Toilet Bowls & Guardian Angels

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The Guardian Angels is a non-profit international volunteer organization of unarmed crime-prevention patrollers. The Guardian Angels organization was founded February 13, 1979 in New York City by Curtis Sliwa and has more than 130 chapters around the world.[1]

Sliwa originally created the organization to combat widespread violence and crime on the New York City Subway system. The organization originally trained members to make citizen’s arrests for violent crimes. The organization patrols the streets and neighborhoods but also provides education programs and workshops for schools and businesses.

The Sacramento chapter of the Guardian Angels was the third chapter formed in California, following the Los Angeles and San Francisco chapters. At its height, the Chapter consisted of over 50 people ranging in age from 16 to 50 years old. There, the police worked closely with the local chapter and supplied a phone number and a liaison officer for them to use within their People Oriented Police (P.O.P.) division. The chapter headquarters was a rent-free half of a commercial medical duplex for several years. The Sacramento Chapter also featured a bike patrol to help provide additional eyes and ears along the American River Parkway. Using CB radios, patrols could call back to the headquarters and have the freedom not to depend upon public pay telephones to call the Sacramento Police.

Patrols ranged from 20 to as few as two Angels, though a minimum of three people was the standard. Members were assigned positions and specific locations in a patrol: the Patrol Leader was at the front; Communications was beside or behind; and Runners came next and would usually be the majority of the patrol, along with the second, who was in charge of keeping the patrol organized at the rear. Angels unable to go on patrols typically monitored the CB radio at the headquarters. Thus, a chapter could enlist volunteers who were legally considered handicapped. When a situation required immediate physical action on a patrol, the Patrol Leader would send the Runners under the direction of the second and either send the Communications person (with another Angel) to find a phone and call police, or to radio the situation to Chapter Headquarters to call a P.O.P. officer. When on bicycles, the second and a Runner would leave bikes with the Patrol Leader. Long-distance communications between the parts of a patrol were achieved by specific patterns of blown whistles, which every member was required to have along with a working pen, pad of paper, and flashlight.

Most of this information has been taken from Wikipedia, a historical reminder of the lengths ordinary citizens are prepared to go to to keep their communities safe & ‘pleasant’.

There is also a lesson to be taken from the way the Guardian Angels operated, they acknowledged what I choose to call the ‘toilet bowl syndrome’. That’s to say that you need to make sure that all the plumbing (not just the toilet bowl) remains uncluttered. There is nothing quite so unpleasant as a toilet overflowing with sewage because of blocked pipes. I say this because of the drop in police numbers in inner city areas where they are most needed, and the excellence of policing in areas where they’re supported to the hilt by local communities and they’ve been allowed to be effective. The chancellor has convinced us all that rampant austerity has been sorely needed & those in the inner cities have paid the price, particularly as regarneighbourhood policing, will somebody please unblock the pipes?

 

 

McCash drugs gang jailed for total of 46 years after dealing hard drugs in Southampton

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THEY called themselves “The Government” because they thought they were untouchable.

A notorious drugs gang controlled the supply of potentially hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of Class A drugs around the Thornhill estate in Southampton.

Using the threat of violence the major drugs enterprise involving the eight men, who played various roles in ensuring the supply of crack cocaine and heroin, maintained a stronghold over the estate for at least 18 months.

But today that rule is over and they are facing years behind bars after one of Hampshire Constabulary’s longest and most difficult undercover operations which seized £60,000 worth of drugs and £45,000 in cash.

Yesterday they were jailed for a total of 46 years.

Detective Sergeant Jason Attwell, senior investigating officer, told the Daily Echo: “It is said the gang had nicknamed themselves ‘The Government’ because effectively they controlled the events that happened on the Thornhill Estate. They had control of who did what and when.

“The sentencing of the McCash family and their associates represents a significant disruption and dismantling of the organised crime group and in this case we are happy we can say we have overthrown ‘The Government’.

Southampton Crown Court heard how this group was particularly difficult to bring down because four of the eight were members of the McCash family.

Darren McCash,, 32, who lived in an exclusive apartment in Port Solent and drove a £19,000 Mercedes, was in charge of what Judge Peter Henry described as a “professional and highly organised” drugs business.

