Category: Articles

Profiles of the Thames Valley police commissioner candidates

Added 12 November: Why you should vote in the police commissioner elections

A version of this article appeared in Chipping Norton News, November 2012

On Thursday 15 November, Chippy will get its first chance to vote for a police and crime commissioner, who for the next four years will have the ability to hire or fire the chief constable of Thames Valley Police. It is the largest non-metropolitan force in the country, covering nearly 2.3m people in Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire, and spending £371m this financial year. Our commissioner will be paid £85,000 annually, to be accountable for how crime is tackled in the three counties and to make the police accountable to the people they serve. Continue reading “Profiles of the Thames Valley police commissioner candidates”

Roadside cameras suffer from large gaps in coverage, police admit

Automatic number plate recognition cameras stay secret after freedom of information tribunal told of patchy picture

I first applied for the location of police ANPR cameras under Freedom of Information (FOI) three years ago. This article, below and on page 14 of today’s Guardian, is the result of, in effect, a successful failure for FOI. In June, the Information Tribunal reversed its 2011 decision that Devon and Cornwall Police should release its camera locations. However, the evidence the force provided to this year’s tribunal, both written and verbal, sheds new light on the functioning of these systems. Continue reading “Roadside cameras suffer from large gaps in coverage, police admit”

Technology can transform the NHS – but not on its own

The health secretary believes technology can help change the health service. The NHS Confederation conference heard how a Bradford GP surgery is taking a lead

Reports on technology from NHS Confederation 2012, including health secretary Andrew Lansley and pioneering Bradford GP Dr Shahid Ali. I blogged about the conference less seriously here. Continue reading “Technology can transform the NHS – but not on its own”

UK male life expectancy mapped, from Glasgow to Kensington

The data used in the Guardian article quoted from below, on how life expectancy varies across the country, deserved mapping. I’ve focused on UK male life expectancy, which according to the Office of National Statistics varies by 13.3 years between Glasgow (71.1 years) and Kensington and Chelsea (84.4 years).

Map removed as Google Fusion Tables no longer works.

Red pointers represent male life expectancy of less than 75; pink from 75 up to 77; yellow from 77 up to 79; green from 79 up to 81; and blue 81 and over.

If you click on a pointer, you can find out how much longer men in that area can expect to live than Glaswegians, and how much less than residents of Kensington and Chelsea (and tweet it if you wish). Female life expectancy is also included. Continue reading “UK male life expectancy mapped, from Glasgow to Kensington”