Did you know…Cumbria Constabulary plans ahead for major events and disasters?

Did you know that Cumbria Constabulary has a Civil Contingencies Unit that dedicates its time to planning for major events and emergencies? 

The role of the team is to ensure that police deal with emergencies effectively and that day-to-day policing isn’t affected - no matter what happens in the county.

Cumbria Constabulary’s Civil Contingencies Unit is the focus of the sixth 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 Civil Contingencies department:

• Has been working with national and regional colleagues since London’s successful bid to prepare for a safe and enjoyable Olympic Games?
• Was responsible for the coordination of the Olympic Torch Relay through Cumbria which was one of the largest planned operations undertaken by the Constabulary?
• Is responsible for preparing and looking after the officers from neighbourhood policing teams, dog, marine and taskforce units who are being deployed to provide mutual support during the Olympic Games to British Transport Police, Dorset, Surrey and the Metropolitan Police?
• Prepares for a whole range of emergencies that could cause disruption in Cumbria to ensure agencies work together and day-to-day policing isn’t affected?
• Have plans in place which include those for flooding, pandemic flu, fuel strikes, nuclear incidents, industrial action and major events like the Olympics?
• Consists of a team of four police officers and three Counter Terrorism Security Advisors who have been recognised nationally for their effective business continuity plans?
• Organise for Cumbrian police officers to provide mutual aid to other UK police forces when required?
• Sets up casualty bureaux during emergencies?

Chief Inspector Rod Mackay is the Head of Cumbria Constabulary’s Civil Contingencies Unit. He said “A lot of my team’s work goes on behind the scenes, but is vitally important for ensuring that the people of Cumbria remain safe in the event of an emergency.

“The Constabulary is legally required to plan ahead so that we are prepared and rehearsed in a whole range of emergency situations. It is our job to create, develop and rehearse these plans so that, if major incidents or disruptions occur, police can get the right staff and officers in the right places quickly, and work closely with other agencies to keep people safe – and all while ‘normal’ policing continues throughout the county.

“We are responsible for hosting a range of multi-agency ‘exercises’ where police and different agencies get to practise how they would respond in different types of emergencies or disasters. We arrange many of these a year and it is clear that they pay off when you look at the County’s effective response to events like the flooding in 2009 and 2005. Of course, we learn a great deal from all the experiences we have actually had across the County.

“We work closely with partner agencies in Cumbria, and in neighbouring areas, and we work with other police forces and government departments around the UK, and have strong links to specialist regional teams such as the Counter Terrorism Unit in Manchester. This is to ensure that Cumbria Constabulary remains fully informed of any regional intelligence and can adapt its own plans or provide assistance.

“Most members of the public would be unaware that there is a Civil Contingencies team behind the scenes, but we are there during every major incident or disruption to co-ordinate the policing response.”

Posters raising awareness of the work of the Constabulary will be distributed across police stations and in key places amongst communities such as libraries, doctors’ surgeries and leisure centres throughout this campaign.

The campaign will be extended onto the Constabulary’s social networking accounts with dedicated ‘tweetdays’ and webchats so why not follow them there!