PCSO’s  in North East Lincolnshire have been praised by mystery shoppers who were asked to check services in a test organised by Humberside Police Authority.

Members of the public were asked to test the quality of service they received.  research concluded

The  research concluded that the PCSO’s provided “an excellent level of service”, but also found that the information provided on opening times and public meetings as well as the way some of the calls were handled by the some of the calls were handled needed to be improved.

The survey found that all divisions of the Police force have a commitment tothe visibility of patrols, and have sound reasons for the times and deployment of their officers, and that the neighbourhood teams have sound systems in place to receive and respond to messages from members of the public.

Recently, a large number of residents have reported receiving telephone calls from companies making out they are connected with Government Schemes to perform security checks with the offer of free or reduced price burglar alarm systems.

Safelinks advises that if you where to consider the installation of a burglar alarm you should engage the services of a local burglar alarm installer recommended by relatives, friends or neighbours.  In any case before allowing anyone into your home you should check with the local trading standards department at council offices.

Humberside Police in NE Lincs provide a free home security check and upgrade by trained fitters. Please phone Jane Taylor on 01472 324988/324987 for appointment for this very useful service. The Police fitters are experienced in the methods used by burglars in this area and so will help you to avoid a nasty experience.

Figures released this week from Humberside Police show that crime levels in the borough are heading in the right direction. 

2009 was a successful year in terms of crime levels and January this year was the most successful on record. The news about January was reported on this website and in the Grimsby Evening Telegraph; however, the headline should have been very positive but instead it turned out to be somewhat negative. 

Chief Superintendent David Hilditch who is passionate about North East Lincolnshire was delighted about the latest crime figures, but not with the way it was reported in the media, David therefore as decided to put pen to paper in article for this website:

Chief Superintendent David Hilditch, Divisional Commander for the police in North East Lincolnshire said:

“The latest monthly crime figures for January 2010 are an incredibly good news story for us. January’s crime figures are the lowest since we started our computerised system in 1996. From what I remember of the rate crime was increasing in the late nineties I would guess that this is the lowest figure for some years before even 1996.

“This is brilliant news for North East Lincolnshire. Sadly, the way this story was reported in the Grimsby Telegraph yesterday (Thursday 4th February) turned this brilliant news into a bit of a damp squib by focusing on a debate about unreported crime. By doing that I think the Telegraph missed the point.

“There has always been and always will be an unknown number of crimes that are not reported to the police. This is what criminologists call ‘The dark figure of unreported crime’ because we can never know for sure how many crimes are not reported. It stands to reason that people will not report each and every crime maybe because the crime is very minor, or because they don’t think whoever did it is likely to be identified or because it’s just too much trouble.

“The British Crime Survey which is based on a public survey carried out in a consistent way over many years also shows that crime is falling, so we can be confident that the trend shown by our crime figures is valid and true.

“January’s figures come on top of excellent figures for October, November and December which made 2009 a very good year for us. February has got off to a good start as well.

“I would hope that we would all want to see a safe and prosperous area with low crime levels and so I am disappointed that some people choose to assume that good results for North East Lincolnshire can’t be true. We’ve got something to celebrate here.

“The story behind the figures is that we have relentlessly been targeting the top offenders and some of the prison sentences we have seen in the last year have been very pleasing. At the other end of the scale we have been working very closely with the Youth Offending Service and many other partners to keep kids out of trouble.

“Reports of anti-social behaviour are also down massively. I know that anti-social behaviour is an important priority for many people and we are working harder than ever to tackle it. In November we passed a milestone of 100 ASBOs being granted at court and behind that there are many more cases that are successfully being dealt with without the formality of an ASBO.

North East Lincolnshire is becoming an increasingly safe area for us all to live and work because of the efforts of many people and many organisations. All of these people and organisations should have a share of the credit. Let’s not talk down our area but celebrate our successes instead.”

The table below shows the improvements made last year.

Carbon emissions from the public sector increased 6.25% in 2008, Liberal Democrat analysis of new Government figures reveals.

While every major sector of the economy except housing saw emissions fall, the public sector saw emissions rise from 9.6m tonnes of CO2 equivalent (Mt CO2e) to 10.2 MtCO2e.
 
Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Energy and Climate Change Secretary, Simon Hughes said:
 
“How can the Government expect to be taken seriously on climate change if it can’t even get its own emissions under control?

“Labour is yet again failing to match its climate rhetoric with real action

“Britain needs a Government which sets an example and delivers immediate and ambitious carbon reductions.”

JANUARY 2010 has seen seen the lowest number of monthly recorded crimes across the North East Lincolnshire region since records began, in 1996, meaning 57 fewer victims of crime in our area compared to the highest recorded crime figure of 3069 in March 2004.
 

