Met officer April Casburn jailed for data sale bid

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

Detective Chief Inspector April Casburn was sentenced at the Old Bailey today for misconduct in public office for offering to sell information to the News of the World (NotW).

Mr Justice Fulford told her it was "a corrupt attempt to make money out of sensitive and potentially very damaging information".

Casburn, 53, is currently in the process of adopting a child, and the judge said had that not been the case he would have sentenced her to three years.

He said her offence could not be described as whistle-blowing, and went on: "If the News of the World had accepted her offer, it's clear, in my view, that Ms Casburn would have taken the money and, as a result, she posed a significant threat to the integrity of this important police investigation."

The judge went on: "Activity of this kind is deeply damaging to the administration of criminal justice in this country. It corrodes the public's faith in the police force, it can lead to the acquittal or the failure by the authorities to prosecute individuals who have committed offences whether they are serious or otherwise.

"We are entitled to expect the very highest standards of probity from our police officers, particularly those at a senior level.

"It is, in my judgment, a very serious matter indeed when men or women who have all the benefits, privileges and responsibilities of public office use their position for corrupt purposes."

He said he was particularly concerned about Casburn's child, and admitted that her absence while she is in prison could be damaging.

But he said that, had she not been arrested, the detective would have returned to work by now, and therefore the child would be cared for by others anyway.

Casburn, from Hatfield Peverel in Essex, called the NotW news desk on September 11 2010, and spoke to journalist Tim Wood about the fresh investigation into phone hacking.

She claimed she contacted the tabloid because she was concerned about counter-terror resources being wasted on the phone-hacking inquiry, which her colleagues saw as "a bit of a jolly".

The detective denied asking for money, but Mr Wood had made a note that she "wanted to sell inside information".

Today Mr Justice Fulford said: "It seems to me Mr Wood was a reliable, honest and disinterested witness.

"He took time and trouble during the defendant's call to find out exactly what Miss Casburn was saying, questioning the defendant in detail on her account in order to make an accurate note for his superiors at the News of the World which he wrote up in detail immediately afterwards.

"He had absolutely no reason to lie and every cause to be cautious given the risk that the newspaper was to be the victim of a sting, as he suspected."

During her trial at Southwark Crown Court last month, Casburn likened the male-dominated counter-terrorism unit to the TV series Life On Mars.

She was not given a desk for several months, despite more junior colleagues having them, jurors were told.

But the judge rejected this as an explanation for her behaviour.

He said: "It seems to me this is a straightforward but troubling case of corruption.

"I decline to accept that she had significant difficulties working with her male colleagues in the senior ranks of the counter-terrorism unit, which in part she said led her to act as she did.

"The most that could be said is that she was a relative newcomer to this area of police work. As a result she may have felt something of an outsider."

But he said this "could not begin to explain the actions of a detective chief inspector who offers to the very newspaper which is the subject of a sensitive and confidential investigation by other officers to sell details of the progress of the inquiry and the strategy that officers were intending to follow".

PA

View the original article here

Women get life for pensioner's torture death

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

Kelly Barnes, 32, and Jodie Barnes, 31, who are civil partners, will each serve a minimum of 24 years for murdering Barry Reeve, 67, a retired bus conductor, at his home in Norwich.

The pair, who had both denied murder and blamed each other, had to be removed from the dock at Norwich Crown Court by prison guards. Kelly Barnes swore and accused her partner of being a liar.

The court heard that they believed he had hidden money and tortured him in an attempt to make him reveal his Pin. He was punched, stamped on and slashed with a knife, and lay dying for up to 48 hours after the attack.

View the original article here

Women in Business: First Impressions Count

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

You never get a second chance to make a first impression.

“If you don’t make an impact when you are there, no one will notice when you are not.” Jodi Goldman, Image and Impact Expert

Like it or not we make judgments all the time and when we meet someone for the first time there’s no exception. Within seconds we make a variety of assumptions such as, whether or not they’re friendly, efficient, successful and trustworthy.

In business, first impressions count as we need people to buy into us quickly and very often we’re in a competitive environment. A great deal of work goes into creating big opportunities, for example that interview, client pitch, meeting with a potential future boss so why waste all that effort if we can influence the impact we make?

