Police force in court for safety breaches

Greater Manchester Police and two of its firearms officers have appeared in court to face safety charges in relation to the death of PC Ian Terry.
Pc Terry, 32, was shot during a refresher training exercise involving the use of firearms at a disused warehouse in Newton Heath, Manchester on 9 June 2008. The officer who conducted the exercise, and an exercise safety officer, who assisted him in running the course, were at Trafford Magistrates’ Court yesterday (4 September). They applied for and were granted anonymity and so appeared in the court behind a screen.

GMP chief constable Peter Fahy also appeared in court to answer charges against the force of failing to ensure Pc Terry’s health, safety and welfare. According to a report  no pleas were entered by any party, and the case has been adjourned until 25 September for a preliminary hearing at Manchester Crown Court.

Serious fire-safety breaches cost Asda

National food retailer Asda Stores Limited has been ordered to pay more than £55,000 in fines and costs for committing serious fire-safety breaches at a store in Berkshire.

The inspection was carried out following a complaint, identified serious breaches to fire-safety regulations, including:

• two fire-exit doors chained and locked shut;
• obstruction of fire-escape routes;
• combustible items obstructing fire-exit doors and escape routes; and
• fire-exit doors wedged open.

The court also heard that the company had previously been served with a caution in July 2000 for two contraventions relating to other fire-safety regulations.

BBC Radio 4 - The Report, Forensic Science

In 'The Report'  on Radio 4 this week Hannah Barnes investigates the state of the forensic science industry in the UK. Earlier this year the national forensic science service (FSS) closed, leaving the UK as the only European country without a national service to analyse evidence for criminal investigations. How has the privatisation of the industry impacted our criminal justice system? We hear worries from legal professionals and forensic scientists that the system is increasingly fragmented meaning errors are falling through the cracks. We speak to those at the heart of cases where innocent people have spent time in jail because of DNA mix-ups in private labs