Tag: news

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Police Scotland recruitment teams are experiencing a drop in candidate standard

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By stewartb On recruitment, Police Scotland submitted a paper to the Scottish Police Authority dated 24 February 2024: ‘Recruitment and Protected Characteristic Impact Report’ (https://www.spa.police.uk/spa-media/pn0n522u/item-6-1-recruitment-and-protected-characteristic-impact-report.pdf ) It summarises police officer intakes across the period 2021/22 and 2022/23 up to 18 September: between intake dates of 18 June 2021 to 18 September 2023 there were a total of 1,924 new officer recruits. Police Scotland uses three metrics to monitor its recruitment ‘pipeline’: On application levels, between the year 2019/20 and 3 October 2023, monthly average recruitment rates each year have ranged from a high of 468 per month in 2020/21 (with no … Continue reading Police Scotland recruitment teams are experiencing a drop in candidate standard

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Crime and police staffing in Scotland – Factcheck finds more officers than under Labour and only half the crime!

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are making them feel vulnerable and sometimes unsafe. The Inspectorate of Constabulary says resources are a major concern, as well as the state of police buildings and disruption to days off. From Reporting Scotland this morning, the above. Note the word ‘feel‘ twice. We then hear from the Chief Inspector of Constabulary: It is glowing white hot. It is massive in the growth of demand and it’s more than I’ve ever seen. Resourcing is a challenge. You’re reducing the officer numbers. You’re reducing the amount of people available to work on a shift. It will cause problems because it will … Continue reading Crime and police staffing in Scotland – Factcheck finds more officers than under Labour and only half the crime!

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Biased sampling means YouGov have had 8 No leads since their last Yes lead in early December 2022

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Back in November 2022 and early December, YouGov had two Yes leads of 1% and 5% while Ipsos reported 11%. Before that, their previous Yes lead was in Early November 2020, after another long run of NO leads, at just 1%, between Panelbase and Ipsos Yes leads of 11% and 13% respectively. They had another Yes lead of 5% in August 2020 and a 1% Yes lead in January 2020, before an extended run of No leads all the way back to late November 2014 when they had 2. In all those years and dozens of polls, Ipsos found several … Continue reading Biased sampling means YouGov have had 8 No leads since their last Yes lead in early December 2022

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National Parks England & Wales on Raptor protection – ‘The Westminster and Welsh Governments should follow Scotland’s lead’

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By Professor John Robertson Big in the Guardian today, completely ignored in other MSM, the above from https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/apr/09/national-parks-in-england-and-wales-failing-on-biodiversity-say-campaigners has nothing to say about Scotland. Why should it? This on page 77: In response to ongoing raptor persecution, the Scottish Government introduced vicarious liability offences in District National Park. The birdwatcher had spotted a short-eared owl and watched it through his scope as it gracefully quartered the moor. Suddenly, the bird’s body was lost in a cloud of feathers as a shot rang out across the moors. The eyewitness managed to record footage of the suspect and reported the incident to … Continue reading National Parks England & Wales on Raptor protection – ‘The Westminster and Welsh Governments should follow Scotland’s lead’

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Prison activity time – Lib Dumbs cannot count as trend is upward but assaults remain at half the level of England & Wales

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By Professor John Robertson Headlining on the Herald website today, another Lib Dem (5th biggest party) ‘investigation’: Overcrowding in Scotland’s prisons has led to a significant drop in the number of “purposeful activity” hours being offered to inmates, new figures have revealed. The Scottish Liberal Democrats have warned of a “vicious cycle” with prisoners reoffending because they have been deprived of education and training while inside that would help them rehabilitate. The evidence? This: So, once more, selective, inaccurate, use of stats from the Lib Dumbs. First the fall of 3, from 16 to 13 hours, is not 25%, but 18.75%. Did … Continue reading Prison activity time – Lib Dumbs cannot count as trend is upward but assaults remain at half the level of England & Wales

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GMB – The Generally Male Bullyboy union?

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By Professor John Robertson In the Guardian today: One of Labour’s biggest union backers has been accused of employing “bullyboy tactics” in an alleged attempt to take over a smaller rail union and seize control of its assets. Maryam Eslamdoust, the left-leaning general secretary of the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA), claims that the GMB union is using an in-house agreement to block staff recruitment and take control of the white-collar union to access its buildings. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/apr/04/gmb-accused-of-bullyboy-tactics-in-alleged-attempt-to-take-over-tssa Anyone shocked to hear that the GMB leader is accused of bullying, again? Nope, here’s why: Only last month, the GMB union leader was exposed … Continue reading GMB – The Generally Male Bullyboy union?

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BBC reporting of County Lines drug gangs getting closer as BBC Cumbria carries story – When will BBC Scotland face this dark shadow on the Union?

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By Professor John Robertson BBC Cumbria becomes the latest of BBC regions to report on the devastating plague of County Lines gangs spreading drug death, extreme violence, people trafficking and child abuse, across the UK and now from Manchester to small towns in Cumbria. Imagine if these gangs were based in Scottish cities and crossing into England? BBC Scotland’s last and only report on County Lines gangs in Scotland, estimated at 55 groups, from Dumfries to Dingwall, more than three years ago. the report is careful not to mention the word ‘England’ nor even name the all-English cities where the … Continue reading BBC reporting of County Lines drug gangs getting closer as BBC Cumbria carries story – When will BBC Scotland face this dark shadow on the Union?

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Chickens uncaged but your news still trapped in one

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By Professor John Robertson BBC Scotland’s website above still milking the non-story of an attention-seeking celeb and serial whinger about anything the SNP might do to better the circumstances of the rest of us. This morning, BBC UK had an extended piece on Scotland becoming the first part of the UK to ban the caging of laying hens. As you would hope they let the Scottish Government minister have some credit for the actions. Minutes later BBC Reporting Scotland managed to push the story back, behind a tale of a flooded cemetery in Ayr without telling us the council responsible … Continue reading Chickens uncaged but your news still trapped in one

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Only 0.0008% of nearly a QUARTER OF A MILLION additional needs cases wait too long and there will be complex reasons for even those 2 but the Lib Dems care little for that

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By Professor John Robertson BBC Reporting Scotland today have a story not being covered by the BBC Scotland website: Long waits for diagnoses of neurodevelopmental disorders like autism and ADHD ‘s ‘harmful’ particularly for children. That’s according to the Scottish Liberal Democrats who obtained wait list figures through a Freedom of Information request. The report goes on to ‘cherry pick’ extreme examples of the kind we all know there will be complex reasons for, over and above any supposed staff shortages, and require a Scottish Government response to a problem entirely the responsibility of a health board. The report does … Continue reading Only 0.0008% of nearly a QUARTER OF A MILLION additional needs cases wait too long and there will be complex reasons for even those 2 but the Lib Dems care little for that

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Only in Scotland would a service performing so well relative to its peers be the target of headline negativity

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By stewartb ‘STV is becoming as anti-Scottish as BBC Scotland’ – as evidenced by its practice of context and perspective-free reporting. It would be so easy and quick for STV better to inform its audience – and voters – but that would require different journalistic/editorial objectives. To further fill the void in STV’s reporting, what follows is from the Office of Road and Rail (7 March 2023) ‘Passenger rail performance, 1 October to 31 December 2023’. (https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/media/jkfh21zr/performance-stats-release-oct-dec-2023.pdf ) Scotrail – 11.8 percentage point increase on same period in 2022. Just seven out of 24 operators had a larger increase. Scotrail – … Continue reading Only in Scotland would a service performing so well relative to its peers be the target of headline negativity