be allowed to socialise with anyone outside of their accommodation.

Students have also been warned that any breaches of the new rules "will not be tolerated".

The stricter guidelines were announced after opposition leaders accused First Minister Nicola Sturgeon of a "basic failure" to anticipate the problem and provide more testing on university campuses.

Universities Scotland said the new guidance that had been agreed with the Scottish government was a "necessary step at this crucial moment of managing the virus in the student population, to protect students and the wider community".

The new rules state that all universities will "make absolutely clear to students that there must be no parties, and no socialising outside their households".

They go on to say: "This weekend, the first of the new tighter Scottish government guidance, we will require students to avoid all socialising outside of their households and outside of their accommodation.

"We will ask them not to go to bars or other hospitality venues."

Extra staff will be brought into student accommodation to watch for any breaches of the guidance and to support students who are self-isolating.

Police Scotland will also be monitoring student behaviour off-campus and in private accommodation.

And private providers of student accommodation will also be urged to strictly enforce the guidance.

Students will also be required to download the Protect Scotland app.

The guidance warns: "We will take a strict 'Yellow Card/Red Card' approach to breaches of student discipline that put students and others at risk.

"While we first want to advise students about breaches of discipline, we will not hesitate to escalate this to disciplinary action including potential discontinuation of study."

Infection rates among age groups

Several universities across the country are dealing with major outbreaks of the virus, with many students in halls of residence in Glasgow, Dundee, Aberdeen and Edinburgh all being told to self-isolate.

A total of 124 Glasgow University students have so far tested positive, with 600 in isolation, while all 500 residents at the Parker House halls in Dundee have been told to quarantine.

And 120 cases have been identified in an outbreak at Edinburgh Napier University.

Opposition parties have argued that the Scottish government should have been better prepared for outbreaks when university students returned for the new term.

Ms Sturgeon has said the number of positive cases at universities was likely to increase, but claimed this showed that the test and protect system "is working, and we must continue to have confidence in that".

She urged students to follow the latest guidance and said she was sorry that the pandemic was "making this special time of your lives so tough".

Life for university students was already very different this term.

Most students were already set to learn mostly online, but the university experience is a social one as much as an academic one.

Perhaps the most significant move is to appeal to students not to visit bar or hospitality venues.

Ultimately students who break the rules on campus or in university accommodation face expulsion.

However, universities know they also have to appeal to the individual's sense of responsibility and common sense.

It will still be a big ask. Homesick students won't usually be able to go back inside the family home they lived in until a few weeks ago.

Starting university can be a difficult experience - a student may not like their course or may find it hard to live away from home or make new friends.

This year it will be even tougher so for that reason, it will be more important than ever to consider the wellbeing and mental health of students.

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2020-09-24 17:22:02Z
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Kamis, 24 September 2020

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Household mixing 'happening far too frequently'

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