Sheffield Magistrates Court celebrated 100 years of youth justice with an open day on March 28 2009. Visitors witnessed mock trials, sat inside a police van, saw how an electronic tag works and saw various displays and exhibition stands. Louise Gill from the Steel Bugle went to experience the day.
It’s not unusual to see a police car with its lights flashing and the siren going off outside the Sheffield Magistrates court but today young children were climbing in and out of the car. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to sit in a police car so I followed them and clambered into the back seat and shut the door. The seats were surprisingly comfy. I imagined them to be hard and uncomfortable. Next to me, in the middle, was a metal box; I wondered what this was used for so I asked a nearby policeman. He said it was used to hold weapons, which made sense really but still felt really strange.
The next stop was the police van which transports prisoners to and from custody. I climbed the steps and two police officers were showing people the tiny spaces in which the prisoners have to sit. Imagine the toilet seats on an aeroplane, there isn’t much room and that is what it reminded me of. I sat inside the space and the policeman shut the door and locked it. I felt trapped and a bit panicky. It wasn’t a nice experience. It reminded me of how they transport cattle around; I will never look at a police van the same way.
Inside the court I was handed a Youth Court fact sheet. It included a list of the day’s activities and facts about what the Youth Court does. These include preventing young people offending and protecting the public from harm. Lots of posters were being handed out at various displays. There was a Youth Court time line starting from 1820, when a boy of nine was hanged for stealing six handkerchiefs, to 2003, when the anti-social behaviour act was introduced as a penalty.
Mock trials from 1909 to 2009 were played out frequently in courts 5 and 6. This was the part I had been most looking forward to, seeing how the crimes and punishments had changed. The first trial was from 1909 and was about a girl who had been stealing bonnets from the shop in which she worked. The magistrates asked the audience what they thought should happen to the girl, it got me thinking about what would be a fair punishment. I thought the girl should have had to pay a fine and be warned about any further crimes. However, the girl was given 21 days in prison and 3 years at a reformatory school. I thought this seemed harsh but was the norm in those days.
The next trial was one in the present day and was about a boy who had been stealing DVDs from his workplace. Once again the audience were asked what they would do. It was interesting listening to other people’s views; for example, many were saying he should go to prison. However, the boy’s punishment was a £500 fine, which would have to be paid by his mother as he had lost his job. The mock trials were fun and interesting with the girl acting as a thief dressing up in olden day clothes.
One stall was all about road safety. Tamper proof tax disc holders were handed out and posters reminded people that the 30mph speed limit is in force to save lives. All the stalls were informative and some even gave away free sweets.
At another stall a woman was demonstrating electronic tags. The woman on the stall was really helpful; I asked her how the person wearing the electronic tag managed to wear socks and other clothing because the tag looked quite bulky. It wraps around the offender’s leg, fairly tight so they can’t remove it. It reminded me of the tags you wear when you go in hospital but larger. The woman made a joke about it and said they would have difficulty with tights! But she said offenders just have to work around it and people usually cover it up with trousers because it is fairly small. I was intrigued to see what the machine was like what the electronic tag is linked to; it looked just like a telephone. When the person under surveillance leaves the dedicated area after a certain time the electronic tag links to the machine and a signal is sent warning the police.
As a record of the day there was a billboard with a large white piece of paper on it and everyone was invited to put their fingerprint on it and sign their name underneath. I enjoyed having my fingerprint took and being part of a special, memorable day.
Louise Jade Gill, The Steel Bugle
Friday, 1 May 2009
Thursday, 30 April 2009
Careless Coppers
New figures shown to The Steel Bugle by using the Freedom of Information act have revealed that over 70% of traffic incidents involving South Yorkshire Police vehicles were in fact caused by the police officers driving.
The information comes after an investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission opened looked into the death of a man who was killed in March of this year in the Denaby Main area of Sheffield by a police vehicle which was responding to a call.
Out of a total of 94 incidents which occurred during the course of 2008 eighteen are still yet to be resolved and could be added to the number caused by the police. The accidents involving SYP vehicles resulted in 51 casualties including 3 pedestrians, 2 of which were drunk at the time. Two of the incidents resulted in homes being damaged by SYP vehicles in accidents which saw police cars going out of control and crashing through resident’s gardens and into their homes.
In 2008 the vehicle fleet management of South Yorkshire police began a three year strategy to optimise the best performance possible for the people of south Yorkshire. Nigel Hiller, Director of finance and administration for the SYP released a report in 2008 which he said the new strategy would “Transform vehicle fleet management to provide outstanding service in a way that actively supports the policing of South Yorkshire”
Michal Lodej, The Steel Bugle
The information comes after an investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission opened looked into the death of a man who was killed in March of this year in the Denaby Main area of Sheffield by a police vehicle which was responding to a call.
Out of a total of 94 incidents which occurred during the course of 2008 eighteen are still yet to be resolved and could be added to the number caused by the police. The accidents involving SYP vehicles resulted in 51 casualties including 3 pedestrians, 2 of which were drunk at the time. Two of the incidents resulted in homes being damaged by SYP vehicles in accidents which saw police cars going out of control and crashing through resident’s gardens and into their homes.
