Some US Troops To Stay In Syria

October 22, 2019 / By Armoured Cars / In security

US President Donald Trump says some American troops will stay on in Syria despite his call for them to be pulled out.

He said a small number would protect oil fields while others would stay near Israel and Jordan. His decision two weeks ago to withdraw US forces from the Syria-Turkey border region drew criticism even from some of his supporters. Soon after, Turkey began an offensive against former US allies the Kurds.

Rikers Island Prison To Close

October 18, 2019 / By Armoured Cars / In security

Rikers Island, a New York jail notorious for the grim stories of cruelty and abuse that emerged from behind its walls, and for its infamous inmates - among them Tupac Shakur, Sid Vicious, and Mark David Chapman - is to close.

The jail earned a variety of nicknames over the years, including Gladiator School, Torture Island, and, when the weather was warm, the Oven - because its concrete floors and steel doors soaked in the summer heat. New York city council speaker Corey Johnson called it "a symbol of brutality and inhumanity". "It is time for us to once and for all close Rikers Island," Mr John…

Ninety-Six Injured In Catalan Clashes

October 17, 2019 / By Armoured Cars / In security

The president of Spain's Catalonia region has called for an immediate halt to violence, as protests continued into a fourth day.

"We condemn violence... This has to stop right now," said Quim Torra. He later said he would push for a new referendum on Catalan independence.

Protesters clashed with riot police, days after nine separatist leaders were jailed for their role in a failed push for independence. Ninety-six people have been hurt.

Demonstrators were detained in Barcelona, Lleida, Tarragona and Girona on Wednesday night as the protests spread across Spain's north-east region.

Trial For German WWII Soldier Charged With Mass Murder

October 17, 2019 / By Armoured Cars / In security

A 93-year-old man will go on trial in Germany on Thursday for crimes of complicity in mass murder at a Nazi death camp during World War Two.

Bruno Dey is accused of contributing to the killings of 5,230 prisoners between 1944 and 1945 in the Stutthof camp in what is now northern Poland.

Mr Dey has admitted serving there and having knowledge of atrocities being carried out at the camp. But the former guard said he was not complicit in any murders.

Thirteen Police Officers Killed By Cartels In Mexico

October 16, 2019 / By Armoured Cars / In security

Mexico has sent 80 soldiers and an army helicopter to the western Michoacán state after a shooting in which at least 13 police officers were killed.

The police were carrying out a court order in the town of El Aguaje when they were ambushed by gunmen on Monday. A powerful criminal group, the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel, is believed to have carried out the attack.

Separately, 14 armed civilians and a soldier died in a gunfight in the western state of Guerrero on Tuesday.

Over One Thousand School Children Caught With Weapons

October 16, 2019 / By Armoured Cars / In security

More than a thousand children were caught with weapons in school last year, according to a survey of 29 police forces in England and Wales.

The weapons included knives, blades, knuckledusters and a Taser stun gun, the Press Association survey found. The children included a 14-year-old with a sword and a four-year-old with an unnamed weapon.

Funeral Of PC Andrew Harper Attended By Hundred's

October 14, 2019 / By Armoured Cars / In security

Hundreds of people have attended the funeral of a police officer who was killed on duty.

Uniformed colleagues of PC Andrew Harper lined the route as the cortege made its way to the private service at Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford.

The newlywed 28-year-old died from multiple injuries when he was dragged under a van on a road near Sulhamstead, Berkshire, on 15 August.

French Police Make Five Arrests Over Fatal Stabbings

October 14, 2019 / By Armoured Cars / In security

French police have arrested five people linked to a knifeman who killed four colleagues at the Paris police headquarters earlier this month, reports and sources say.

The arrests took place early on Monday in the northern Paris suburbs.

On 3 October, police IT worker Mickaël Harpon killed three officers and an employee before he was shot dead. The attack has raised questions about how police failed to notice signs of his radicalisation in recent years.

Knifeman Attacks Shoppers At Arndale Centre

October 11, 2019 / By Armoured Cars / In security

Four people have been injured after a number of stabbings at the Arndale Centre in Manchester city centre.

The shopping centre has been evacuated and trams have stopped operating at Exchange Square outside the main entrance.

North West Ambulance Service said it had treated four people after being called at 11:17 BST. Police said there had been no fatalities.

A man in his 40s has been arrested on suspicion of serious assault.

Teens Charged With Hacking Met Police Website

October 11, 2019 / By Armoured Cars / In security

Two Scottish teenagers have been arrested over claims they hacked into the Metropolitan Police's website and posted a series of bizarre messages.

The country's largest police force was hit by a cyber attack in July and a series of tweets were sent from its verified account, which has more than 1.2 million followers.

A stream of unusual emails were also sent from the force's press bureau.

The arrested teenagers are aged 18 and 19 and from Lossiemouth and Glasgow. They have been charged with carrying out the alleged hack by Police Scotland.