Issue 86  20th April 2019

Extinction Rebellion Protest: 680 Arrests

Police have arrested more than 680 climate change protesters as they say they aim to give businesses on London's Oxford Street a chance to return to "business as usual".

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "Officers have made a number of arrests, mainly focused at Oxford Circus, as we are trying our best to give the businesses a chance to return to 'business as usual'. One thing that is unusual about this demonstration is the willingness of those participating to be arrested and also their lack of resistance to the arrests. To date (since Monday 15 April), we have made over 680 arrests and of course that places a logistical problem on, and not just, the police service for cell space but also the wider criminal justice system."

'Met detective predicts fatal stabbing areas in London'

A murder detective believes he has found a way of forecasting where deadly knife attacks are likely to take place.

Det Ch Insp John Massey trawled through records of knife crimes in London over a 12-month period and found a link with fatal stabbings the following year. More than two-thirds of the killings in 2017-18 occurred in neighbourhoods where someone had been attacked with a knife the year before. The study is believed to be one of the first to show such a clear correlation.

The study can be found in the Cambridge Journal of Evidence-Based Policing.

DBS Rules Under Review

Sajid Javid said the government needs to “look again” at how much is revealed about people who have committed certain crimes when they apply for jobs.

Currently anyone with more than one conviction automatically has details shared with potential employers, no matter how much time has passed. But the Home Office has held discussions with the Ministry of Justice about a potential change after a Supreme Court ruling in favour of three people who said the rules had negatively impacted their lives.

‘Shamima Begum case pushes legal aid into national spotlight’

The application for legal aid by 'ISIS bride' Shamima Begum has catapulted the topic of legal aid to the top of national news coverage. While the Legal Aid Agency has yet to formally approve her application, it is being widely assumed she will be successful.

The story has prompted wall-to-wall coverage and analysis, despite a lack of any public decision from the LAA, or any statement from Begum or her lawyers. It has been widely reported that solicitor Gareth Peirce, who made her name representing the Birmingham Six and Guildford Four, will represent Begum.

‘Barristers, solicitors and paralegals urged to join single trade union’

Barristers, solicitors, paralegals and all who work in the law are being urged to join a single trade union aimed at unifying the notoriously individualistic profession.

Legal Sector Workers United (LSWU), a new branch of the United Voices of the World (UVW) union, has been founded with the aim of bringing together everyone including paralegals, solicitors, barristers, receptionists, interns, personal assistants, administrative staff, cleaners and security guards.