Police have issued a CCTV image of two men they want to trace after a graffiti was daubed on buildings in Leicester city centre.

Officers are investigating five incidents in Mill Lane, The Gateway, Marvell Street, Grasmere Street and Newarke Street.

The graffiti appeared in the areas on Friday, February 26.

In a statement today, Leicestershire Police said: "During one of them, at a store in Grasmere Street, two members of the public spoke to the suspects while they were carrying out the offence.

"If this was you, please get in touch.

"We believe the people in the image may be able to help with our inquiries. If it is you, or you know who they are, please call."

Contact Pc Andy Gardner on 101 or Crimestoppers, which is anonymous, on 0800 555 111.

A 58-year-old man was treated in hospital after he was attacked as he walked toward a taxi rank.

The man was attacked from behind and then punched in the face in George Street, Hinckley, in the early hours of last Sunday. (3 April)

Police said the attack happened between 4am and 4.20am.

The force of the punch caused the man to fall to the ground. He was taken to hospital where he was treated for an injury to his head.

In a statement, Leicestershire Police said: "We believe there were a number of people in the area at the time and would like to speak to anyone who thinks they could have information."

The suspect is white, of average build, 5ft 10ins and was wearing a blue and cream red check shirt and jeans.

He walked from the scene with a woman who was wearing a blue dress.

Contact Pc Paul Hicks on 101 or Crimestoppers, which is anonymous, on 0800 555 111.

Senior judges have allowed the media to name a school at which a former student fantasised about staging a Columbine-style massacre.

Michael Piggin, now 20, filled notebooks with plans to carry out a killing spree in Loughborough, including his former school, Burleigh College.

He was later detained indefinitely under the Mental Health Act after he admitted amassing an arsenal of weapons and the components for petrol bombs and pipe-bombs, in the bedroom of his Loughborough home.

A court heard he had Asperger's syndrome, was socially isolated and held extreme racist views.

His attack plans, inspired by the notorious US school shootings, were eventually deemed to be fantasies, although police believed he was capable of carrying them through..

Juries at two trials failed to deliver verdicts on terrorism charges levelled at Piggin, who was 17 when he was arrested by police officers investigating an allegation he had assaulted a man.

When police raided his home, in Beaumont Road in the town, they found his bedroom decorated with Nazi memorabilia. They also discovered knives, air guns, a machete, a crossbow and the bomb components.

Piggin's bedroom

A supporter of the English Defence League, he appeared at the Old Bailey, in London, in July 2014 to admit possession of offensive weapons. That hearing also dismissed charges under the Terrorism Act.

The court heard he had drawn up plans to attack Burleigh College, a mosque, council offices and Loughborough University.

He was accused of plotting to carry out a mass killing on April 20 – Hitler's birthday and the date of the Columbine shootings.

Piggin denied he had been plotting terrorist acts and said his diary entries were fantasies.

Judge Brian Barker Piggin as "outright racist" and noted his obsession with weaponry and the military.

The judge directed the jury to return not guilty verdicts on the terrorism charges, including the plot to carry out the attacks.

He told Piggin: "You have a consuming preoccupation with guns and the methods used by the perpetrators of the Columbine massacre.

"It's clear you need treatment. A hospital order is, in my judgement, the proper disposal. Potential danger to the public is uppermost in my mind.

Piggin was filmed by his accomplices spraying anti-Muslim graffiti.

The Columbine High School massacre of 1999 was one of America's worst mass shootings.

Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold murdered 12 students and a teacher at the school, in Colorado, before committing suicide.

The Court of Appeal has also overturned an order which prevented the media naming Piggin's two accomplices. They are Jacob Crouch and Ryan Towell, both now 20, who admitted possessing explosives.

They were given 12-month community sentences following court appearances which took place before Piggin's first trial.

Police have stepped up patrols in a city park after four robberies were committed there in the space of a few days.

A group of young men carried out the attacks in Leicester's Victoria Park earlier this month.

In one incident, a group of three young friends were targeted while they were playing football together, police said.

A group of up to six young men has been blamed for the robberies, which have seen victims ordered to hand over valuables, chiefly their mobile phones.

The victims were assaulted or threatened with violence, police said.

As well as regular patrols, officers are also visiting the area in plain clothes.

