Nottinghamshire Analysis Feature Archive

Concerned about underperformance by Nottinghamshire Police Force, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) have taken the unusual step of sending in an "elite squad" to review the force's practices. Zoe Billingham, the Inspector for the eastern region, explained: "We're concerned about the enduring issue of Nottinghamshire Police's under-performance. There has been improvement in the city, but crime is not falling as fast as in other areas of the county. People in Nottinghamshire don't feel safe in some areas."

The team's work will reportedly cost £75,000. The six person team includes two serving chief constables and, bizarrely, Tony Wilkinson, former chairman of discount store Wilkinsons Ltd.

This move comes at the end of what diplomatically might be described as a "difficult" year for Nottinghamshire Police.

On the newswire: Christmas Appeal - Spare some coppers for a Copper | Another shoplifting copper caught with their trousers down | Police dog handler on trial | Demo against Notts Police & £700,000 bill for arresting 114 enviro activists | Taser Frenzy in Nottingham | Another young, black man dies in a police cell | Police spent £700.000 on climate action bust operation | Heroes of law and order

Previous features: Notts Police Face Scrutiny | Mass Arrest of 114 Climate Activists in Raid | Tasers in Nottingham

Related links: Inquest | Nottscops: Unofficial Nottinghamshire Police Photo Archive | United Campaign Against Police Violence | Notts Indymedia Repression topic page

The past year has been a a busy one for activists in Nottingham, a city which continues to find itself on the frontline between movements for social change and the forces of the state. This was rarely more obvious than around the arrest of the Ratcliffe 114. In a different sense the student occupation in solidarity with Gaza, one of a wave across the country, was notable for the particularly violent manner in which university authorities brought it to a conclusion, particularly compared with the successes which had been achieved elsewhere.

A damaging report into the 'culture and leadership' at Nottingham City Council has so far been kept hidden in a locked cabinet at the Council House. Classed as 'confidential', the city council has systematically tried every effort to keep the report out of the public domain. In February, Stephanie Pearson, the information governance officer of Nottingham City Council, refused to provide the information requested by a councilor and the Evening Post under the Freedom of Information Act. The Council argue that the information disclosed in the report is 'not in the public interest'. It is also claimed that those seeking exposure of the controversial documents have not demonstrated a 'need to know' of its contents.

We believe that it is not for the City Council to judge whether information concerning their activity is in the public interest or not. Council officers should remember that they are in their positions to serve the people of Nottingham. To ensure full transparency of the activities of our City Council and in the interest of accountability we have decided to publish a direct download link of the full report.

Download: Nottingham - the hidden report (PDF / 11mb)

As Britain continues the 2007 celebration of 'Abolition 200', the legal end of Britain's official involvement in trans-Atlantic slave trading, and with most eyes on the main slave trade ports like Bristol and Liverpool, our local councils seem quite unconcerned about direct or indirect involvement with the profits of slavery in Notts and East Midlands, and seem happy just to leave local churches to do the soul searching. Let's ask some questions...

An easy example of Notts involvement in slavery is the well-known Mellish family, whose name is probably best associated in local minds with a Nottingham school. The family is known to have had involvement with ownership and official dealings with plantation estates in the West Indies in the 18th century. Even a cursory look at the Mellish family online archive record reveals inheritance of slave plantation estate property from the governor of the Bahamas (John Tinker), and we can read about William Mellish's official dealings with plantation monies in Jamaica as Receiver General for the Customs & Excise (he was also MP for Retford).