If you understand the messages you communicate you can influence the impact you make and the great news is that it’s not that hard. A couple of us at everywoman have been using our Image and Impact workbook to put this to the test. It’s amazing the difference small changes we’ve made have influenced the way people have reacted to us - we’re holding far more authority and that feels great.

Here are some of the things we’ve been working on. Clothes, dressing for the occasion - these communicate subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) messages about us to everyone we meet. Our body language - this contributes more than 50 per cent of the meaning of whatever we say. Subtle things like holding eye contact for 70 per cent of the time when talking and listening can make a big difference. Our tone of voice - this can communicate far more than the words we are saying.

everywomanNetwork members are able to view an exclusive seminiar  Jodi Goldman's "Get the First Impression Cycle Working For You" 

Take a look at what else is coming up on the everywomanNetwork and find out how to join.

View the original article here

Worried about immigration? Then go and live in Romania

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

Romania has hit back at British fears of a sudden influx of immigrants, launching its own tongue-in-cheek advertising campaign to persuade disillusioned Britons to travel east and swap Bognor for Bucharest.

“You have bad weather, no jobs, no houses? That sounds bad. Why don’t you come live here instead?” reads one poster on the Romanian news website Gandul, which is behind the humorous campaign, entitled “Why don’t you come over? - We may not like Britain, but you’ll love Romania.”

Restrictions on British visas for citizens of Bulgaria and Romania are due to be lifted at the end of the year, and ministers are believed to be considering a “negative poster campaign” to protect Britain from an “invasion” of migrants from both countries and to correct the impression that Britain’s streets are “paved with gold”.

While even the most modest wages in Britain are far higher than the £300 monthly average in Romania and Bulgaria, Brits travelling the other way will find their money goes a long way, the advertising campaign points out.

“Our draft beer is less expensive than your bottled water,” brags one of the posters, which should be soon visible around popular Romanian tourist sites, airport and hotels – and perhaps even in London.

Noting that Romanians have 11 words for humour, Mihai Gongu, the campaign’s creative director, told The Independent: “The British have the best humour - but we’re quite good too.”

Mr Gongu hopes his campaign will also improve Romania’s image. “Most of us are decent, hardworking people who pay their taxes, in Romania, or in the UK,” he said, adding that he believes the “majority of Romanians in the UK help the economy.”

Extending an informal invitation to Romania, he hopes, will help to persuade Britons that Romanians are actually “nice, friendly and welcoming”, and not “all beggars and thieves”.

“We had to react, to talk about good things,” Mr Gongu said, referring to reports of Britain’s planned scaremongering campaign. “The image of Romanians in the British and European press is biased… We like spending time with our families, going to the pub with our friends after work. We’re exactly like everyone else,” he added. “Our typical family is [like] a typical British family.”

The negative perceptions of the two countries have not gone unnoticed across the border in Bulgaria. There, the government has decided to allocate 440,000 Bulgarian Lev (£192,000) to boost the reputation of its citizens and “affirm the positive image of Bulgaria as an EU member state”.

Bulgarian and Romanian MPs at the European Parliament have also sent a letter to the European Commission President, Jose Manuel Barroso, complaining about the UK’s shabby treatment of the “newest member states”.

“We believe that a wave of hostile statements since the beginning of the year aims to stigmatise [citizens of Bulgaria and Romania] as second-class Europeans,” the letter reads.

They fear that visa restrictions may not be lifted owing to public protest. “We are worried… we hear statements of representatives of the British government sounding a false alarm about the danger of a Romanian-Bulgarian invasion, which would destabilise the British society,” it continues.

View the original article here

Engaging the full potential of female middle managers

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

Last week I attended the launch of the research report: Focus on the pipeline – Engaging the full potential of female middle managers by everywoman and Alexander Mann Solutions, hosted by BBC Academy.  This was especially exciting as it was one of the first events to be hosted in the brand new Academy zone in BBC's New Broadcasting House

The event brought together representatives from a variety of industries, and roles – all with one aim in common, the desire to address the gender diversity issue of female middle managers.