There have been no attacks reported to police since city centre officers stepped up their patrols a week ago.

Sgt Andy Price, of city centre police, said the operation would continue and he advised people to take basic personal safety measures when visiting the park, particularly in the evening.

Sgt Price said: "The group has used violence and threats against the victims.

"The offences happened in the evening, from 6.15pm to 10pm.

"We've put increased patrols up there and we're asking people to be mindful of their personal security.

"The park is a safe place, the advice to people to be aware of their surroundings applies anywhere."

Police are advising people to take simple personal safety steps to reduce the risk of falling victim.

They say people should be alert when using a mobile phone in a public place, to be aware of their surroundings and to not take out their phone if they feel unsafe.

Officers also say people should, where possible, stay in busy well-lit areas. In the case of Victoria Park, they recommend people stay on footpaths and not to cross the park at night alone if it can be avoided.

Council bosses are employing a pair of 'ethical hackers' to protect their computer systems from cyber-attacks.

Leicester City Council says it is under constant attack from people trying to penetrate its IT network.

The authority holds the personal details of hundreds of thousands of people and organisations on its files which are a tempting target for cyber-criminals.

The manner in which the council defends itself from such attacks was discussed during a recent meeting about a new system the it is developing to log complaints.

Councillors raised concerns about how secure people's information was.

Council finance director Alison Greenhill told members: "Any IT system can be hacked.

"There are people out there who are better than the people who write IT systems.

"We take our IT security incredibly seriously.

"We have two ethical hackers who work for us and their job is to sit in our office and hack into our systems to see how safe they are."

A council spokeswoman told the Mercury: "As a key part of our cyber resilience programme, we employ two IT auditors in our internal audit team.

"They are computer experts trained specifically in cyber security.

"These are computer/technology experts who are 'ethical security testers' and have amongst their varied skill sets the ability to 'ethically hack' computer systems and networks.

"This allows us to protect our information and do business online with citizens securely and safely.

"This also helps to ensure that the council has a better understanding of the controls in place to prepare for, protect from, detect and respond to cyber-attacks including practising how we would manage the consequences of a cyber security incident."

She added: "As with other organisations of our size and nature, we are under constant attack from viruses trying to compromise our systems.

"We rely on a number of perimeter and internal security systems to proactively and reactively detect and protect against such attacks.

"Despite these measures, we still encounter localised disruption – where an individual computer may become infected.

"Under such circumstances we rely on our containment and recovery processes to limit the extent of malicious activity. In simple terms, we experience localised infection - an individual computer - as opposed to system attack and/or failure."

The council says it has not yet suffered any major breaches of its IT systems by hackers but, in the past 18 months, 11 staff have had their computers infected, causing disruption to their own machine.

The spokeswoman said: "Three of these resulted in serious disruption to the staff member concerned."

Helge Janicke is the head of De Montfort University's cyber-security centre.

He said: "The use of ethical hackers is reasonably common.

"Within the industry they are called penetration testers.

"It is good practice for a council to use them because they will hold increasing amounts of personal data that hackers would look to access.

"Councils hold people's credit card details and more generally information they get can be sold on."

Police investigating an attack on a taxi driver have released CCTV images of men they want to trace.

The driver was assaulted in Braunstone Gate, in Leicester's West End, in the early hours of Sunday, February 28.

Police said he was attacked after he got out of his car, opened the back door and told two men to get out.

The 32-year-old suffered head injuries and was taken to hospital for treatment.

The attack happened between 5.10am and 5.20am. Police released the CCTV images today.

In a statement, Leicestershire Police said: "The two men in these images could have information which will help officers with their investigation."

Contact Pc Rich Callus on 101 or Crimestoppers, which is anonymous, on 0800 555 111.

Two young men from Leicester are critically ill in hospital after they were stabbed during a night out in a Derbyshire town.

The men, aged 17 and 20, were injured outside a bar in Swadlincote, near Ashby at the weekend.

Police were called to West Street outside the Empire Bar in the town centre at 4am on Sunday and found two injured.

A Derbyshire Police spokesman said: "Officers believe that a 17-year-old boy became involved in an argument with another man in West Street and was stabbed in the chest.

"A 20-year-old man intervened and suffered a slash wound to the chest.

