Source: www.digitalspy.co.uk
Kent’s chief constable honoured by the Queen - Kent News
Chief Constable Ian Learmonth
Saturday, June 16, 2012
10:45 AM
Ian Learmonth among a list of the county’s finest to be recognised in the birthday honour’s list
Kent’s chief constable has received the prestigious Queen’s Police Medal in the birthday honours list.
Ian Learmonth, who joined Kent Police in July 2010, was among a list of the county’s finest to be recognised for their services and work in the county.
The chief constable was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal, which is given to officers for distinguished service.
Mr Learmonth joined Essex Police as a Cadet in 1974, and served with the force in a variety of uniform operational roles until 2005 when he was promoted to Assistant Chief Constable of Strathclyde Police.
In that role he led the major police operation for the G8 summit in 2005, and the policing response to the attack on Glasgow Airport by terrorists in 2007.
He was promoted to Deputy Chief Constable of Norfolk Police in 2007, where he led a major programme to redesign the force to put more officers on the frontline.
In July 2010, he was promoted to Chief Constable of Kent Police. His work with the force has been praised by both the Prime Minister in August 2011 during the disorder that gripped the country, and by the Home Secretary.
Mr Learmonth is the national lead for the police service on public order policing, a role he was given after last summer’s disorder.
He said he was both delighted and humbled to receive the Queen’s Police Medal.
“The success of Kent Police is down to the hard work and deep sense of public service of my officers and staff,” he said.
“I have not worked with a more dedicated team.
“I don’t consider what I do to be special, but I’ve worked with some amazing people over the years and seen the profound impact that effective policing has on people’s lives.”
Deputy Chief Constable Alan Pughsley added: “Ian Learmonth has given 38 years of his life to selflessly serving the community in a variety of difficult and dangerous police roles.
“He is an exemplary police officer who has always put the public first. It is a privilege to serve under his leadership, and this award from the Queen is very richly deserved and brings honour to the force as a whole.”
Director of Turner Contemporary, Victoria Pomery, was honoured with an OBE for services to the arts.
Ms Pomery runs the hugely successful gallery in Margate, which attracted more than half a million visitors in its first year of opening.
Others recognised in the honours list were leading hop grower Tony Redsell, who farms across Kent, who was awarded an OBE for services to the UK’s hop industry; Sally Anne Sweeney Carroll, founder and mentor of Transport for Sick Children, who received an MBE for services to child care; and Professor Christopher John Rudge, formerly national clinical director for transplantation and consultant in renal transplantation, who was honoured with CBE for services to transplantation and organ donation.
Mary Butcher, from Canterbury, and Heather Clemence, from Tonbridge, were both recognised for their talents and services to the community.
Ms Butcher was awarded an MBE for services to basket making after 35 years in the industry.
She said: “When I first saw a letter from the cabinet office, I wondered what I had done. Then I opened it and I couldn’t quite believe it.
“It’s such an honour, not just for me personally, but for the craft too.
“I have taught people in the last 35 years who have become traditional basket makers, and I have taught people to think differently about the basket making process.”
Heather Clemence has volunteered at Sevenoaks’ British Heart Foundation branch for more than 30 years and received a British Empire Medal for her long service.
She said: “I was completely surprised because I had no idea about it at all. I got it through my charity work which my husband and I have been doing since 1978.
“The award of the BEM is a great surprise and honour. I must share it with all those who, over more than 30 years, worked together as fundraisers.
“But most of all I will always remember the friendship we all shared, the happy meetings, the fun which we all had over coffee and biscuits and the pleasure of fundraising events.”
Source: www.kentnews.co.uk
Matrimonial sites becoming new crime spot - Times of India
In the last one year, Cyber Crime sleuths recorded two cases where con artistes successfully used matrimonial sites to dupe people. The recently arrested B Tech graduate B Ravi Kishore duped 54 women by posing as an IIT graduate with a Master's degree from University of California.
His predecessor, V Deepti Reddy, who was arrested by CID sleuths in 2011, lured high earning professionals by posing as an MBBS graduate. "Though there are many such instances, only a handful of the victims approach the police as the media attention might further dampen their chances of getting a suitable partner," a CID official said.
CID sleuths who investigated both these cases found striking similarities in the modus operandi of the two criminals and the profiles of their victims. The victims in both these cases were high earning professionals, mostly software engineers, doctors, architects and management professionals.
Despite being well educated, none of the victims bothered to verify the genuineness of the profiles of the accused and police believe that the not so easily available 'suitable' partner is the reason behind it. The victims were blinded by the polished English and well respected professional life of the accused.
