News in brief
A short round-up of some of this week`s stories.
A short round-up of some of this week`s stories.
Sergeant jailed for sexual abuse
A Cambridgeshire police sergeant has been sentenced to 12 months imprisonment for the sexual abuse of a 14-year-old schoolgirl.
Dominic Liversedge, 27, pleaded guilty to sexual activity with a child and was sentenced at Luton Crown Court.
Mr Liversedge has since resigned from the force.
PC convicted of assaulting boy
A Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officer was convicted of punching a 12-year-old boy after the child had been arrested in November 2007.
PC Daniel Gaffney, 30, claimed he was acting in self-defence. He initially told bosses at GMP that the boy fell, but then admitted punching him with a force equivalent to seven or eight out of 10.
Mr Gaffney told the court that the boy intimidated him.
MPS officer found dead in Thames
A decorated Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) officer has been found dead in the River Thames after being missing for five days.
PC John Johnson, 52, disappeared after attending the stag party of Labour MP Martin Linton.
He had twice been named the Mets Community Constable of the Year.
One million calls for Crimestoppers
Crimestoppers has received its millionth actionable call which has coincided with the charitys 20th year.
The call was about a knife crime carried out in Leicestershire.
The charity has helped police catch more than 85,000 suspects since its inception, and every day close to 20 people are arrested and charged as a result of information collected from calls.
Chairman Lord Ashcroft said that the call was testimony to the impact we are making in helping police solve crimes.
Police tackle valium trade
Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary has asked health services in southern Scotland to help it investigate how legally prescribed valium has made its way onto the criminal drug market.
The appeal came after the force had noted an increase in the drug on the streets, and found that the majority of the drug had originally been legally prescribed.
Police give radar guns to residents
Cumbria Police has decided to combat the problem of speeding motorists in a residential area by giving volunteers who live there radar guns.
Two volunteers wearing high visibility jackets will be strategically positioned with the guns in the area. Those offenders they catch will be issued with warning letters but will have no formal action taken against them.
Driving lessons to cut fuel cost
Officers in Devon and Cornwall have been given driving lessons to learn how to drive more economically.
The lesson are part of the forces Green Agenda, which also encourages car shares and the use of bicycles within the force.
The efforts are part of a bid to combat the expected half-a-million pound increase in fuel cost for the force this year.
CCTV combats nuisance bikes
Derby police are using a mobile CCTV camera to attempt to stop the problem of nuisance motorcyclists in parks.
The camera will allow the force to target individuals who have been riding motorbikes and mini-motos as part of Operation Barton. Any person who is found to be riding the bikes illegally in the area will run the risk of having their bikes seized and they may face prosecution.