Neighbourhood Management: March 2010

Tuesday, 30 March 2010

Crackdown on safe driving and vehicles

A group of partner agencies known as the CRASH group launched an operation to improve road safety by stopping and checking vehicles in South Cumbria last week.

The CRASH group is made up of officers from South Cumbria's Roads Policing Unit, Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service and VOSA, who work together with the aim of reducing the number of people killed and seriously injured on the county's roads.

On Friday 26th March the group set up the stop checks in Barrow in Furness. The focus of the operation was to engage with young drivers in the Hindpool and Barrow Island areas, to ensure that vehicles were roadworthy and being driven safely.

Drivers were dealt with for for the following offences:

7 prohibitions for lighting offences,

1 for speeding,

1 defective tyre,

1 for no MOT,

2 unecessary use of fog lights,

1 for no seatbelt,

1 for failing to notify DVLA of a vehicle alteration and

2 for possession of cannabis

Drivers were then given an opportunity to view road safety education videos. The theme of the educational input was on the dangers of using mobile phones and texting while driving.

Inspector Richard Vernon of South Cumbria's Roads Policing Unit said: "Reducing the number of people killed and seriously injured on Cumbria's roads is a priority for police and patrner agencies. We work together in the CRASH group to tackle the problem. We look at road design and study the causes of collisions so that we can then improve road safety and target motorists with information we hope will make them think and, ultimately, save lives.

"Many young people buy older, smaller vehicles which, by there very nature are more susceptible to damage in a collision. This makes it even more important to ensure they are in good condition and safe to use.

"By conducting these stop checks we hope to encourage people to take better care of their vehicles, and remind motorists that we will not hesitate to take action if they are not following the rules of the road.

"Vehicle maintenance is only part of the equation, and it is essential that we all drive considerately and look out for fellow road users.

"Anecdotal evidence suggests that people continue to drive while using a mobile phone, so we used this operation as an opportunity to show a hard-hitting video that shows the consequences of being distracted at the wheel. The majority of young people we spoke to were supportive of our aims."

Monday, 29 March 2010

Hindpool Buzz March 10 digital edition

Follow the link below for online Hindpool Buzz.

general supplements - Hindpool Buzz March 10 digital edition

New photos on our Flickr pages ...

Thought for the week ...

“As for the future, your task is not to foresee it, but to enable it.”
Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Police team up with partners to educate pupils on dangers of mephedrone

Cumbria police have joined forces with the health service, local authorities, charities and drug support workers to deliver impactive talks to youngsters about the dangers of the legal high, mephedrone.

The drug, known also as meow meow, bubble or drone, is a chemical plant food that is not fit for human consumption. Despite this warning, police have found that the substance is becoming increasingly popular amongst young people due to its side effects, availability and current legal status.

After receiving community intelligence about children as young as eleven experimenting with mephedrone, officers have been going into local schools with partner agencies to expose the truth about its effects which, along with a cocktail of other drugs, contributed to the deaths of two Lincolnshire teenagers last week.

Officers, supported by The Rising Sun Trust leader, Dave Smith, who tragically lost his son to drugs 11 years ago and members of the Drug and Alcohol Action Team, are painting a comprehensive picture to pupils of the risks associated with the substance and other controlled drugs in a bid to prevent them coming to serious harm.

Detective Chief Inspector Graham Coles said: “Mephedrone poses a very real threat to the communities of Cumbria.

“Young people wrongly assume that the substance is safe because it is currently legal, which couldn’t be further from the truth. The fact is that people who take the substance are seriously risking their health – no-one knows what this drug is mixed with or the long term effects that it can have. It has not been tested and we don’t yet know for sure the danger that this drug presents.

“People are attracted to mephedrone as it has similar effects to ecstasy or amphetamine but as with all legal highs, the effects can be unpredictable. Some people who have used the substance have been rushed to hospital with breathing difficulties, dizziness, nose bleeds, increased heart rates, depression, psychosis and diarrhoea. Others have experienced heart failure, fallen into a coma and tragically, two teenagers from Lincoln have died.

“In Cumbria, we want to do all we can to educate our communities, so we are teaming up with experts around the county to expose the extent of the known risks to school children.

“It is sold as a white powder but can also be found in a capsule or pill form. Although it may be legal, if you are caught in the possession of a white powder you will be arrested until we can prove what the substance is.”

Prof John Ashton is NHS Cumbria’s Director of Public Health. He said: “The problems surrounding drugs such as mephedrone or so called ‘legal highs’ are that in most cases these substances have never before been used as drugs, so they have not had tests performed on them to show what effect they could have on a person physiologically or physically, which is where the danger lies.

“Only by being honest and open with young people and having these conversations about the effects drug use has on both society and people’s health can we hope to prevent more young people from being pulled into the world of drug addiction. This work however can not be done alone, its vital that we get communities, parents, schools and young people on board to help spread this message and protect young people as a result.”