"The 17-year-old is in intensive care in hospital while the older man is in hospital in a stable condition. Both are from Leicester."

The area was cordoned off for a time while police carried out forensic work.

Ahmed Emed, who works at Rainbow Kebabs next door to the bar, said: "We have heard from locals and customers that it was a stabbing.

"It is very, very sad news, it is terrible for the area. There has never been anything this serious.

"The shop was closed at the time and when we opened at 4pm today the bar was cordoned off."

Yusuf Levent, a worker at Mario's Café and Pizzeria, said: "We have heard there was a lady with her head covered in blood. We closed when it all started to kick off and the police arrived.

"We don't want to be here when there is any trouble."

Detectives believe the young men had travelled to the town with others.

A force spokeswoman said: "We have spoken to a number of witnesses but it is possible people may have gone back to Leicester without speaking to us.

"If anyone has any information about this incident we would urge them to contact us."

Contact Derbyshire Police on 101 quoting incident number 138 of April 10. Information can also be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

A doctor who helps drug addicts overcome their addiction has warned of the growing threat of the notorious synthetic cannabis Black Mamba.

Dr Andy Ball, of Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, said a growing number of hardened class A drug users and street drinkers are turning to Black Mamba because of its potency.

He spoke after police in Leicester city centre issued a number of warnings about the now outlawed former 'legal high'– formally known as a new psychoactive substance – and its effects on users.

Officers say they have encountered people displaying extreme forms of distress and paranoia.

A man who fell ill in the city centre last month and later died in hospital is widely believed to have smoked the drug moments before he collapsed.

Dr Ball said: "Every single drug user has heard of Black Mamba and they will tell you that, of all the drugs out there, it's the one with the biggest reputation for being dangerous.

"Unfortunately a lot of the traditional drug users have started to use it. It's also a problem in the prisons.

"It is not just on sale on the internet or in 'head' shops.

"We are also hearing anecdotally from our clients that people are now dealing it on the street.

"I don't remember any of the other new psychoactive substances being sold by street dealers before and that is just another indication of its potency.

"It's also very cheap. At the moment, as far as we can tell, a deal is approximately £10, whereas the same amount of cannabis might be £25.

"People need to understand that one packet of Black Mamba can be entirely different from another in terms of its potency and, we understand, can contain opiates.

"They simply do not know what they are putting into their bodies."

"People who smoke cannabis can stop fairly easily, but people who try to stop smoking Black Mamba can experience extreme withdrawal symptoms."

City centre police have previously told the Leicester Mercury they are concerned about the growing number of incidents they and paramedics are encountering in which people have fallen ill after smoking Black Mamba.

Some of the substances have been outlawed under recent legislation, however others currently remain legal.

New laws are due to be introduced to ban other products, which come in the form of powders, pills or smoking mixtures.

Earlier this year, city centre police issued a warning about Black Mamba and other new products, which are formally known as new psychoactive substances, after a rise in the number of emergency call-outs to people who had used them and were acting in a bizarre, paranoid or distressed way.

A man who was found seriously ill in the centre of Leicester last month and who later died in hospital is understood to have smoked Black Mamba shortly before he fell ill.

It is understood the man had started to associate with a group of street drinkers near the Clock Tower in the weeks before his death.

Officers have also worked with trading standards officials to urge shops to remove the substances.

Black Mamba was classified as a class B drug two years ago.

Those found guilty of possession face up to five years in prison while people convicted of supplying it can be jailed for up to 14 years.

Like many of the new powders and smoking mixtures on the market, its packaging often describes it as plant food or "not for human consumption".

Two young men from Leicester remain in hospital after they were stabbed during a night out in a Derbyshire town.

The men, aged 17 and 20, were injured outside a bar in Swadlincote, near Ashby, at the weekend.

Police were called to West Street, outside the Empire Bar, in the town centre at 4am on Sunday and found two men injured.

A Derbyshire Police spokesman said: "Officers believe that a 17-year-old boy became involved in an argument with another man in West Street and was stabbed in the chest.

"A 20-year-old man intervened and suffered a slash wound to the chest."

Police have said that they think the men knew each other.

A police spokeswoman said: "We believe that the parties knew each other.

"We don't believe it was a random attack."