As Judge Henry told the court, he was the leader who organised and directed the buying and selling of drugs on a commercial scale.

He had recruited younger his cousins – who the judge described as his lieutenants who stored and packaged the drugs ready for their onward sale – Ben McCash, 21, of Neva Road, Bradley McCash, 23, of Kitford Court, Botley and Robbie McCash, 18, also of Kitford Court.

They all pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine.

Darren also pleaded guilty to two counts of money laundering relating to the cash used to buy his Mercedes and the £1,305 in cash found on him when he was arrested.

Prosecutor Kerry Maylin said: “It was clear that close members of the family had been recruited and directed by him on that supply chain.”

Managing the commercial supply of the drugs between Southampton and London was Babak Rajabzadeh, 30, of Burgess Road and Abrar Ali, 27,of Derby Road. They were both found guilty of conspiracy to supply crack cocaine.

The court heard how Rajabzadeh got involved with the conspiracy in April 2014 and was used by Darren McCash to source crack cocaine from his sources in London.

He employed the help of Ali, who was sentenced on the basis of his involvement on one day of the operation – which saw him go to London, in convoy with Rajabzadeh, for what ended up being an aborted drugs run.

But on his way back to Southampton, he was stopped on the M3 by officers who found £37,500 cash in his boot – which the Judge accepted was money to be used to buy cocaine.

While Michael Tudor, 28, of Kingsdown Way and David Brown, 28, of Lime Street, were the “middle men” between Darren McCash and Rajabzadeh.

They were both found guilty of conspiracy to supply crack cocaine in relation to the delivery of one package of class A drugs.

Central to the drugs operation, the court heard, was one address in Thornhill – the home of Darren McCash’s mum Julie in Burgoyne Road.

As a result of this major operation, Southampton City Council has since evicted her from her home.

Undercover officers watched for hours as Darren McCash would head to his mother’s home, get changed into wellies and then head out into the woodland behind her house carrying items.

It was under cover of the trees that police believe he stored drugs and carried out most of his exchanges.

However one exchange was caught on camera, when a carrier bag was passed between two passing cars, one driven by Darren, nicknamed Mac10 – the name of a semi-automatic rifle. – and Rajabzadeh.

The court also heard how the gang would typically use the method of “cuckooing” to take over addresses of vulnerable drug users, including those suffering from mental illness, and use them as one of their many bases for their drug supply.

Officers observed the McCash’s meeting various people at several addresses and when those homes were raided, Class A drugs and cash were found.

Darren McCash was also seen to frequently visit a flat in Dumbleton Towers, where police later found a safe, which the crown say was used to store his drugs money.

The arrogance of the gang was such that even when Darren’s brother Damien was convicted of drugs charges last year relating to £30,000 worth of cannabis, and jailed, instead of bringing a halt to the operation and keeping their heads down, they continued as normal.

The charges came following the culmination of the extensive investigation by theOperation Fortress team which ended with a number of raids on June 20, last year.

Officers found a total of £12,000 worth of drugs at Burgoyne Road, despite Darren trying to flush it down the toilet and £1,305 in cash.

At the home of his cousins officers found more money and Class A drugs.

Officers believe this is just a fraction of the amount of drugs passed through the estate between 2013 and 2014 – with best estimates calculating up to £200,000 worth of drugs passing through the gang during that period.

As Judge Henry passed his sentences, family in the public gallery began crying and at one point the hearing had to be halted as some of the defendants threatened violence as the reality of how long they were going to be spending in jail hit home.

Dad-of-one Darren McCash was sentenced to nine years in prison, getting credit for his guilty plea.

His cousins Ben and Bradley were given six years each.

Their younger brother Robbie, who was just 17 as the time of the conspiracy and of previous good character, was sentenced on his involvement wrapping up some drugs on just one day and was given a two-year youth rehabilitation order. The judge said that he played a much lesser role.

Rajabzadeh, the judge said was a “manipulator” whose role it was to “negotiate, find and deal with wholesale suppliers in London and organise them to be brought down to Southampton. He received 12 years in prison to which he shouted at the judge “are you crazy”.

