Working together for a safer, cleaner and stronger neighbourhood.
Thursday, 31 January 2013
Thought for the Week
“Learn all you can from the mistakes of others. You won’t have time to make them all yourself.” Alfred Sherwood
Wednesday, 30 January 2013
Cumbria Constabulary introduce Lesbian and Gay Liaison Officers
A team of 20 officers and staff from Cumbria Constabulary will take up new roles at the end of this week as they become dedicated Lesbian and Gay Liaison Officers.
Cumbria Constabulary is launching the initiative on Friday 1 February to mark Gay History month, reflect the national policing scheme and, most importantly, to provide victims of hate crime with specially trained Lesbian and Gay Liaison Officers (LAGLOs) who are dedicated to dealing with hate crimes sensitively.
Police in Cumbria work hard to tackle hate crime and these new roles take over from previous LGBT officers to provide encouragement to victims to have the confidence to come forward.
Temporary Deputy Chief Constable, Michelle Skeer, said “We know that homophobic and transgender hate crime is often vastly under-reported and we hope that Lesbian and Gay Liaison Officers will help us to address this.
“In 2012, there were 36 homophobic crimes reported along with 3 transgender hate crimes. To put this into context, we received 166 reports of race hate crime in the same period.
“We don’t believe that there is a big issue with gay, lesbian or transgender people being targeted in Cumbria – however, these low numbers of reports suggest that victims may not be contacting us, which causes us concern.
“Our new Lesbian and Gay Liaison Officers have received special training to increase their understanding of lesbian, gay and transgender issues. We have a mix of officers and staff who have received this training and some of them are members of the gay community themselves, so are likely to have a better understanding of the concerns that victims may have.”
As well as being able to access LAGLO support by attending any police station or by contacting police on 101, third party reporting centres are also available across the county.
Third party reporting takes away the need for a victim to attend a police station or have any visible presence of police at their home. Instead, victims or witnesses can report incidents at a number of discreet outlets throughout the county. More information on third party reporting centres can be found here: www.cumbria.police.uk/advice-and-information/reporting-a-crime/hate-crime-and-incidents
Staff at these centres are trained to deal with third party reports in a manner that will ease any apprehension, which victims or witnesses may have in making such reports. They can also provide support, advice and potentially act as a link between victims and police.
T/DCC Skeer said “Put simply, hate crime is unacceptable, so we are doing all we can to tackle the issue in Cumbria. Every incident reported to us is investigated thoroughly and we have measures in place to ensure victims receive the support they need.
“The most important thing is we don’t want victims to suffer in silence. We need them to come forward, confide in us and we will do everything possible to ensure offenders are prosecuted so they won’t be targeted again.
“We are hosting a LGBT web chat on 7 February 2013 to mark Gay History month and encourage people from around the county to log on, ask questions or gain advice from the comfort of their homes. You don’t have to provide your name so all questions or information will be anonymous.
“Please take the time to log on, have your say and help us to stamp out hate crime in Cumbria.”
The web chat will take place between 6.30pm – 8.30pm on Thursday 7 February and will be hosted by some of the county’s LAGLOs. It is hoped this meeting will be as successful as the last LGBT online meeting hosted in September 2012 where 70 viewers logged on, 33 comments were posted from the public and 59 people replayed the discussion after the meeting closed. Join the webchat at www.cumbria.police.uk/lgbt.
Victims of transphobic hate crime can also report incidents online at: http://www.tcrime.net
To contact police, or if you would like to speak to your local Lesbian and Gay Liaison Officer by phone, call 101. In an emergency call 999.
Tuesday, 29 January 2013
Thursday, 24 January 2013
Crime in Cumbria Falls by 8%
The latest crime figures published today show that overall crime in Cumbria fell by 8% to September 2012.
Cumbria’s Police and Crime Commissioner now has the responsibility to oversee and monitor the Constabulary’s continued performance and the Office of Public Engagement will be collecting information to support this process at a community level.
Cumbria’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Richard Rhodes said “The latest set of crime figures are good. Crime in Cumbria has fallen by 8% compared with the year to September 2011 and the County remains one of the safest places to live, work and visit.