The event was opened by Karen Gill MBE and Maxine Benson MBE, founders of everywoman. Alix Pryde, Director of BBC Distribution then followed to share some of her experiences through working at the BBC. She was followed by Rosaleen Blair, CEO, Alexander Mann Solutions who spoke of the importance of talent management at middle manager level.

Then it was over to the panel -  senior level representatives from a cross section of industry including: Pamela Hutchinson, Head of Diversity & Inclusion EMEA, Northern Trust, Hamish Nisbet, Talent Attraction Manager, GE Capital, Stevan Rolls, HR Partner, Deloitte, and Nikki Walker, Senior Director Inclusion, Diversity & Sustainability, Cisco.

Of the findings within the report, five key insights were shared and discussed. The first was the business case for gender diversity. What surprised me was that only 40% of HR leaders see improved business performance as a benefit of increasing the number of women in senior roles, with other factors such as obligation and attracting talent being more prevalent in focusing attention on the issue. The panellists agreed that the root of understanding here is that senior leaders have to actually feel and believe that focusing on the issue is vital, rather than merely doing it because they are told they must. The message has to then be taken through to all levels, showing how it drives better business performance.

Another key finding was the striking differences between HR leaders’ views and the concerns of female middle managers. Although 81% of female middle managers feel lack of progression is a problem, just 62% of HR leaders agree – showing an real gap in perceptions.

But how much is the responsibility of the individual and how much the organisation? Again the panellists shared their experiences and insight here – all agreeing that the organisation must support and develop its female talent – through coaching, mentoring etc but that ultimately the responsibility for an individual’s career lies with that person. It’s an often quoted fact that women typically hold back more than men and don’t always push for the next promotion, the next raise etc - this was certainly a consensus shared here. This is key, women have to take control of their careers themselves rather than waiting for the proverbial ‘tap on the shoulder’. 

Aligned to this was  including female middle managers in succession planning - training, development and support for middle managers are HR leaders’ top succession planning priorities. But female managers are not prioritising their own training and development, believing ability and drive will lead to promotion. Companies also need to ensure that they are supporting this for example enabling women to discuss career ambitions through review meetings to enable these crucial conversations as part of the culture.

Flexibility in work was also discussed - although 74% of female middle managers are satisfied with the level of flexibility available in their current job, HR leaders and female middle managers both agree that individual or lifestyle decisions are the main factors holding women back.  Are some women ‘self selecting’ themselves out of promotions, believing that it would not allow them the flexibility they require? What’s more, it was raised, are women opting out before they even reach middle management? A common theme here was the ‘vibe’ within an organisation –all agreed that  it doesn’t matter how many policies a company can have – if the culture doesn’t seem to encourage flexible working then this will be a massive deterrent for women and will result in a drastic loss of talent. 

This brought the panel to close with one final point to be discussed – that of role models. Female middle managers would like more senior women role models, but many (40%) also say that senior women do not help other women progress in their organisation. This is in stark contrast to just 16% of HR leaders who agree with this. So what’s really interesting here is that the stats show that HR are actually overestimating the contribution made by senior women as role models. Women will be put off if they see the wrong kind of role model that doesn’t fit in with their values – meaning this can actually be a negative.  All panellists agreed that role models must be relevant and reachable – and at different levels of seniority. As a graduate listening to a female VP the gap is so immense that it’s not actually effective, but if a graduate has contact with someone a few steps above them this is much more accessible and valuable. Men as role models were also discussed – clearly this is vital and many organisations are encouraging this, to good effect.

The evening ended on a positive note with the panellists summing up. While the report itself highlights areas of concern and there is much to be done, the fact is that organisations genuinely want to do better and are implementing programmes and support frameworks that enable this. A very clear message that I will take from this is how, ultimately, responsibility has to lie with the individual as well – women should ask for what they want, be true to themselves and drive their own careers. There really has been no better time to do this and with the right support these women can and will achieve their goals.

Read the full report here>>

Take charge of your own personal development and drive your own career through the everywomanNetwork>>

View the original article here

MPs slam 'woeful' watchdog for failure on police corruption

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

The body set up to investigate police misconduct since 2004, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), is not yet capable of being the powerful watchdog it should be, according to a committee of MPs.