Ali, the judge said played a significant role on one day of the conspiracy – the aborted drug deal in London – and sentenced him to seven years in prison.

While Tudor and Brown, whose partner is pregnant, were handed three years each in prison. The judge said they were “persuaded” to get involved and was “very conscious” they were involved for just one day and played much lesser roles.

After the sentencing DS Attwell added: “This organised crime group have been responsible for causing misery to members of the Thornhill community by supplying crack cocaine and heroin in commercial quantities – the impact of this drug supply by way of acquisitive crime, anti social behaviour and risk to public health resulted in significant community impact.

“They exploited and targeted vulnerable people and used their vulnerability to line their pockets and support their cash rich criminal lifestyle.

“It is a massive conviction because people would talk about Darren McCash as being untouchable and we have proved that he isn’t.

“The success of the operation is testament to the dedication of my team and in particular I would like to highlight the excellent work of the officer in the case, DC Adam Knight and the deputy senior investigating officer DS Matt Taylor.”

Speaking about the unusual step to evict McCash’s mother from her home, he added: “It was an unusual course of events to take but we had significant evidence that she was the matriarch of the family which made their drug dealing possible.

“It was a necessary course to take to show that when we dismantle drug networks, not only do we go for the main people, but also the people willing to support it.”

 

THEY called themselves “The Government” because they thought they were untouchable.

A notorious drugs gang controlled the supply of potentially hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of Class A drugs around the Thornhill estate in Southampton.

Using the threat of violence the major drugs enterprise involving the eight men, who played various roles in ensuring the supply of crack cocaine and heroin, maintained a stronghold over the estate for at least 18 months.

But today that rule is over and they are facing years behind bars after one of Hampshire Constabulary’s longest and most difficult undercover operations which seized £60,000 worth of drugs and £45,000 in cash.

Yesterday they were jailed for a total of 46 years.

Detective Sergeant Jason Attwell, senior investigating officer, told the Daily Echo: “It is said the gang had nicknamed themselves ‘The Government’ because effectively they controlled the events that happened on the Thornhill Estate. They had control of who did what and when.

“The sentencing of the McCash family and their associates represents a significant disruption and dismantling of the organised crime group and in this case we are happy we can say we have overthrown ‘The Government’.

Southampton Crown Court heard how this group was particularly difficult to bring down because four of the eight were members of the McCash family.

Darren McCash,, 32, who lived in an exclusive apartment in Port Solent and drove a £19,000 Mercedes, was in charge of what Judge Peter Henry described as a “professional and highly organised” drugs business.

As Judge Henry told the court, he was the leader who organised and directed the buying and selling of drugs on a commercial scale.

He had recruited younger his cousins – who the judge described as his lieutenants who stored and packaged the drugs ready for their onward sale – Ben McCash, 21, of Neva Road, Bradley McCash, 23, of Kitford Court, Botley and Robbie McCash, 18, also of Kitford Court.

They all pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine.

Darren also pleaded guilty to two counts of money laundering relating to the cash used to buy his Mercedes and the £1,305 in cash found on him when he was arrested.

Prosecutor Kerry Maylin said: “It was clear that close members of the family had been recruited and directed by him on that supply chain.”

Managing the commercial supply of the drugs between Southampton and London was Babak Rajabzadeh, 30, of Burgess Road and Abrar Ali, 27,of Derby Road. They were both found guilty of conspiracy to supply crack cocaine.

The court heard how Rajabzadeh got involved with the conspiracy in April 2014 and was used by Darren McCash to source crack cocaine from his sources in London.

He employed the help of Ali, who was sentenced on the basis of his involvement on one day of the operation – which saw him go to London, in convoy with Rajabzadeh, for what ended up being an aborted drugs run.

But on his way back to Southampton, he was stopped on the M3 by officers who found £37,500 cash in his boot – which the Judge accepted was money to be used to buy cocaine.

While Michael Tudor, 28, of Kingsdown Way and David Brown, 28, of Lime Street, were the “middle men” between Darren McCash and Rajabzadeh.

They were both found guilty of conspiracy to supply crack cocaine in relation to the delivery of one package of class A drugs.

Central to the drugs operation, the court heard, was one address in Thornhill – the home of Darren McCash’s mum Julie in Burgoyne Road.

