Cumbria’s Deputy Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (DPFCC), Mike Johnson, attended Barrow Fire Station and Ulverston Blue Light hub recently, to see first-hand how Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service and the Police are working together, with their local communities, to help keep people safe.

DPFCC Mike Johnson met with PCSO Janine Wade to walkaround areas in Ulverston to hear more about the issues faced by local officers, the main trend that the Police have seen is anti-social behaviour.

Speaking on the visits, DPFCC Mike Johnson said: “It is always a great opportunity to meet with Firefighters and Police Officers from across the county to find out more about their roles, the communities they serve and hear about any challenges they are facing locally.

“Alongside Deputy Chief Fire Officer, Brian Steadman, Station Manager, Paul Milburn and the crew gave an in-depth tour of Barrow Fire Station and I received an update on incident types that have occurred in the local area in the past few months. There has been an influx of deliberate fires in the past couple of months from local youths in Barrow, so it was interesting to hear how the crews work with local partners, including the Police, to tackle this anti-social and potentially dangerous behaviour.

“I also attended Ulverston Blue Light Hub. The centre is a one-of-a-kind in the county, where all three Blue Light services: Police, Fire and Ambulance, are based at the same location, epitomising collaborative working at its best.

“We were then accompanied by PSCO Wade, for a walk-about the town, to hear more about current crime trends occurring in the area and how the Police are tackling these issues by working alongside the community and partners.

“Both services are doing a fantastic job at keeping local communities safe, whether this is through prevention, arresting criminals, extinguishing fires, or attending rescues.

“Every day Police Officers and Firefighters come to work only to face a multitude of dangerous and stressful situations in the line of duty, to help keep people safe.”

Deputy Chief Fire Officer, Brian Steadman, said: “It’s incredibly important that all emergency services in the county collaborate, when needed, to keep the public as safe as possible.

“For example, throughout July 2023, Barrow experienced several deliberate fires, set by local youths.

“Fires being caused deliberately in the open can have devastating effects on communities and place people’s lives in danger unnecessarily.

“As a service, we attended these incidents to ensure the flames were completely extinguished and promote several prevention messages in communities and we worked with the Police who made arrests and increased patrols to deter young people from setting fires.

“Partnership working between emergency services to keep the public as safe as possible so we will continue to work with Police and all other services whenever the situation calls for it.

“If anyone does spot a fire in a public space, please call 999 as soon as possible. The quicker we can get to the fire, the sooner we are able to get it under control and reduce the risk of harm.”

Inspector Grant Kelso, South Lakes Neighbourhood Policing Team, said:

“Working in partnership is crucial to the work our officers, PCSOs and staff do to keep the communities of Ulverston and the surrounding areas safe.

“Working from a co-located building has enabled us to enhance our working relationship with local fire officers and NWAS staff.  This results in all agencies having a greater understanding of what is going on in the community and a greater ability to tackle the issues most important to local people.

“We have officers and PCSOs tackling issues that matter to our communities, such as anti-social behaviour. We also do a great deal of work to prevent incidents such as conducting talks with schools and youth groups.

“Information from the public is key. If you have any concerns or wish to report criminal activity, please get in touch so we can investigate.”