The 17-year-old was in intensive care in hospital while the older man was in hospital in a stable condition.

The area was cordoned off for a time while police carried out forensic work.

Detectives believe the young men had travelled to the town with others.

A force spokeswoman said: "We have spoken to a number of witnesses but it is possible people may have gone back to Leicester without speaking to us.

"If anyone has any information about this incident we would urge them to contact us."

Contact Derbyshire Police on 101 quoting incident number 138 of April 10.

Police have launched a murder investigation after a teenager who was stabbed in the chest during a night out died in hospital.

The 17-year-old, named locally as Dante Francis, of Knighton, Leicester, died in hospital yesterday.

Dante, said by friends to be a talented sportsman, was critically injured when he was attacked by other young men outside the Empire Bar in Swadlincote, near Ashby, in the early hours of Sunday.

A 20-year-old man, thought to be a friend of the teenager, was slashed in the chest when he tried to stop the attack.

He has since been released from hospital.

Derbyshire Police said detectives believed Dante and his injured friend knew their attackers.

Officers also said a number of people from Leicester were at the recently opened venue.

No arrests have been made in connection with the former Lancaster School student's death.

The Mercury understands Dante and his friend had been to a music event at the Empire, in West Street, on Saturday evening.

The invitation-only "VIP" event had featured DJs from Leicester, and a screening of British heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua's world title fight.

It had promised in its promotional materials that security would be "very strict and tight".

A number of people posted tributes to popular Dante on social media today and yesterday.

One person tweeted: "Life is so sad, A young boy losing his life before it really began and parents losing their child."

Another friend posted: "RIP Dante. A true friend. He never failed to make me laugh, always supported me in football and asked how my family was. He won't be forgotten."

Another wrote: "Still cannot believe it man. RIP Dante. The memories will keep you alive forever."

No arrests have been made in connection with Dante's death.

Police were called to the scene of the attack in the South Derbyshire town, which is just over the Leicestershire county border, at 4am on Sunday.

The two young men were lying injured in the street outside the venue.

A Derbyshire Police spokesman said: "We believe the parties knew each other. We don't believe it was a random attack."

Contact Derbyshire Police on 101 or Crimestoppers, which is anonymous, on 0800 555 111.

Thieves used a digger to wrench a cash machine from the exterior of a town post office this morning.

The raid on Shepshed Post Office took place at 2.30am.

Thieves drove the digger's clawed arm into the Market Place building and lifted the machine out and away.

A series of identical thefts took place across Leicestershire in November and December 2014 when Co-Op stores in Newbold Verdon, Asfordby, Whetstone and Sapcote were targeted.

The area was cordoned off this morning as police launched their investigation and the condition of the badly damaged building was assessed.

Si and Darshna Patel have run the business since 2004.

Mr Patel said: "It's carnage. The building is badly damaged and there is a lot of clearing up to do.

"We were at home so we are okay and fortunately the flat above the shop is empty."

Town and borough councillor Claire Poole said people in Shepshed were shocked by the crime.

She said: "I hope this isn't the beginning of a series of these incidents.

"The people who run the post office have been here for quite a few years. They're a lovely family and the post office is very popular.

"I really feel for them and hope this doesn't affect them too much. It must be devastating for them.

"Shepshed doesn't have the banking facilities it used to have, so this machine is very important to people here."

In a statement, Leicestershire Police said: "It's believed the suspects left the scene in a silver pick-up truck and a dark coloured saloon towards Hathern.

"We are in the early stages of our inquiries and would like to speak to anyone who may have witnessed any suspicious activity in the area."

Police believe the suspects left the scene in a silver pick-up truck and a dark coloured saloon in the direction of Hathern.

The ATM was later found on farmland in Hickling, north of Melton, close to the border with Nottinghamshire, but cash was missing from the machine.

The silver pick-up truck was also found abandoned in Scalford, near Melton, this morning.

Anyone with information can contact Detective Constable Nick Robbins on 101, quoting crime number 84778.

Police are continuing to question a 21-year-old man tonight on suspicion of stabbing Leicester teenager Dante Francis to death outside a bar.

The man, who is from Derby, is being questioned tonight on suspicion of murdering 17-year-old Dante, who was critically

injured in Swadlincote, near Ashby, in the early hours of Sunday.