As a result of this major operation, Southampton City Council has since evicted her from her home.

Undercover officers watched for hours as Darren McCash would head to his mother’s home, get changed into wellies and then head out into the woodland behind her house carrying items.

It was under cover of the trees that police believe he stored drugs and carried out most of his exchanges.

However one exchange was caught on camera, when a carrier bag was passed between two passing cars, one driven by Darren, nicknamed Mac10 – the name of a semi-automatic rifle. – and Rajabzadeh.

The court also heard how the gang would typically use the method of “cuckooing” to take over addresses of vulnerable drug users, including those suffering from mental illness, and use them as one of their many bases for their drug supply.

Officers observed the McCash’s meeting various people at several addresses and when those homes were raided, Class A drugs and cash were found.

Darren McCash was also seen to frequently visit a flat in Dumbleton Towers, where police later found a safe, which the crown say was used to store his drugs money.

The arrogance of the gang was such that even when Darren’s brother Damien was convicted of drugs charges last year relating to £30,000 worth of cannabis, and jailed, instead of bringing a halt to the operation and keeping their heads down, they continued as normal.

The charges came following the culmination of the extensive investigation by theOperation Fortress team which ended with a number of raids on June 20, last year.

Officers found a total of £12,000 worth of drugs at Burgoyne Road, despite Darren trying to flush it down the toilet and £1,305 in cash.

At the home of his cousins officers found more money and Class A drugs.

Officers believe this is just a fraction of the amount of drugs passed through the estate between 2013 and 2014 – with best estimates calculating up to £200,000 worth of drugs passing through the gang during that period.

As Judge Henry passed his sentences, family in the public gallery began crying and at one point the hearing had to be halted as some of the defendants threatened violence as the reality of how long they were going to be spending in jail hit home.

Dad-of-one Darren McCash was sentenced to nine years in prison, getting credit for his guilty plea.

His cousins Ben and Bradley were given six years each.

Their younger brother Robbie, who was just 17 as the time of the conspiracy and of previous good character, was sentenced on his involvement wrapping up some drugs on just one day and was given a two-year youth rehabilitation order. The judge said that he played a much lesser role.

Rajabzadeh, the judge said was a “manipulator” whose role it was to “negotiate, find and deal with wholesale suppliers in London and organise them to be brought down to Southampton. He received 12 years in prison to which he shouted at the judge “are you crazy”.

Ali, the judge said played a significant role on one day of the conspiracy – the aborted drug deal in London – and sentenced him to seven years in prison.

While Tudor and Brown, whose partner is pregnant, were handed three years each in prison. The judge said they were “persuaded” to get involved and was “very conscious” they were involved for just one day and played much lesser roles.

After the sentencing DS Attwell added: “This organised crime group have been responsible for causing misery to members of the Thornhill community by supplying crack cocaine and heroin in commercial quantities – the impact of this drug supply by way of acquisitive crime, anti social behaviour and risk to public health resulted in significant community impact.

“They exploited and targeted vulnerable people and used their vulnerability to line their pockets and support their cash rich criminal lifestyle.

“It is a massive conviction because people would talk about Darren McCash as being untouchable and we have proved that he isn’t.

“The success of the operation is testament to the dedication of my team and in particular I would like to highlight the excellent work of the officer in the case, DC Adam Knight and the deputy senior investigating officer DS Matt Taylor.”

Speaking about the unusual step to evict McCash’s mother from her home, he added: “It was an unusual course of events to take but we had significant evidence that she was the matriarch of the family which made their drug dealing possible.

“It was a necessary course to take to show that when we dismantle drug networks, not only do we go for the main people, but also the people willing to support it.”

This case is about a year old but I’ve posted it because the way the police tackle this kind of thing outside of London is exceptional & the exceptionality is that noticeable.

 

Rules of Engagement

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That is usually the term applied for how you engage the enemy on the battlefield. so what do you do when the enemy on the battlefield has a significant amount of cash at his or her disposal and is also a family member? Well, usually the answer is absolutely nothing, it’s their life and so you let their decisions and the consequences play themselves out, don’t you? There really is no need to intervene if the matter or matters are personal to them, and where they’re not, where they’re encroaching on the peace, safety and the well-being of an enitre community, well you just leave it to the police don’t you?