“It is good to see that burglary has reduced by 2% and we have one of the lowest rate for burglaries for any police force area in England. There has also been a 20% reduction in sexual offences and 8% reduction in violence against the person which are both key areas.
“Criminal damage has reduced by 11% but the County still has more offences per 1,000 population in England and Wales and as Commissioner I will be monitoring this as we move forward.
“It is reassuring that overall satisfaction with the police remains high with 68% agreeing that the police deal with issues that matter to people and this is something that I want to maintain as I more to set the future policing priorities in the four-year Police and Crime Plan.
“I would like to thank everyone for their hard work in making Cumbria even safer as it is about all of us working together to keep communities safe.”
Welcoming the new figures, Temporary Chief Constable Bernard Lawson said “Crime across the county has fallen by eight per cent which is a fantastic achievement and it is great to see that Cumbria has recorded the lowest crime rates in England, second only to City of London police.
“It is hard to achieve significant reductions in crime year upon year in a county which is already one of the safest in the country – yet, these figures reveal that police officers and staff continue to work hard to make Cumbria even safer.
“Crime in Cumbria is down across the board. We promise to continue to work hard to tackle all crime but particularly those that have the most impact on victims. Burglaries are particularly distressing crimes and have been a continued focus for us. These crimes have reduced by two per cent however burglaries in people’s homes have reduced by four per cent - indicating that there were far fewer people who had to endure the heartache of becoming a victim of this crime.
“It is encouraging to see that the public are maintaining their high levels of confidence in the Constabulary with 68 per cent of people either agreeing or strongly agreeing that police are dealing with local concerns. Community policing is at the heart of all we do within the Constabulary and we will continue to focus on improving each neighbourhood by working alongside the public to tackle the issues that affect them most.
“Reports of sexual offences are also down by twenty per cent which is encouraging; however we know that this is often a crime that can go unreported and this will remain an area of focus for us this year.
“We will not be complacent and throughout 2013, we will continue to work to maintain low crime levels and make a positive difference to the communities of Cumbria."
Wednesday, 23 January 2013
Friday, 4 January 2013
Thursday, 3 January 2013
FREE HeartStart/Defibrilator Training
Please see a list of planned HeartStart/defibrilator training dates below. It’s a mixture of theory and some practical, however don’t worry as it’s not assessable but you do get a certificate of attendance at the end. Thank you for putting yourself forward and you’re on the first step of possibly helping to save a life completing this FREE course. All courses are at Barrow Fire Station unless stated.
Dates for 2013 …
Friday 4 January - 2 to 4pm.
Tuesday 8 January - 2 to 4pm.
Wednesday 9 January - 10 - 12 noon.
To book a place Email mark.ducie@cumbria.gov.uk or christine.greaves@cumbria.gov.uk or phone 407800 during office hours 9am to 5pm. Please also encourage a friend or another family member to attend with you.
‘Bayscapes - Barrow, the Bay and Beyond' - exhibition
Exhibition at the Forum, Duke Street, Barrow
‘Bayscapes - Barrow, the Bay and Beyond'
An exhibition of limited edition digital photographs
by Andy Mortimer FRSA.
Exhibition runs until 28th February 2013.
Andy lives in Grange-over-Sands overlooking Morecambe Bay. The photographs he makes capture a sense of place and a moment in time. They reflect the constant changes of light, of surfaces, of the moods and colours that make up the environment.
A selection of bayscapes postcards and greetings cards will also be on sale.
Thought for the Week
“Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate.” Albert Schweitzer
Wednesday, 2 January 2013
Winter Warmth Fund - Cumbria Community Foundation
Cumbria Community Foundation help hundreds of older people in Cumbria who are in danger of becoming ill or even dying because of the cold. For the past two years they have run the Winter Warmth Appeal that has literally saved lives. An average of 300 deaths occur in Cumbria each year due to the effects of cold weather.
Community project wanted
Barrow's Prince's Trust Teams are searching for a community project to start in February and last roughly 10 - 14 days.
