Hero...
THE butt of jokes and loved only by their mothers, plane spotters are putting their hobby, binoculars and little notepads to good use as antiterrorist police informers, Police Review (July 6) reports. Sussex Police’s aviation security unit is using all means possible to prevent missiles being fired at passenger planes around Gatwick. Happily, the best positions to fire at an aircraft are probably already taken by sharp-eyed plane enthusiasts. “They are potentially a good source of information as they are here all the time, watching the aircraft,” says PC Nick Hart. Not exactly spying 007-style, but it’s a start.
... and villain
GRANNY has hopped out of bed like a spring chicken to make a pot of tea to celebrate the end of EastEnders. But not so fast: Nursing Times (July 3) reports that Colchester General Hospital is trialling beds and chairs fitted with pressure-reactive sensors. When a particular change in pressure occurs, indicating that a patient might be about to wobble and fall, an alarm is activated, summoning a nurse. While the use of such devices has reduced the rate of falls at the hospital by 4 per cent year on year, Jonathan Webster, a consultant nurse, says that technology must not be allowed to undermine a patient’s independence.