In 2008 the vehicle fleet management of South Yorkshire police began a three year strategy to optimise the best performance possible for the people of south Yorkshire. Nigel Hiller, Director of finance and administration for the SYP released a report in 2008 which he said the new strategy would “Transform vehicle fleet management to provide outstanding service in a way that actively supports the policing of South Yorkshire”
Michal Lodej, The Steel Bugle
Wednesday, 22 April 2009
Students At Risk From Mumps
Students are being warned as the levels of reported cases of mumps are on the rise throughout England and Wales with young adults at greater risk.
Nine hundred and ninety-eight laboratory confirmed cases of mumps in England and Wales have been reported in January and February 2009. This compares with 322, 274, and 1173 cases in the same periods of 2008, 2007, and 2006 respectively. The disease is thought to be on the increase as those who were born between 1981 and 1989 may not have received the MMR vaccine and those who did may have only received it once.
Dr Mary Ramsay, who monitors mumps cases at the Health Protection Agency said, "The increased occurrence of the disease is mainly among older teenagers and young adults in their early twenties, and mostly among those in further or higher education establishments. Some in this age group were too old to be routinely vaccinated with MMR when it was first introduced in 1988. And some others may only have received one dose of MMR”.
The fact that there is a large group of people who fall into the bracket of those who are at risk means that the Agency is expecting a large number of cases to continue over the next few years. Another contributing factor to the rise in mumps is that the group at risk are currently attending semi-closed institutions which allow the disease to pass more freely from one person to another.
Some students who have caught the disease feel that not enough is being done to raise awareness about the dangers of mumps. Elizabeth Fisher, a student at Sheffield Hallam University said “At first the doctor treated me for an infected saliva gland. It wasn’t until later that I was diagnosed with mumps, and by that time could have spread it to anyone. When I was eventually diagnosed with mumps I wasn’t told anything about how contagious it was or given any information at all”.
Health Protection Agency advice, along with the Department of Health, is that school leavers and other young adults who have not received MMR or only received one dose, should ensure that they take up the offer of MMR vaccination.
Michal Lodej, The Steel Bugle
Nine hundred and ninety-eight laboratory confirmed cases of mumps in England and Wales have been reported in January and February 2009. This compares with 322, 274, and 1173 cases in the same periods of 2008, 2007, and 2006 respectively. The disease is thought to be on the increase as those who were born between 1981 and 1989 may not have received the MMR vaccine and those who did may have only received it once.
Dr Mary Ramsay, who monitors mumps cases at the Health Protection Agency said, "The increased occurrence of the disease is mainly among older teenagers and young adults in their early twenties, and mostly among those in further or higher education establishments. Some in this age group were too old to be routinely vaccinated with MMR when it was first introduced in 1988. And some others may only have received one dose of MMR”.
The fact that there is a large group of people who fall into the bracket of those who are at risk means that the Agency is expecting a large number of cases to continue over the next few years. Another contributing factor to the rise in mumps is that the group at risk are currently attending semi-closed institutions which allow the disease to pass more freely from one person to another.
Some students who have caught the disease feel that not enough is being done to raise awareness about the dangers of mumps. Elizabeth Fisher, a student at Sheffield Hallam University said “At first the doctor treated me for an infected saliva gland. It wasn’t until later that I was diagnosed with mumps, and by that time could have spread it to anyone. When I was eventually diagnosed with mumps I wasn’t told anything about how contagious it was or given any information at all”.
Health Protection Agency advice, along with the Department of Health, is that school leavers and other young adults who have not received MMR or only received one dose, should ensure that they take up the offer of MMR vaccination.
Michal Lodej, The Steel Bugle
Wednesday, 25 March 2009
Blades birthday win over Bluebirds
Cardiff City 0-3 Sheffield UnitedSheffield United celebrated their 120th birthday with a stunning 3-0 victory over fellow promotion hopefuls Cardiff City.
The Blades travelled to South Wales anticipating a tough game with both sides hoping to cement their play off positions. Cardiff, who had a twelve-match unbeaten home record, went into the game knowing a victory would greatly increase their chances of automatic promotion.
The Blades meanwhile, who recently beat their club record of twelve games unbeaten away from home, wanted to emulate their last win at Ninian Park which saw them promoted to the Premiership in the 2005/06 season.
Cardiff were reduced to nine men in the first half with Gabor Gyepes going after 24 minutes for a foul on Darius Henderson in the penalty box, resulting in United going 1-0 up from a David Cotterill penalty. The second sending off came in the 33rd minute when Ross McCormack appeared to elbow Kyle Naughton.
Ninian Park is well known for its hostile atmosphere and the Cardiff fans certainly showed their anger towards the sending offs. The Blades scored their second goal at the beginning of the second half with Jamie Ward rising highest to head past Cardiff's goalkeeper Stuart Taylor from a Cotterill corner.
The Bluebirds pushed to try to get back in the game but United took advantage of the space and killed the game off by scoring late on. Stephen Quinn slid the ball under Taylor after a well timed through ball from Craig Beattie.
The travelling United fans were kept in the ground for half an hour after the final whistle to prevent any trouble with Cardiff fans outside the ground. This didn't seem to bother them as they celebrated a very important win.
The Blades were founded on 22nd March 1889 and to commemorate the special anniversary United have created a special third kit for the 2009/10 season. The shirt will be black and have every player's name that has played for Sheffield United woven into it.
Man of the match - David Cotterill; his first appearance at Ninian Park and definitely one to remember.
Louise Jade Gill, The Steel Bugle.
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