While a series of incidents have tested the public’s confidence in police – including the death of Ian Tomlinson in 2009, the Hillsborough tragedy cover-up and the continuing probe into conspiracy claims against former Government chief whip Andrew Mitchell – the report found that the IPCC too often made public mistrust of police worse, not better.

IPCC inquiries into alleged police wrongdoing start too late and take too long, according to the Home Affairs Select Committee. The finding came as the IPCC conducts an inquiry into the Hillsborough tragedy – its biggest ever – which will involve analysing the roles of some 2,000 people.

The IPCC, which has seen its budget cut by 13 per cent over four years, is “woefully underequipped and hamstrung” in achieving its objectives, with less funding than the professional standards department of the Metropolitan Police. The report said the law should be changed so that officers are routinely questioned after a death involving police.

“It has neither the powers nor the resources that it needs to get to the truth when the integrity of the police is in doubt,” the report said.

The inquiry highlighted claims that the IPCC failed to locate evidence and uncritically accepted police explanations for missing evidence, lacked the skills and experience of qualified lawyers and prosecutors, and was too slow in responding to complaints and conducting investigations.

The IPCC has been criticised by campaigners including Doreen Lawrence, the mother of the murdered black teenager Stephen Lawrence, who said she had “no confidence whatsoever” in it. The organisation has faced calls for it to be scrapped, but the MPs said it should instead be given more money and greater powers to investigate other agencies.

Deborah Coles, co-director of Inquest which works with families of those who have died in custody, said: “The IPCC systematically fails to hold the police to account for wrongdoing.”

The MPs extended their damning indictment of the IPCC’s abilities to that of police forces’ own disciplinary units. When the IPCC investigated appeals from the public into the way that forces had handled their complaints, it found that police had been wrong in 31 per cent of cases.

The Police Federation – which represent officers up to the rank of inspector – told the inquiry that the IPCC failed to intervene in cases where professional standards departments had “allegedly conducted a poor, biased or even corrupt investigation”.

“A strong watchdog is vital to get to the truth but the IPCC leaves the public frustrated and faithless,” said committee chairman Keith Vaz.

Dame Anne Owers, chairwoman of the IPCC, said: “This report recognises that we do not yet have the resources or powers to do all that the public rightly expects and needs from us.”

The Home Office said it would shortly announced plans to improve public trust in the police. “Improving police professionalism and integrity are at the cornerstone of the sweeping reforms we are making,” it said.

View the original article here

Awards for women in transport & logistics seek role models

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

Do you have what it takes to be a role model and inspire more women to work in transport and logistics?  The short answer is yes!  The longer answer is that role models come in all shapes and sizes, from a number of backgrounds, from those just starting out, to someone with many years under their belt, and work in a wide range of roles.  So, yes, you do have what it takes to be a role model.

Are role models necessary?

Once employed in the sector women find rewarding careers, yet it is not a sector that women tend to aspire to.  In research conducted at this summer’s 2nd annual everywoman in Transport and Logistics Leadership Academy, what surprised me was how few women (just 4%) had actively chosen the transport and logistics route, yet the same research showed that 44% of women in the industry have worked in it for 11 years or more. 

The industry clearly has an image issue in terms of attracting women, but then once they have caught the transport & logistics bug a large proportion find interesting, varied and challenging careers ahead.  It is therefore important for more to be done to attract women into the sector and promote the variety of roles available to them to make transport and logistics their career route of choice.

The transport and logistics industry needs to celebrate the successes and initiatives already in place that are clearly working and uncover and promote female role models from all levels to demonstrate this.  These role models are an affirmation that women can and do excel in transport & logistics.  Some people identify with peers better than someone who has already climbed the tree and reached a senior position, so finding women at all levels is important to inspire women at all stages of their career.

How can you become a role model?

The FTA everywoman in Transport and Logistics Awards has an important role to play in finding inspiring role models.  Winners of these awards for women are ideal role models for girls to show that women can and do break down barriers and succeed in this traditionally male-dominated industry.  Could you inspire the future generation? You can nominate yourself or a woman you know – it’s all done online at www.everywoman.com/tlawards and nominations are open until 11 February 2013.

Let’s get this show on the road and put you and your organisation on the map.

View the original article here