Photos: George Africanus: Re-dedication of former slave's grave

Links: The Mellish and Buchanan Families of Blyth and Hodsock - A Brief History | The Nottingham Sparrow, Nottingham AF | 'Slavery - the Hidden History', Bristol Radical History Group | Anti-slavery march demands reparations for slave trade

Over 50 people came together at Nottingham University for an event called 'the Knowledge Lab'. The event was aimed at bridging the gap between activism and academia and to provide a collective space for anti-capitalist reflection. It is normally organised within universities, which the organisers say are 'institutions essentially geared towards the production of knowledge as a resource for corporate interest and as justification for particular constellations of power relations. Hence the 'Knowledge Lab' has become an attempt to claim back some of the university's space, resources and know-how from the military-industrial complex and make them available for people concerned about and working against the status quo of unceasing commodification, exploitation, war, and biospherical destruction.

It was the 4th time the event was organised and focussed on 'Knowledge' this time. Workshops were based around questions such as 'how do we know'? what is knowledge'? 'where do we gain our knowledge from'? 'does someone hold control over our knowledge'? 'how does gender affect knowledge'? 'how does education effect knowledge'? 'how are our senses affected by advertising and the media'? and 'how can suppressed knowledge be released into the mainstream'? Other sessions included a presentation and discussion on an alternative education project called 'Travelling School of Life', an experiment in anarchism and concensus decision making called 'SOMA' and an Open Spaces for Dialogue and Enquiry session aimed at looking at what knowledge is and what controls, thus affects it.

Audio: Organiser explains about the 4th Knowledge Lab | Chat with a Knowledge Lab regular about its history and aims | Audio of part of the Open Spaces for Dialogue and Enquiry session on 'Knowledge' | Affective Knowledge & Alternative Media (part 1) + (part 2)

Links: Knowledge Lab website | Peace Conference & Knowledge Lab :: some photos | Travelling School of Life Workshop at Knowledge Lab 4 in Nottingham | Audio reports and background from the 4th Knowledge Lab | Affective Knowledge & Alternative Media, some audio

Authorities in several countries are plundering anarchist principles to successfully reduce road casualties.

As our society becomes ever more complex our ‘representatives’ in local and national government feel they have to make more laws and regulations and implement new controls on people’s behaviour to ensure the safety of the majority. If they did not then very soon chaos and disorder would reign right? Well, as we know in our hearts this is nonsense, it is not laws and regulations that make people care for each other, all it needs is for the removal of all the extraneous impediments to mutual aid. Here is very practical example.

More and more artists within Nottingham seem to join the recycling art craze, as tetra-packs, plastic bages and cans are brought to new life. In the last few weeks various workshops were organised in the Sumac Centre in Forest Fields and the Old School Hall in Sneinton. The Rubbish Day Out in Sneinton was organised to raise awareness of recycling and waste issues. Here a collection of photo's from people who think creative workshops are fun and the way forward to promote environmental and social issues.

There is a creative campaigning workshop planned on Sunday 15 January 2006 from 11 am to 4 pm (with lunch break) at The Place, 2a Melrose Street, in Sherwood, Nottingham. It is all about drawing attention to your message. The Place is just off Mansfield road behind the old bus depot.

Last week the driver of a bus which killed 5 people from Nottingham and Leicester was sentenced to 5 years in prison. The driver was quilty of no more than being human and the judge's verdict fails leaves us all vulnerable.

The FOI Act is only part of the new openness package. Environmental Information Regulations (EIRs), which implement an EU directive, come into force at the same time. These provide a more powerful right to information about pollution, conservation, the natural environment, land use, road building, genetically modified organisms, air and water-borne diseases, food contamination and many other issues.

Campaigner, historian, author of 'Unpeople' and 'Web of Deceit', and former director of the World Development Movement; Mark Curtis, will give a talk at Nottingham University on Tue 18th Oct. The talk, entitled 'Government Propaganda and the Reality of UK Foreign Policy' will be at 5pm in the Portland Building, room B9. All are welcome, and the event is free. The talk is promoted by Nottingham Student Peace Movement.

Links: Mark Curtis website | Nottingham Student Peace Movement | Previous Indymedia coverage: Mark Curtis on the G8 (audio) | How the G8 Lied To The World On Aid | Web of Deceit book review