Barbara Fleary, Risk Behaviour Manager at Cumbria County Council said: “The Risk Taking Behaviour Partnership has commissioned the Drugs, Alcohol and Sexual Health (DASH) service to offer young people and their parents important information and advice on all aspects of drug and alcohol use and sexual health all year round. DASH employees work closely with Healthy Schools to ensure that staff and pupils have access to all the information they need and mephedrone will now be a key part of their work.

“On 30th March, the Risk Taking Behaviour Partnership has invited 100 young people to a Youth Summit at Rheged to share their views on drugs, alcohol and teenage pregnancy. Mephedrone will be high on the agenda at the event so that young people can share their views and concerns and influence how the information and services they want and need in Cumbria are provided.

“NHS professor John Ashton and Moira Swann, the Director of Children's Services will be some of the experts on hand to answer questions and join in the interesting debates."

Police officers will also be available at a drop in centre in the south of the county this weekend alongside Connexions to offer help and support. Any children, parents or friends who want help or advice about mephedrone or drugs in general, can drop into Connexions on Dalton Rd, Barrow between 12-2pm on Saturday afternoon (27 March).

For more information about drugs and the law or for help and advice visit any of the following sites:

http://www.cumbria.police.uk/

http://www.risingsuntrust.org/

www.nhs.uk/livewell/drugs

http://www.talktofrank.com/

Crackdown on illegal drug use and supply in Barrow town centre

Police visited pubs and clubs in Barrow last weekend as part of an ongoing crackdown on illegal drug use and supply.

During the evening of Saturday 20 March 2010, officers and a passive drugs dog visited licensed premises in the town to identify anyone who was carrying illegal substances

The evening was deemed a success after officers searched fourteen people under the Misuse of Drugs Act and caught three people in possession of controlled drugs.

Two men from Barrow were given warnings for being in the possession of cannabis, while a 46 year man from Barrow was arrested on suspicion possessing class A drugs. He has been placed on police bail until 3rd April pending further enquiries. A 26 yr old local man who is awaiting sentence for assault in a licensed premises was also arrested in a pub during the evening's visits after officers discovered he was in breach of his court bail conditions.

Sergeant John Dilks in charge of the operation said: “Last weekend's operation is part of our ongoing commitment to making the town centre and night time economy in Barrow safer.

"We know that violence and disorder relating to drink and drugs has a big impact on the quality of life for our local communities so we are doing all we can to deter and detect the misuse of drugs in our pubs and clubs.

“We work closely with the licensing trade and I'd like to thank all the licensees of every premises we visited who were clearly in support of our presence. By joining up with police and fully supporting our efforts, it shows that the whole community is behind our drive to make the pubs and clubs of Barrow drug free.

"Illegal drugs will not be tolerated in Barrow and we are committed to working on behalf of our communitites to tackle the issue. I'd urge anyone with information about drugs in their neighbourhoods to speak to their local police officer or call police on 0845 33 00 247."

Police urge residents and visitors to enjoy safe and crime-free Easter

Officers are encouraging Cumbrian residents and tourists to enjoy a safe, crime-free Easter as the county welcomes an influx of visitors.

As schools break up and visitors arrive to enjoy the attractions that Cumbria has to offer, police are urging people to secure their vehicles to avoid falling victim to opportunist thieves.

The number of thefts from motor vehicles traditionally rises around the Easter holidays so officers will be displaying posters, issuing crime prevention advice and targeting their patrols towards car parks at popular tourist spots in a bid to deter criminals. Officers will be out and about in vulnerable areas to speak to drivers to make them stop and think before leaving their vehicles insecure or valuables on display.

Assistant Chief Constable Jerry Graham said: “A significant number of thefts from motor vehicles occur in car parks at rural beauty spots as thieves target tourists who can leave valuable items like cameras, sat navs and mobile phones on show.

“It takes seconds for a thief to break into your car to steal your property but it can take you even less time to remove your property and lock your vehicle – and save you the inconvenience and heartache.

“Officers will proactively target these areas on their patrols to reassure the public and provide help or advice if needed, but we need people to remember to lock it or lose it. Avoid parking in isolated spots with poor lighting and don't leave valuable items in view – remove them from your vehicle altogether, or at least put them out of sight.

“We will be continuing our efforts over the coming months to target thefts from vehicles. We will have extra high visibility and covert patrols targeting car parks, vulnerable parking bays in remote areas, and there will be increased CCTV coverage of target areas. However, we need motorists all around the county to take heed of our warning and secure their vehicles - wherever they are. By taking responsibility for your vehicle and securing or removing your property, we can work together to deter thieves and reduce this type of crime in Cumbria.”