It is no secret that national targets are tight and changes have been made to the way in which the police work alongside the multitude of communities that make up North East Lincolnshire.
 

These have been made in order to improve the quality service delivered to residents and businesses across the region.

They have led to ongoing reductions in area’s such as burglary and night time economy related violence which can have a lasting impact on victims.

It shows that the division is moving in the right direction but we are striving to achieve further reductions and build on public confidence in the future.
 

To put these reductions into perspective, January 1997 saw a total of 2071 recorded crimes which actually rose to a peak of 2879 in January 2004 however this year January 2010 has seen just 1309 crimes being recorded across the division.
 

Detective Chief Insp Bob Clark said: “It is pleasing to see the ongoing hard work throughout the division is starting to bear fruit however there will be members of public out there who still feel we could do more to improve on the service we deliver and that is what we intend to do.

“Along with our partners, we are constantly looking at new ways to tackle crime and disorder issues that cause the most concern throughout the area and how to encourage members of public to work with us in order to make North East Lincolnshire a safer place to live, work or visit.

“For example, making residents aware of emerging issues as soon as we identify them and advising on how to reduce the chances of being targeted has seen significant reductions in burglary in area’s traditionally targeted by criminals. This is just one example of how we are looking at involving our communities more in order make life harder for those looking to commit crime.
 

“Although we feel there are still further improvements to be made in areas such as satisfaction and in particular the perceptions of crime and disorder across the area these figures certainly show that we are moving in the right direction and it is to be hoped that residents will look at what they can do to support our work in the future to continue reducing the number of crimes and victims across North East Lincolnshire.”

“We do not have immunity from prosecution for Parliamentarians in this country,” said the Liberal Democrat Shadow Leader of the House David Heath.

Commenting on reports that Parliamentary privilege may be used by the lawyers of parliamentarians facing criminal charges, David Heath said:

“There should be no question of MPs or peers charged with serious criminal offences sheltering behind Parliamentary privilege.

“We do not have immunity from prosecution for Parliamentarians in this country. Parliamentary privilege exists purely to ensure we can do our job properly, not to protect us from the law.

“If there is any question about whether Parliamentary privilege gives protection against prosecution for fraud, then Parliament should make it very clear by passing a resolution to say that it does not.”

“The Government throws around big numbers in headline-grabbing pledges in an effort to convince business that it is helping,” said the Liberal Democrat Shadow Business Secretary.

Commenting on today’s figures showing a rise in corporate failures and the number of personal insolvencies at its highest level since records began, John Thurso said:

“These figures make grim reading.

“Time after time, the Government throws around big numbers in headline-grabbing pledges in an effort to convince business that it is helping, and time after time it fails to deliver.

“Now more than ever, ministers need to lay down the law with the semi-nationalised banks to make sure solvent businesses and individuals get access to the credit they need to survive the recession.”

Humberside Fire and Rescue Service are celebrating after receiving a national community partnerships award in the “Best Education Category” held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London.

The initiative that was set up with the help of local secondary schools in the North Lincolnshire area wanted to address the problems of young people that were not in education ,employment or training and it is designed as a high impact, life changing solution to improve the prospects of disengaged young people.

The partnership is breaking new ground with the development of the BTEC certificate, a unique qualification accredited by Edexcel and and is delivered by qualified fire fighters.

The BTEC tutors and the Humberside Fire and Rescue Services Learning Centre team have put in a huge amount of extra effort to make the course unique and enjoyable to students,so much so that they have taken ownership of their course ,taking great pride in their personal and collective achievements resulting in them hosting the first youth forum for other Fire and Rescue Services around the region.

The course has been hailed as a resounding success and showing impressive results as students attendance was over 90% with not one student dropping out from the course.

Humberside Chief Fire Officer Frank Duffield said” This is a fantastic achievement for everyone that has been involved with this ground breaking initiative.Both the students and tutors should be congratulated for their hard work and dedication to improving the lives of young people”

“The award has acknowledged Humberside Fire and Rescue Services dedication and endeavour towards improving the quality of life for current and future generations alike.The awards play a vital role in celebrating this success,as well as providing a benchmark for future development”.

The Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer, has announced that the Conservative peer and Labour MPs Elliot Morley, David Chaytor and Jim Devine will face charges over their expenses claims.

A statement on the DPP website says:

“Six charges under section 17 of the Theft Act 1968 for false accounting have been brought against Paul White, known as Lord Hanningfield.

“The charges allege that between March 2006 and May 2009, Paul White dishonestly submitted claims for expenses to which he knew he was not entitled, including numerous claims for overnight expenses for staying in London when records show that he was driven home and did not stay overnight in London.”