Two other men, aged 23 and 29, also from Derby, were arrested yesterday on suspicion of involvement in the violence which led to Dante being stabbed in the chest.

A 20-year-old man from Leicester, who is thought to be a friend of Dante's, was "slashed" in the chest when he reportedly tried to stop the attack.

The Mercury understands the friends had been to a music event at a bar called the Empire, in West Street, Swadlincote, on Saturday evening.

The invitation-only "VIP" event had featured DJs from Leicester and a screening of heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua's world title fight.

Leicester boxing hero Rendall Munroe today added his voice to the growing number of tributes to the former Lancaster Boys School student.

Mr Munroe got to know Dante when the youngster was a promising boxer and through his work with young people in the city.

The former British, European and Commonwealth champion said: "I got to know Dante well through his boxing and the work I do with kids. He was a talented boxer and a good, intelligent and well-mannered boy, and what has happened to him is a tragedy.

"Someone went out that night with a knife and they were prepared to harm another human being. There is too much of this happening in this country, and it seems to be spreading."

Police at the scene at the weekend.

Derbyshire Police confirmed that the 21-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of murder and the 23-year-old on suspicion of violent disorder. The 29-year-old was detained on suspicion of assault and has been released on bail.

Police were called to West Street, Swadlincote, at 4am on Sunday, and found two young men injured.

Officers believe a number of people from Leicester who were present may not yet have spoken to police about what they know about the attack. Contact Derbyshire Police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Late-night pub opening is putting an "unacceptable" strain on police officers and NHS staff, says Leicestershire's police and crime commissioner.

Sir Clive Loader has called for a debate on the decision more than a decade ago to relax the licensing hours, enabling bars and clubs to stay open, in theory, around the clock.

Sir Clive, who will stand down from the post after the election on Thursday, May 5, said a number of venues in Leicester city centre closed at 6am or 7am.

He was speaking after his force released an end-of-year report which shows crime in the city and county had remained relatively stable for the past three years.

Police officer numbers in Leicestershire and other forces have fallen consistently each year as the force stays in line with Government public spending cuts.

At its height in 2009, the force employed more than 2,300 officers. By 2017, it expects this to fall to approximately 1,720.

He said: "I remain resolutely of the view that society needs to address the issue of alcohol, which continues to lie behind many crimes, particularly those involving assault.

"Ridiculous licensing which allows, for example, city premises to be open until six or seven in the morning, is hardly conducive to good social order.

"The associated drain on our police, coupled with the threat to medical staff remains, in my view, wholly unacceptable."

Before the licensing law was changed in 2005, most pubs closed at 11pm. Nightclubs traditionally had longer opening hours.

As the police and crime commissioner for the county, Sir Clive is responsible for setting priorities for the force and overseeing its budget.

Leicestershire's Chief Constable Simon Cole said: "The attempt to create a European-style cafe culture has not yet succeeded.

"We deploy our officers on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings to reflect the demands the nighttime economy puts on us and the hospitals and ambulance crews.

"We've had some successes recently in terms of some licensed premises in the city which have been shut down, either because of action we've taken or because the owners recognised they needed to make changes.

"We now have body-worn video available to all of our frontline officers and that means people's behaviour is captured accurately.

"The officers who deal with prisoners on Saturday and Sunday mornings show them the footage to show them how they were behaving the night before."

A 21-year-old man is to appear in court today after he was charged with murdering Leicester teenager Dante Francis.

Dominic Halliday-Fox, who is from Derby, is accused of murdering Dante in Swadlincote, near Ashby. He is due to appear at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates' Court today.

Police and paramedics were called to West Street at 4am on Sunday and found the critically injured teenager and another man who had also suffered an injury.

Both were taken to hospital. Dante, of Knighton, Leicester, later died. The injured 20-year-old was released after treatment.

A 23-year-old man, arrested on suspicion of violent disorder, has been released on police bail while the investigation continues. Derbyshire Police said this morning.

Police are hunting a man who threatened staff at a betting shop with a knife before escaping with cash.

The raider targeted Ladbrokes in Blaby Road, South Wigston, at 9.45am yesterday.

