Working together for a safer, cleaner and stronger neighbourhood.
Friday, 31 August 2012
Barrow Borough Sports Awards
It’s that time again for the Barrow Borough Sports Awards and your nominations are needed to ensure that the people that put so much into sport in the borough receive the recognition they deserve.
The awards are organised by Barrow Borough Sports Council and are designed to celebrate the success of sport in the Borough. There are 5 awards up for grabs and these include awards for both young and old, teams and individuals and those who have provided an outstanding service to their sport, this could be through coaching, managing or running their respective clubs. We also have a Young Sports Volunteer Award.
Nomination forms and more information about the awards are now available and you can obtain them in a number of ways. You can get a copy of the nomination form or apply online at
Forms are also available by contacting Emma on 01229 407319.
Operation resurrected to improve road safety for motorcyclists
Cumbria Police have resurrected an operation which aims to target motorcyclists who have a disregard for the safety of other road uses and themselves.
Motorcyclists represent only one percent of all road traffic, yet account for 21% of all road deaths in Great Britain Cumbria
In an aim to tackle this, Cumbria
Advanced Police motorcyclists within RPU currently successfully operate "Bikesafe" events throughout the year with the assistance of the institute of advanced motorists (IAM) as an educational tool to improve rider behaviour and reduce collisions on our roads networks. With the continual high percentage and unacceptable level of motorcyclists involved in collisions, Operation "Focus", a force wide enforcement campaign has been re-invoked to specifically target and enforce offences against those motorcyclists who disregard the safety of other road users and themselves.
Inspector Andy Wilkinson said “From the 1st September police officers across the county will be specifically targeting priority locations in a concentrated effort to affect driver and rider behaviour through enforcement and education in an effort to reduce the collisions involving motorcyclists.
“This is not merely a matter of prosecuting all motorcyclists or drivers for minor offences, this is a positive response addressing a serious problem of members of the public losing their lives or receiving life changing injuries on our roads.
“We wish to encourage all road users to pay particular attention to motorcyclists, who are more vulnerable on our roads, and encourage the reporting of any intelligence or information of particular incidents of careless or dangerous riding or driving so they may be investigated.”
Anyone who would like further information can visit either www.Bikesafe.co.uk or www.cumbria.police.uk
Did you know…Cumbria Constabulary has a team of 28 trained dogs which help protect the people of Cumbria
Did you know that the dog section is an essential part of Cumbria Constabulary, not only in fighting crime but also finding missing people and locating vital hidden evidence, in fact they are involved in all aspects of policing.
Cumbria Constabulary’s Dog Section is the focus of the seventh week of the Force’s ‘Did you know…’ campaign which was launched to provide an insight into the work that goes on in different departments behind the scenes to support frontline policing and keep people safe.
Did you know… that the Dog Section:
- Have 28 trained dogs who are fully trained in different aspects of police work
- There are 3 puppies which are currently undergoing training to become full time members of the team
- There are 14 police officers who are specially trained in being a dog handler and are each responsible for a minimum of two police dogs
- They found in excess of £2,000,000 worth of drugs in the last 12 months
- Been involved in the security for the Olympics
- Involved in every Royal or MP visit to Cumbria
- Did you know it takes 13 weeks to train a general purpose dog, who undergo additional training after that
- They are one of the few departments that take their work home with them, with the dogs living at the handlers homes.
Each breed is specialised in specific tasks and within Cumbria Constabulary there are a number of different breeds who are specialised in certain tasks to provide a broad range of skills and be diverse to help in all aspects of policing.
General purpose dogs who tend to be German Shepherds, Mallinois and a Dutch Herder cross are more involved in the apprehension of criminals, tracking offenders down to a location where they can be arrested, finding missing people and locating property.
The gun dog breads such as Spaniels, Labradors Pointers and even collies and flat coat collie cross are currently used by Cumbria Constabulary as specialised search dogs, who undergo four to eight weeks training and will be more involved in drug searches and looking for specific items linked to an offence. These dogs can work for longer and are usually about ten years old when they retire. Given this, they are usually not trained from pups but are obtained through donation from members of the public. However, they must have a high search drive to become one of the team.
The dogs are also essential in finding missing people, some of who can be in a distressed state and the quick action and location by the dogs have enabled lives to be saved.
PC Paddy Bainbridge said “There is a vast array of work done by the dogs and their owners, who have a strong bond with their dogs. It is a misconception that the police dogs are left in kennels when the police handlers go off shift, the dogs come home with us and are a part of our family.
“We undergo specialised training in order to work efficiently with the dogs and also to take care of them. The care and welfare of the dogs is a top priority, whether on or off duty, and each handler must have a very understanding family as no other qualified police dog handler can look after another handlers dog.