From 2006-09, the peer’s total overnight subsistance claims were £51,820

According to the National Audit Office, six hundred lives a year could be saved if hospital services for those who suffer life-threatening injuries in accidents were better managed.

Emergency consultants are freqently not provided at night and weekends, when many accidents and injuries happen.  Without rapid diagnosis and treatment, people can suffer serious disabilities and lives can be lost.

Edward Leigh, chairman of the public accounts committee, blamed the government.

He said:

“For more than 20 years almost nothing has been done to remedy the lamentable provision of care for people suffering serious injuries, most commonly as a result of a road accident or fall,”

“The Department of Health and NHS trusts were warned by the Royal College of Surgeons in 1988 and similar warnings have been repeatedly published since then but progress has been slight.

“The shocking truth is that an estimated 450 to 600 lives are being unnecessarily lost each year because of poor care.”

“Only one hospital in the entire country, the John Radcliffe in Oxford, has the necessary specialist consultant cover 24 hours a day, seven days a week

“That means people who have an accident outside of office hours are unlikely to be seen immediately by somebody who can decide what action has to be taken.

“This means that your chances of avoiding death or disability can turn on when your accident happens and to which hospital the ambulance takes you.  Some hospitals have the appropriately trained surgeons for major trauma, many do not; and some areas have formal bypass arrangements for ambulances, but many do not.

“The situation could be worse than we think because two fifths of all hospitals with A&E departments do not provide statistics on how they deal with trauma patients. Major trauma services are currently provided in a disorganised and uncoordinated fashion. It cannot be beyond the capabilities of the Department and NHS trusts to establish a system, at little extra cost, enabling seriously injured patients to be delivered quickly to those parts of the health service best equipped to treat them.”

The report reveals that survival rates vary significantly between hospitals around the country, ranging from five unexpected survivors to eight unexpected deaths per 1,000 patients.

“There is unacceptable variation, which means that if you are unlucky enough to have an accident at night or at the weekend, in many areas you are likely to receive worse quality of care and are more likely to die,” said Amyas Morse, head of the NAO.

Dr John Heyworth, president of the College of Emergency Medicine, said the NAO report presented

“a picture which we would recognise completely and we share these concerns. There has been a 20 year hiatus in trauma management and frankly that is unacceptable.

“We have known what the answers are for about 20 years but there has not been the commitment from various administrations in government and at a regional level to take this forward.”

He said that major trauma centres need 16-18 consultants to provide 24/7 cover, while the average hospital currently has four, which is “self-evidently hopeless” and needs to be brought up to at least 10.

While the government has invested in extra scanners which can locate brain injury, they are often at a distance from the emergency department or not immediately available, he added.

Liberal Democrat Shadow Culture, Media and Sport Secretary, Don Foster has today published new proposals for the arts and creative industries in ‘The Power of Creativity’.

Don Foster wants to see creativity and culture celebrated, as important in their own right and as powerful drivers of our national identity, global standing and affluence. The Liberal Democrats believe the status of the arts and creativity should be raised across society and government.  
 
The proposals published in The Power of Creativity are not formal party policy but set out Don Foster’s vision of how to support the arts and culture and celebrate creativity in this country.
 
The paper includes proposals to:

• Change the way the National Lottery is taxed to generate more money for arts and heritage as well as for the Treasury
• Provide support for new start-ups in the creative industries and enable more businesses to offer internships and apprenticeships
• Offer all our children a more creative education by freeing up the curriculum and increasing the amount of time trainee primary school teachers spend learning about the arts and creativity 
• Make it easier for small venues to host live music events by reducing bureaucracy that restricts small venues
• Make sure the regions and cities outside London do not miss out by reviewing the Arts Council England’s funding structures and creating a new administrative status for national museums that will enable them to be more enterprising and independent
• Open up the Government Art Collection for greater public use

Commenting, Don Foster said:
 
“This set of policies demonstrates our commitment to the arts and creative industries and our belief in their central importance in our society.  Art and culture play a vital role in society and as well as driving regeneration they can be crucial in helping with education and even fighting crime.
 
“We want to move away from restrictive and bureaucratic targets for the arts and instead focus on celebrating our cultural wealth and nurturing new talent.
 
“In particular we want to see a greater emphasis on creativity in our education system. We will bring an end to the stifling impact of Labour’s over-prescriptive curriculum and meaningless targets.
 
“At a time when our creative industries offer the potential for a bright economic future in this country we will invest in creative talent.
 
“The future we want is a country fulfilling its creative potential.”

You can read a complete copy of “The Power of Creativity at: 

http://www.libdems.org.uk/siteFiles/resources/PDF/Power%20of%20Creativity%20print.pdf