Reporting Crime of Trident during the Week of Action 30th June to 7th July 2014.

Llandrindod 30th June 2014

At 2.30p.m. on Monday 30th June 2014 around 15 people arrived to report the crime of Trident at Llandrindod Police Station as part of the Action AWE week of Reportings of Trident Crime all around the country. One by one they entered the police station and it took 3 hours to deal with us all. It was a new experience for nearly everyone there. The local complainants were told by the Llandrindod police that they had been instructed by the Thames Valley Police about how to deal with the complaints and were given a crime reference (CRI 4402480/14) and told that the reports were all being logged as STORM logs on the computer!

The Welsh Sargent said that a rural police force could not deal with these kinds of crimes as they had no knowledge of international law. I asked that they deal with it in the same way as they would deal with a report of a threat to murder, because when the armed forces do not comply with international humanitarian law and when they threaten to use a weapon that could never be used lawfully then their acts become ones of murder not of defence.

The arguments and reports from the different reporters of crime were all very varied and each person dealt with the crimes in very different ways, some presenting their reports in writing, which was much preferred by the police (as they had less work to do), and some verbally.

One man had to go to his teaching job and could not take part but said he would organise to take some friends along to go to his local police station in a nearby town. The people involved will all be following up to get a written response to their reports.

Report written by Angie Zelter.

Ilford 1st July 2014

Maggie and Melvyn Freake and Chris Gwyntopher, all members of Wanstead Quaker Meeting, reported the crimes of stockpiling and development of nuclear weapons of mass destruction at AWE Burghfield and AWE Aldermaston, to Ilford Police on Tuesday 1st July. Despite there being several other users of the police service, most of whom arrived after the three, waiting to be seen, their report was received with concern and courtesy. The officer on duty took extensive notes of the crimes they were reporting. The record which the officer read back referred to the work on Trident and its replacement, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty 1968, the attack on Iraq for possession of weapons of mass destruction they did not have and the sources of international law relating to nuclear weapons referred to in the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice 1996. She noted that Nuclear weapons are indiscriminate, killing civilians and combatants, destroying medical facilities, and crossing national boundaries. Their possession with the intention to use them is, she noted, illegal. The report was passed to a more senior officer. After about half an hour she gave the three a crime number, JIR T00347730.

The three were able to display a placard saying Trident nuclear system and its replacement are illegal and immoral, the Action AWE T shirt No Trident Replacement and a rainbow Peace flag in the entrance to the police station. This is just opposite Ilford Retail Park and a fairly busy area. They also gave out the Action AWE “Cut nuclear weapons” leaflet.

Report written by Chris Gwyntopher.

Ludlow 4th July 2014

Michael Green, of Knighton Action for Peace & Justice (KAPJ) tried, first of all, to recruit volunteers from the group with addresses in England (the group straddles the English/Welsh border) and found one. He then contacted other likely organisations in Shropshire and Herefordshire - Amnesty, Greenpeace, FoE, Green Party and Labour Party. This resulted in various emails either apologising for being unable to attend or hoping possibly to do so. It was unclear how many others were likely to join in.

We arrived at the appointed meeting place, about 1 minute from the police station, at 2.45 pm. There was one other person there but we waited for others to arrive before deciding on tactics. Just before 3 o’clock, two others joined us. Some preferred not to put the arguments, so we decided to go in as two and then three, with a spokesperson in each group. Outside the police station was another person, but sadly no press or media, all of which had received a press release. We decided on two groups of three and the first group went in. There was only one, rather small, policewoman, possibly clerical support, on the desk. She heard our preliminary complaint, involving the ICJ ruling, the arguments about International Humanitarian Law overriding national law and Britain’s failures to observe its obligations under the NPT, and made superficial notes. Everybody chipped in. She then said that she needed guidance on how to deal with this, asked us to wait and disappeared into a back office. After some time, she returned and said that she would hand our report to Thames Valley Police who were the responsible force at the AWE sites. She then took all our names and addresses. We asked for a crime number but she said that she couldn’t give us one but did give us a reference number. 445-S-040714.

When we came out, after about 15 -20 minutes, there were four more people waiting! They all decided to go in together. They also got a good hearing and one of them said that she wanted to make an individual report and was taken into a back office by no less than three officers! So, in the end we had ten people logged as reporting the crimes.

Report written by Michael Green

Presteigne 4th July 2014

The station was not staffed when I arrived so I spoke into the intercom at the front which is picked up by a central bureau. I stated simply what I was reporting which was noted. I asked her when staff were due in, she found out that the police would be back shortly and told them I was waiting. When they returned the Sargent introduced himself, I explained and was let inside. They had been out on an incident and had someone with them relating to that so the Sargent was still busy. He delegated the other two policemen to hear me. They had checked on the computer system re my initial call and already they knew that Thames Valley were ‘handling’ these.