Police said he walked into the shop and brandished the knife at a member of staff before ordering them to hand over the money.

Nobody was injured during the incident. It is not clear whether any members of the public were present at the time.

The shop was cordoned off throughout the morning as officers began their inquiry.

Residents and neighbouring businesses reacted with shock.

A Blaby Road shop owner said: "We all saw the police outside the betting shop and wondered what was going on.

"I think we all suspected it was a robbery.

"To hear that the man who did it had a knife is horrifying and I hope he is caught soon, before he does this to someone else.

"I'm just glad nobody was hurt."

South Wigston resident Anne Knight, 41, said: "I came to the shops just after 11am and saw the police at Ladbrokes and thought 'something bad has happened'.

"I heard later in one of the shops that a man with a knife had robbed the place.

"It was a shock to hear that this could happen here. We have crime here, of course, but I don't remember anything like this."

Police issued a description on the man.

He is slim, aged 18 to 30 and is about 5ft 10in tall. He was dressed all in black, wearing a jumper, jogging bottoms and gloves.

In a statement, Leicestershire Police said: "We would like to speak to anyone who was in the area and witnessed any suspicious activity."

A Ladbrokes spokesman said: "We can confirm that a robbery took place at 9.45am yesterday and we are assisting the police with their investigation."

Contact Leicestershire Police on 101, quoting incident number 161 of 14 April.

Pc Brian Varney is the first officer to be put forward for the title of Leicestershire's Beat Bobby of the Year.

More commonly known as "Reg", Pc Varney is a member of Leicester's Spinney Hills beat, which includes the St Matthews estate.

He knows all about the competition. He has been nominated several times and won it in 2002.

A few years ago, members of the St Matthews Somali community showed their affection and respect for the 6ft 5ins officer by coining a nickname for him – Ali Dheere, literally "the tall man".

Pc Varney, who joined Leicestershire Police in 1995, says he is very much a member of a team effort which has seen crime levels in his areas tumble in the past few years.

He said: "You have to put yourself out there and win people's trust.

"That's the key to good community policing as far as I'm concerned.

"Trust can't be bought, but it can be lost very quickly.

"It's lovely to be nominated. It's a reflection of all the hard work that a lot of people are doing to make this area safer for everyone."

Pc Varney's supervisor, Sgt Matt Painter, of Spinney Hill Park police station, paid tribute to his officer, who joined the force in 1995.

Sgt Painter said: "Reg is everything a beat bobby should be.

"He has massive local knowledge and understands the community is so well-known among people on his beat, from the young people to the elderly."

The search for Leicestershire's Beat Bobby of the Year competition was launched earlier this month.

Leicestershire's Chief Constable Simon Cole has urged people across the city and county to send in nominations.

The winner will receive the Guy Swatland Memorial Shield – named in memory of the Leicestershire officer and former beat bobby of the year who died in a road collision while cycling in the countryside in June 2009.

They will also be presented with a crystal rosebowl, a signed certificate and a cheque from the chief constable.

To ensure your beat bobby gets the recognition he or she deserves, send in a detailed, written nomination stating the officer's full name, the area they cover and why you think they deserve the title.

Also include your name, full address and a daytime phone number.

Send your nomination to:

Ciaran Fagan, Leicester Mercury, Mercury Place, St George Street, Leicester, LE1 9FQ

or, e-mail:

ciaranfagan@leicestermercury.co.uk

Police have issued a safety plea to motorists after the death toll on the roads so far this year reached 13.

The number of deaths since the beginning of the year is similar to the first three months of last year, which was the worst in recent years.

Leicestershire Road Safety Partnership, whose members include Leicestershire Police and local councils, said it would continue to run road safety campaigns this year, chiefly the Fatal 4, which penalises drivers who commit the four most common causes of road deaths and injuries.

Graham Compton, road safety officer for Leicestershire Police, said an average of 65 people had been killed on the roads for the first 10 years of the new millennium.

However, over the next four years the average fell below 40.

Figures from Leicestershire Police show 50 people died in road accidents last year, compared with 36 in 2014.

Mr Compton said: "At the moment we are not far from where we were at this point last year – and 2015 was a bad year.

"The concern now is that we could be heading for a similar figure for the end of 2016, unless drivers decide t do something about it.