Fact: police numbers have fallen by 17,000 a significant number of them being neighbourhood police officers. Which means that if you live in an inner city neighbourhood and your counting on the physical presence of police officers, you might as well not even bother. The government haven’t just lambasted the police repeatedly for their perceived consistent ineptitudes they’ve cut their numbers. So, if little Josephine or little Johnny and his mates are getting out of hand with their criminality, the only real community based force may well be their blood relatives (that’s assuming their relatives aren’t as much of a problem as they are!). If you’ve a community full of concerned elders trying to make sure your peace loving & decent community stays that way, and they find themselves ranged against vile & nasty drug dealers? They’re on their own, courtesy of the government.

The police federation holds it’s conference to day at which the home secretary (she who had to be convinced that for the sake of national security the police should not face further cuts) will speak. My message to that lady, you have done our inner city communities in particular a great disservice & I cannot believe we had to settle out of London to Winchester to discover a community of elders who are supported in their wishes for their community, by police officers who work hard and whose numbers (in Hampshire) are being added to. London broughs like Hackney, Brent, Hounslow and Newham deserve the same blessings but thanks to this home secretary & her government there’s nothing doing. Who by the way thought it was a good idea to vote this goverment into power?

 

 

Father of dead baby Nico Maynard ‘was massive risk’

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The father of a baby found dead with a fractured skull had been previously jailed for child cruelty and was a “massive risk”, an inquest has heard.

Three-month-old Nico Maynard died at home in Southampton in September 2011. He was also found to have a broken leg.

Hamid Baldelli had served a year in jail for an offence against another child in another part of the country.

In a report on his release Baldelli was described as “as being a massive risk to young children”.

The inquest heard a social worker had also raised concerns over his control, power and anger issues.

 However social services in Southampton said they knew nothing of Baldelli’s past.

His previous victim had also suffered a skull fracture and limb fractures.

Southampton Coroner Keith Wiseman recorded an open verdict and said there was considerable uncertainty about how Nico came to die.

Twin sister

A serious case review published last week into the baby’s death called for a national register to be set up for those who commit child cruelty crimes, so they can be tracked.

Baldelli moved to Hampshire after leaving prison in 2009, and started a relationship with Jodie Maynard in Southampton with whom he had twins.

Baldelli said he found Nico cold and stiff and face down in his Moses basket in the early hours of 22 September 2011 and an ambulance was called.

He was confirmed dead at hospital later and post-mortem tests showed fractures to the skull and thigh bone.

Further tests discovered a brain injury, probably linked to the skull fracture, that had happened several days previously.

The surviving twin sister also had fractures to the tibia and skull.

The hearing was told Baldelli and Miss Maynard were arrested on suspicion of murder. They said Nico had fallen off a sofa two weeks previously.

‘Appalling failure’

Det Insp Linda Howard, from Hampshire Police, said this was not a plausible explanation of the injuries.

She said: “We obviously looked at the history of the parents and the previous incident as well.”

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it did not charge the pair because it was not possible to know who caused the injuries, which happened over a wide timescale when the mother and father and other family members had care of Nico, Ms Howard said.

In addition, several experts did not agree on a cause of death, even though the skull fracture was significant, she said.

However, a detailed hearing into the case was held, the inquest was told.

The judge found that on the balance of probability – a much lesser burden of proof than that required in a criminal case – Baldelli was responsible for inflicting the injuries on the children.

He said Baldelli “had a temper and a disposition to outbursts of anger which he could at times not control and this had led him on several occasions to inflict injuries upon his children”.

The judge also said Miss Maynard was “culpable of an appalling failure to protect her children”.

“She either knows or ought to know what happened but has resolutely refused to countenance the possibility that the father injured the children,” the judge added.

He concluded the most likely way the fracture happened was by a blunt trauma to the head, but he agreed with the experts that the injury did not solely cause the death.

This year Southampton Council faces the prospect of severe cuts this year in order to close its ‘deficit gap’ how will that impact on families & children’s services? Maybe the government should tell us since they are responsible for these cuts.