"Kishore, who worked in a BPO earlier, used to talk to the victims with an American accent. So, the victims never bothered to cross check his claims of being a Microsoft employee with degrees from IIT Mumbai and University of California," CID additional SP, U Ram Mohan, said.
To further push the victims into trusting him, Kishore always used to travel in a hired AC cab and meet the victims at five star hotels only. "In reality, Kishore used to share a flat with some others at Miyapur in the city outskirts and he just had two pairs of formal wear," the investigating officer said. None of the 54 women whom he befriended through his profile on the matrimonial site knew his actual residential address but he successfully exploited 22 of them.
Same was the case with Deepti Reddy who borrowed money from just over 20 people by befriending them through her doctor profile on a matrimonial site. Deepti was already married twice before she posted her profile on the website and she has two children, police said. Deepti took lakhs of rupees from several of her prospective grooms, whom she never met personally, by saying that the money is for performing surgeries on poor children.
As there are lakhs of educated youth registered on these matrimonial sites, CID sleuths have suggested some steps to identify such con artistes:
Always verify the profile details of the individual before becoming close to that person. Employment verification can be easily done by calling up the concerned company or by paying a personal visit.
Don't give money to people with whom you become friends through online profiles even if they emotionally blackmail you.
Do not indulge in online chatting, dating or get emotionally involved with people without verifying the truthfulness of their claims.
None of the victims bothered to verify the genuineness of the profiles of the accused and police believe that the not so easily available 'suitable' partner is the reason behind it.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Visit Kent chief defends its public funding for tourism promotion - thisiskent.co.uk
THANET has paid more to Visit Kent to promote the area's tourism than all the other districts in the county combined.
The figures were revealed through a Freedom Of Information Act request to each authority after Visit Kent refused to reveal how much public money it receives.
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PROFILE: Visit Kent used Turner Contemporary and Botany Bay as images in its advertising campaign. Chief executive Sandra Matthews-Marsh (left) insists Visit Kent is open about how much money it gets from the public purse, and Iris Johnston, right, said the council reviews payment to external organisations
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Sandra Matthews Marsh
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Thanet. Margate. Cabinate member for Tourism Iris Johnston infront of the tudor tea house which is set to re-open.
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Thanet. Margate. Turner Contemporary. National launch of Tracey Emins's new exhibition called "She Lay Down Deep Beneath The Sea". Evening showing. No celebs but snapped a few people as they went in including Clive Hart, Laura Sandys and Stuart Neame.
Since 2005 Visit Kent has received nearly £2.8 million in public money with more than £671,000 of that coming from Thanet.
The Thanet share is £2,000 more than that paid over the same period by all other Kent districts and Medway.
Over the same period Kent County Council has paid £1.3 million to Visit Kent.
Robert Oxley, campaign manager of The TaxPayers' Alliance said it was "appalling" that Visit Kent had resisted attempts to publish how much taxpayers' money it receives.
He said: "If Kent residents are unable to scrutinise how much of their cash is ending up in the company's coffers, then it makes it impossible to judge whether they are getting good value for money from the agency.
"Thanet residents in particular will be left wondering why on earth so much of their council tax has been handed over as they appear to disproportionately foot the bill for this opaque tourist agency."
Visit Kent chief executive Sandra Matthews-Marsh said she "resented" the implication that Visit Kent was anything other than transparent.
She added: "Visit Kent monitors all its activities to ensure good value for money, guaranteeing that for every £1 from local authorities it is match funded at least by £4.
"Tourism is worth £3.2 billion to the Kent economy and employs 63,000 people. Thanet makes up eight per cent of this.
"From 2006 until 2009 Thanet as well as Shepway saw the biggest increase in economic value of tourism growing by ten per cent.
She added that last year Botany Bay and Turner Contemporary had featured heavily in the Kent Contemporary London advertising campaign – something the district could not afford to do on its own.
She said: "Botany Bay was the image that most appealed to potential visitors with 43 per cent saying it made them want to come to Kent. Thanet is only one of six partners in this campaign."
In 2010/2011 financial year Thanet council saved £75,000 by closing its Visitor Information Centres in Ramsgate and Broadstairs. The following year it increased its budget for Visit Kent from £73,720 to £87,784.
Councillor Iris Johnston, cabinet member for tourism said the council's payments to Visit Kent had to be seen in context.
She said: "Much of the Thanet economy depends upon a healthy tourist trade, so it's not surprising that we would place more emphasis than, for example,
Sevenoaks."
Source: www.thisiskent.co.uk
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