"We will continue to push the road safety message throughout the year through the Fatal 4 campaign.

"Every time we run an operation we find at least 30 to 40 drivers who are either speeding, not wearing a seatbelt, are using their mobile phones at the wheel or, occasionally, are over the drink drive limit.

"I know that 19 people have died on the roads of Lincolnshire in the first quarter of the year, so it's not just Leicestershire that is suffering."

Last month, the Mercury reported that police in Leicestershire have arrested 26 drug-impaired drivers thanks to roadside testing kits issued to them late last year.

The hand-held devices, which have been in use in Leicestershire since mid-November, can instantly detect the presence in saliva of even small traces of cocaine or cannabis.

Previously, officers who suspected a driver had used drugs told them to complete a number of field impairment tests, such as walking in a straight line, before taking them into custody for testing.

Road deaths and injuries figures include drivers, their passengers, motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians.

Police have named a driver who died after his car was involved in a motorway crash.

Tomasz Ormianski, 37, of Leicester was killed when his black Ford KA crashed on the Leicester-bound M69, near Thurlaston, at 12.25am on Saturday, April 9.

In a statement today, Leicestershire Police said: "If you were travelling along the M69 around this time and witnessed the collision or saw the vehicle being driven beforehand then we'd urge you to get in touch."

Contact Detective Constable Kath Orr on 101, quoting incident 20 of Saturday 9 April.

Police have released CCTV images of two people they want to trace after a woman's purse was stolen and her bank card used to take cash from her account.

The elderly victim has told police she drew money from a cash machine in Market Street, Ashby at 10.30am on Saturday, March 26.

Approximately 30 minutes later, she got into a taxi in nearby Brook Street and realised her purse was missing.

Her bank card was used to draw money out of a cash machine in the Measham area a short time later.

Leicestershire Police has issued CCTV images of a man and a woman they want to trace in connection with the theft.

In a statement, the force said: "We believe the people in the images may be able to help with our inquiries."

Contact Pc Joy Sweet on 101, quoting incident number 16000065675.

The candidates in next month's Leicestershire police and crime commissioner election are split on whether they would appoint a deputy if they won.

The battle to succeed current commissioner Sir Clive Loader will conclude on poling day -Thursday May 5.

The Conservative is stepping down after a single term in the £75,000-a-year post.

Elected commissioners have the discretion to appoint one or more salaried deputies to assist them with their roles.

Sir Clive opted not to have a right-hand man, shortly after his 2012 election he told the Mercury he was 'allergic to the cost of it."

Sir Clive's potential successors are divided about whether they would follow his lead given the scale of the job and concerns that were raised when, last summer, the former RAF chief was forced to take a short period of sick leave with a serious back condition.

In the time he was off his responsibilities passed to his unelected chief executive Paul Stock because there was no deputy to stand in.

Tory PCC candidate Neil Bannister and his Liberal Democrat rival Sarah Hill have committed to appointed deputies.

Labour's Lord Willy Bach and UKIP's David Sprason told the Mercury they were yet to be convinced they would need deputies.

Mr Bannister said: "I would not be so presumptuous to say I will win but if I did I have come to the conclusion I should have deputy.

"I followed the story (of Sir Clive's illness) very closely and that has been a factor in my decision and guided my thinking.

"A deputy would be in place should anything happen to me."

He said he had not yet considered any particular individuals for the role or what salary they may be paid.

Lord Bach said: "I have thought long and hard about whether I would appoint a deputy.

"At one stage I was quite keen but now I am not certain.

"If I were to win I would allow myself time to look at what was needed.

"If I did appoint it would be for what an individual could add."

UKIP's David Sprason said: "Sir Clive may have set a precedent by not having a deputy.

"As it stands I don't think I would have one but if the Government presses ahead with its plans to bring the fire service under the remit of PCCs the job would be much larger and complex so I might have to. It would be too much.

"I would probably follow Clive because it would be difficult to move away from his example."

Liberal Democrat Dr Hill said she would appoint a number of deputies.

She told the Mercury: "The city and the county is so diverse and so big I would have to give it some real thought.

"I might have one or two - perhaps paid £15,000 and I was not planning on taking the full salary.

"My deputies would be paid from that to keep the costs down."