“Many people believe that the dog section is only involved in apprehending drug dealers or catching criminals who have run from the scene of a crime to evade arrest. However, this is not always the case and we assist our colleagues in fighting crime and recently have helped in getting bike thieves off the streets of Carlisle, after PC Cox and his dog Keria, a black German Shepherd caught six bike thieves after they were attempting to steal bicycles in the area and as a result it appears that the number of bike thefts in the area has decreased.”
Chief Inspector Kevin Greenhow, who oversees the department, said: “The dog section comes under Operational Support and provides vital support to police officers in a variety of ways.
“This is just one of the departments which supports operational policing and there will be an opportunity to see the other departments in due course. They involve essential and specialised skills which are required to deal with a variety of situations that may arise.
“The dog section can be asked to help in a search warrant, or searching people on the streets for drugs, or help to locate a missing person. The dogs can save a vast amount of time in being able to search an area quickly and effectively. They are also an essential part in tackling drug crime and have assisted in helping to recover over £2,000,000 worth of drugs in the last 12 months.”
Posters raising awareness of the work of the Constabulary are being distributed across police stations and in key places amongst communities such as libraries, doctors’ surgeries and leisure centres throughout the campaign.
The campaign will be extended onto the Constabulary’s social networking accounts with dedicated ‘tweetdays’ and webchats.
There is also more information about the dog section available at
www.cumbria.police.uk/puppiesupdate which includes videos of the puppies 6 months on.
There is also a dedicated facebook tab to Cumbria Constabulary police dogs at https://www.facebook.com/cumbriapolice and click on the dogs unit tab, which give you more videos and snippets from the Dog Section, which we are encouraging everyone to like.
You can also following them on twitter @policedogunit
Barrow AFC and Raiders at home this weekend ...
Barrow AFC are at home this Saturday, 1st September v Kidderminster 3pm
and
Barrow Raiders are at home this Sunday, 2nd September v South Wales 3pm
Promote Your Organisation and Help the Community ‘Sponsor a Planter’
You may be aware of the ‘award winning’ Green Heart Den, found at the south side of Greengate St Railway Bridge, developed and managed by Marsh Street Arches and Garden Community Interest Company (CIC). This former derelict piece of land has since been developed into an oasis of peace and calm, bringing colour and enjoyment to the local community.
The CIC is now in the process of turning the land at the north side of the bridge into a ‘Community Grow Your Own’ scheme. The development is almost complete and will feature a number of raised planters within the finished plan. These will be used by local residents, various local associations, local schools and groups such as MIND, CADAS, Age UK and Croftlands Trust. This is where you come in!
Each planter will carry a ‘with the help of xxxx’ sign. For only a £100 per annum you can have your logo in place not only promoting your organisation but also being ‘bedded’ into the local Barrow community. For the latest details on progress with both the north side development and the excellent community resource offered by the Green Heart Den please visit our blog page at www.greenheartden.blogspot.com.
This is a great opportunity for you to link into and help your community.
Thursday, 30 August 2012
Thought for the Week
“Love is a force that makes our hearts; our hearts cannot create that force.” Kahlil Gibran from ‘Spirits Rebelllious’
Tuesday, 28 August 2012
Friday, 24 August 2012
Thursday, 23 August 2012
Thought for the Week
“No-one is born hating another person because of the colour of their skin, their background or their religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” Nelson Mandela
Wednesday, 22 August 2012
Monday, 20 August 2012
Police and Crime Commissioner Elections - 15 November 2012
On 15 November 2012, for the first time ever, elections will be held to elect a Police and Crime Commissioner who will be accountable for how crime is tackled in their police force areas.
To provide stronger and more transparent accountability of the police, the Police and Crime Commissioner will be elected by the public to hold Chief Constables and their forces to account, effectively making the police answerable to the communities they serve.
The elected Police and Crime Commissioner will also be responsible for setting the police force's strategic priorities, cutting crime, appointing and, if necessary, dismissing the Chief Constable and ensuring that policing is efficient and effective.
Further information about the running of these elections in the Barrow Borough Council area will follow.
To find out more about Police and Crime Commissioners, including how to become one, at the Home Office website ...
To provide stronger and more transparent accountability of the police, the Police and Crime Commissioner will be elected by the public to hold Chief Constables and their forces to account, effectively making the police answerable to the communities they serve.
The elected Police and Crime Commissioner will also be responsible for setting the police force's strategic priorities, cutting crime, appointing and, if necessary, dismissing the Chief Constable and ensuring that policing is efficient and effective.
Further information about the running of these elections in the Barrow Borough Council area will follow.
To find out more about Police and Crime Commissioners, including how to become one, at the Home Office website ...
Contact Helplines;
Tel: 01229 876318
Fax: 01229 876340
Email:
