Police probe pub raids

Police are considering possible links between a series of raidsat Whitbread pubs nationwide. In the latest robbery, at the Clock Tower, Donnington, Shropshire, two masked men threatened staff with handguns. Six members of staff were then held at gunpoint in the manager's office. They were forced to open the safe which contained £7,000 in weekend takings. Police are now looking at similarities between the raid and robberies at pubs in Oldbury, Manchester, Hertfordshire, Kent and East Sussex. Man beaten by muggers Muggers beat a man to the floor outside a Hounslow pub this week, before smashing his teeth out and grabbing his mobile phone. The 29-year-old Asian man had been walking by the rear of the Bear Pub in Kingsley Road, on his way home from a friend's house, when he was pounced on by two men who punched and kicked him to the floor before robbing him of his wallet and mobile phone, and leaving him semi-conscious in the street. A passer-by alerted police, but the men had absconded. One attacker is 6ft tall and aged around 22. He had short, black hair and stubble, and was wearing a black cotton jacket with black trousers and white trainers. There is currently no description of the other suspect. Name tags for officers Uniformed police officers in London will be wearing name badges in the next few years under new Metropolitan Police plans. It is hoped they will present the service as an open and transparent organisation and help break down barriers between police and communities. The badges will be worn by staff who have contact with the public, including uniformed police officers, special constables and specified operational civil staff, such as police community support officers and traffic wardens. MPA chairman Toby Harris said: "We are very aware, however, the Police Federation and civil staff trade unions still have concerns about members wearing name badges in certain situations and we will continue to consult with these bodies." The badges will show the forename and family name, but not rank. They will be phased in throughout the next two to three years. Attacker lobs bricks Customers at an Epsom, Surrey, pub were cut by flying glass after bricks and stones were thrown through windows. Drinkers had to dive for cover when a man began smashing windows at the Driftbridge Hotel, in Reigate Road. A police spokesman said the man had earlier been thrown out during a party for university students following a fight with another customer. He returned and started kicking the door. A group of about eight people then joined him in the brick throwing. Driftbridge manager Emma Craft said: "They were throwing stones. A couple of people suffered minor cuts from flying glass, but it was at the end of the night so there were not many people there. "The leaded windows are quite difficult to replace so we are going to have to put plain glass in for the time being. It's going to cost a bomb." Ten windows were smashed, causing around £3,000 damage. The man who began the incident is described as in his mid-20s and white. Studentis killed A murder inquiry has been launched after a man was stabbed after leaving a west London nightclub. Paul Carr, 25, a student, and two friends had been in the Boulevard Nightclub in Ealing. They left at about 2am and walked along the High Street before turning into the Ealing Broadway shopping centre. Police say the attackers fled towards the shopping centre and were last seen leaving the centre at the rear of Safeway. Carr, a student from Omagh, living in Harrow Weald, was found at about 2.25am and taken to hospital but died an hour later. Anyone with information is urged to contact the incident room on 020 7321 7228 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.