Previous Prince's Trust Teams have helped to redecorate Dalton Drill Hall, NACRO youth centre, Croftlands Infant school wildlife area, Hartington Church Garden / CVS garden, Roose Rugby Piooners, Walney ARFLC and Park Drive Scout Hall.
As the project is to last 10-14 days there must be more than enough work to keep the team busy. This could be a sports club, changing rooms, a community garden, a community club or a play area.
The Team will raise funds for their chosen project and search for donations.
If you think you have a project then please contact Stuart Meredith at stuart.meredith@furness.ac.uk.
The Prince's Trust Team Programme is a 12 week personal development course aimed at 16 to 25 year olds who are unemployed. Visit our facebook page (Barrow Prince's Trust) or visit www.furness.ac.uk for more information.
Police reveal Cumbrian Criminals’ Christmas List
Cumbria Constabulary have today revealed the contents of a local criminal’s Christmas list after collating the items that are most commonly stolen around the county.
The top twelve items have been revealed just a few days after Christmas as police round up the numbers of stolen items that have been taken during burglaries and thefts in 2012.
The top 12 items on a criminals’ Christmas list all share common traits – they are easily snatched from insecure cars or properties. They can also be invaluable to their owners – not just in monetary terms but also in terms of sentiment, especially where jewellery is concerned; and also in terms of personal data – when contact information or bank information is stored on phones, computers or in handbags.
Here are the top 12 items on a Cumbrian Criminal’s Christmas list:
1. Jewellery
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2. Money
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3. Mobile phones
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4. Computers (including tablets and iPads)
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5. Watches
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6. Handbags
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7. Purses
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8. Bicycles
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9. Sat Navs
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10. Clothing
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11. Other electrical items
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12. Car keys
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Jewellery has scooped the number one spot on the list with police receiving 393 reports that jewellery had been stolen during burglaries at peoples’ homes this year.
Money comes a close second with 246 instances of money being stolen from dwelling burglaries in 2012. Forty one separate instances of money being stolen during thefts from insecure vehicles and property were also recorded.
Detective Chief Inspector Lee Johnson said “As people begin to pack up Christmas for another year and clear out the unwanted boxes from their latest gadgets and gizmos, we want to remind them to be sensible and not advertise their new gifts to criminals.
“Take the boxes and packaging of electrical or expensive items to the tip rather than putting them outside your home as this can act as an advertisement to opportunist thieves. Or at the least, collapse your boxes and wait until the day of your rubbish collection to put them out.
“The items that are in most demand by thieves are the things that are easily taken so please bear this in mind. Items like jewellery, money, mobile phones or iPads that are lying around on work tops, window sills or dashboards are easy prey for an opportunist criminal who’s desperate to make some money.
“Electrical items such as power tools can also be easy pickings if your sheds or outhouses are insecure. I’d urge everyone to double check their security when they’re putting their Christmas decorations and gifts away for another year.”
There are precautions that you can take to ensure that your new year isn’t blighted by criminals:
· Never leave your new presents in sight of a doorway or window - this is an open advertisement to potential burglars
· Lock your doors and windows of your home and vehicles
· Don’t put empty boxes or packaging outside your home to advertise what new gadgets or gifts you’ve received
· Use timer switches for lights and radios when you leave your home to celebrate over New Year
· Contact police to help security mark all your new electrical and valuable gifts
· Take advantage of the free bike marking events to prevent thieves taking your bicycles
· If you have a house alarm, ensure it works and use it
· Secure outhouses and sheds
· If you are going away over New Year, ask someone you trust to keep an eye on your home
· Look after your neighbours and report ANY suspicious activity, people or vehicles to police immediately on 101.
DCI Johnson continues “Insecurity is the main factor in thefts and burglaries in Cumbria. Thieves will walk down a street or through a cul-de-sac and try a row of doors on vehicles and houses.
“When they find one open, they will take anything they can find or easily steal. By simply making sure doors are locked we can make their lives harder and, more importantly, keep hold of our precious possessions and new Christmas gifts.
“We are urging everyone to take time to consider their security to help ensure they have a safe and happy 2013.”
For more information or advice on how to keep yourself and your homes and property safe, please visit www.cumbria.police.uk or speak to your local policing team by calling 101.