Initially the crime number was written on a headed paper …… however when they came to take my statement the Sargent came in and said ‘this is better’ (A Leaflet) …. filled it in himself and gave it to me and left me with the other two. It was a leaflet for Victims of Crime - support and advice in Dyfed Powys, with sections to be filled in by the police. The crime reference number is DRK/0715/04/07/2014/OZ/C. He also wrote an incident number DP-20140704-272…….last could be a Z as difficult to make it out. On the initial piece of paper the policewoman had written STORM - message (incident number) and Thames Valley police no CRI-44OZ480-14.

My verbal statement was taken down, I gave them something I had written supporting my reporting Trident as a crime, and a copy of papers that Angie gave me ‘Illegality of the UK’s Nuclear Weapons’, which I signed and dated in front of them. They were helpful and friendly at all times.

Report written by Rolly Bea.

Stevenage 5th July 2014

3 days before the event I was contacted by Inspector Simon Tabert who wanted to have an idea of numbers and what he could expect from us. I told him about 5 people might turn up and that probably I would be the only one going in and we would like to have a stall up somewhere nearby (the police station rarely has passing pedestrians), maybe the railway station. He also suggested the town centre. The next day he got back to me and said he had asked for both and we could not put up a stall at either place. He gave me his contact details and said that PS Jim Moatt would be on the front desk to receive us. He told me I could contact PS Moatt by dialling 101.

On Saturday 5th July 7 of us gathered outside Stevenage police station. I went in with one other. I went up to the desk and a police woman sitting behind the desk said ‘Are you Lyn?’ I then read out the following document:

“We are asking the police to carry out their duties impartially, in the public interest by investigating the crimes we will report today. The World Court Judgement of 1996 said the use of nuclear weapons was almost always illegal. The government are pumping millions of pounds into upgrading Aldermaston and Burghfield in preparation for the renewal of Trident, an act which is not only in direct contravention of their obligations under the NPT, but it is illegal preparation for mass murder. By continuing to make and modernise nuclear weapons the UK is violating article VI of the Non Proliferation Treaty, which commits nuclear weapon states to move towards disarmament. Making and deploying Trident is materially preparing to use nuclear weapons, contrary to International Humanitarian Law. It is time we held to account those responsible for the manufacture and deployment of nuclear weapons. They must not be treated as above the law, nor allowed to continue hiding behind an outdated ‘Crown Prerogative’.”

She said she was there to take down the details and started filling a form on the computer - usual questions, name contact details etc and then asked what was the crime. I tried as best I could to pick out the bits of what I had read. She then asked what we wanted the police to do about it, who we wanted them to tackle in effect. I said probably the government but it was up to the police to investigate and decide who was breaking the law - the government or the companies manufacturing Trident.

She gave us a crime number - HC-05072014-0265. My friend asked for her name and details to be added. We left and another 2 went in. I am not sure what happened to them but the PC had told us that they would all have the same crime number. So there were 4 of us who reported the crimes of Trident in Stevenage.

Afterwards we walked to the shopping centre and gave out some CND anti Trident leaflets.

Report written by Lyn Bliss.

Oxford 5 July 2014

On 5 July, in the rain, a small group of activists from Action AWE, Friends of Reconciliation and Oxford CND gathered at the police station on St Aldates in central Oxford. With banners proclaiming ‘Nuclear Weapons Stop Here’ and Peace flags flying we handed out leaflets to passersby explaining that the nuclear weapons being made down the road at Burghfield and Aldermaston break international law. A few were encouraged to hear that it’s our right as citizens to report this crime, and one man cycling home from the shops joined in, leaving his bike outside with us while he popped in to make his crime report to the police. Altogether seven people reported suspected crimes, simply going up to the desk and making a paper report to the uniformed personnel. We were given the same crime number as those who reported at Reading in February (as we were reporting to the same police force, the Thames Valley Police) and were told that our reports would be added as witnesses to the same crimes reported then.

Report written by Clare Cochrane.

Kington 4th July 2014

Kington police station do not have a front desk/open door any more. West Mercia telephony refused to make an appointment for me. Kington people were not available at short notice and so I was alone. I delivered a letter on Friday 4th July with the information from Angie, which I signed. On 16th July a letter was received from Colin Smith (Sgt 3413) of the Safer Neighbourhood Team based in Leominster Police Station for West Mercia

Police, North Herefordshire (Bromyard, Kington and Leominster) thanking me for my letter of 4th July which was passed-on by staff at Kington Police Station; saying ….. “I have forwarded your documents to Hereford Police Station for consideration by the Command Team to ensure that a consistent approach is taken by the police locally when responding to these matters which clearly may well be reported by a number of community members. You should receive a response directly from Hereford in due course.”

Report written by Richie Cotterill.