The Commissioner supported the funding and rollout of three mobile units by the Lancashire Violence Reduction Network, and then invested cash seized from criminals through his Police Innovation Fund, a strand of the wider Safer Lancashire Neighbourhoods Fund, enhancing the units with digital capabilities to better engage and inform the public.
During a visit to Blackpool Pride, where one of the mobile stations was operating in St John’s Square, Commissioner Snowden observed first-hand the valuable contribution made by these mobile police stations.
These facilities have proven popular in placing police officers at the heart of communities, in a cost effective and visible way, aimed at fostering increased confidence in Lancashire Police.
These build on the investment into neighbourhood policing teams and both rural and urban taskforces, alongside the reopening of several police front counters to ensure each borough of Lancashire has at least one police station, accessible by the public.
Andrew Snowden, Police and Crime Commissioner for Lancashire said:
“Community engagement is crucial in creating safer neighbourhoods and instilling public trust that officers will be there when people need them.
“These mobile police stations have been great in bringing the police closer to the people they serve. I’m pleased to witness the positive impact they have had on community engagement and increased confidence policing here in Lancashire, whether at large events or crime hot spot areas.
“I will continue to deliver my Fighting Crime Plan and work closely with the Chief Constable to ensure that proactive, neighbourhood policing is at the very heart of what we do here in Lancashire.”
Sgt Daniel Whitaker said:
“The use of the funds from the OPCC has enabled us to upgrade the three mobile police stations and make them more interactive to members of the public.
“We are able to display information which is relevant to the local area the vehicle is deployed to and no longer miss members of the public that are simply too busy to stop and talk to an officer, therefore still giving us the opportunity to get our message across. This may be a witness appeal, a safety warning, or a campaign.
“Aside from the community engagement aspect, it allows for greater use when deployed operationally to an incident and will allow for more effective briefings to be displayed to officers.”
For more information on the Safer Lancashire Neighbourhoods Fund, visit lancashire-pcc.gov.uk/grant-funding/safer-lancashire-neighbourhoods-fund or email funding@lancashire-pcc.gov.uk
