PCSO Sam Thomas was delighted to be invited on Brisbane Park School's annual trip to the Zoo this week. Sam has been going into the school as part of her role for the last fifteen years but admits the school trips are a particular highlight!

By attending the school she helps reduce any fear or negative thoughts that the children may have in relation to the Police. The aim is to provide a visible and reassuring presence in a safe environment so that the children get used to seeing and speaking to the Police from a young age. By attending trips out of uniform it helps the children understand that the Police are 'real' people rather than just a 'uniform'. 

Sam’s first school trip with the school was to Grizedale forest and she still regularly has those, now grown-up children and their families stop and chat with her now - despite them all celebrating their 21st birthdays this year! 

PCSO Phil Sullivan and PC Paul Kelly from the Child Centred Policing Team have been visiting local schools and educating children over the dangers of knife crime and antisocial behaviour involving fires.

This was a multi-agency project and in attendance were Youth Workers and Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service.

Sadly, crimes involving knives and arson are still prevalent in society so it is important to teach our children from a young age the dangers involved in this type of activity.

The children engaged very well, there was plenty of interaction and PSCO Sullivan reports excellent feedback for this input which will continue once the schools return in September.

Earlier this month the Barrow Proactive Team responded to a report from community members of a driver regularly using his car in an antisocial manner; this culminated in an incident with a near-miss on a residential street. The report was compounded by the fact intelligence showed they had no insurance, tax or MOT and frequently drove while under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

We identified this as a community priority as not only are they a danger to other road users but also the potential for a serious accident involving the wider public.

Based on the information passed, the vehicle was located on 15^th July 2021 outside their home address, and then observed driving so a stop check was carried out. This resulted in the vehicle being seized from its owner and they are now being pursued through the courts for vehicle and driving offences.

This positive approach from our Community Proactive Team has resulted in a dangerous vehicle being taken from the roads. However, we would be unable to do this without the continued support and information from our communities.

We would like to pass our thanks for the public support here and remind everyone you can contact in person your local officer or PCSO with any information, you can report anything confidentially via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, and you can contact Cumbria Police direct through the 101 phone line. Please, however, always use 999 in an emergency.

PCSO Louise Perry teamed up with PS Joanne Smith from the Child Centred Policing Team to visit Ireleth St Peters School on 1^st July to present a talk about Road Safety.

An issue had been raised with the Community Team regarding children and the road outside of the school which prompted the talk.

The whole school were involved and engaged with both Joanne and Louise, responding to questions about their safety on the roads.

PCSO Perry said: "It was great to get back inside the school and engage with the children after the recent restrictions and this gave us the ideal opportunity to remind the children about staying safe during the upcoming school holidays."