Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Kim McGuinness is calling on the help of creative kids from across the region to design her 2023 Christmas card.

Enter the competition and be in with a chance of winning a £100 voucher for your school and see your masterpiece on show at the North East’s famous gallery, The Baltic!

All school children 16 and under are welcome to submit their designs, the more the merrier!

Each entry must be sent to enquiries@northumbria-pcc.gov.uk including the name, age, address, and school, as well as a parent or guardian’s contact email.

Entries will be shortlisted to include one design from each local authority within the Northumbria Police force area. A winner will be chosen at an event taking place at the Baltic on Tuesday 19th December.

To keep up-to-date with the competition you can follow Kim on social media here.

Full Ts and Cs here.

It may look like a normal bus with normal passengers, but troublemakers beware, you could find yourself hailing a bus to the police station.

This is because Northumbria Police’s ‘Trojan’ bus – a decoy bus where the passengers are plain clothes police officers – is being deployed across the North East to take tough action at anti-social behaviour hotspots.

The policing tactic sees officers on board what appears to be a regular bus service, but it is in fact a staged service en route to pick up ASB offenders at bus stops and stations, helping officers make any necessary arrests.

Northumbria Police’s decoy bus is in conjunction with Stagecoach and the initiative uses additional funding secured through Commissioner Kim McGuinness’ Safer Transport Northumbria project which seeks to crackdown on ASB and improve people’s feelings of safety when using public transport throughout the region.

The destination of the bus will vary as it will be dispatched as a direct response following complaints from local residents or public transport users.

Northumbria Police and Crime Commission, Kim McGuinness, said: “The Trojan bus tactic is one of many strategies being used by officers to tackle ASB on and around North East buses. It’s a direct action, responding to community concerns and putting a stop to them.

“Anyone who thinks they can get away with throwing stones at vehicles, vandalising bus stops or riding motorbikes on pedestrian pathways needs to think again – this bus could be pulling up at your feet sometime soon.

“It’s early days but this bus has real potential to help crime fighting officers make any necessary arrests. Buses play such a vital role in helping our communities, getting people where they need to go, linking them with opportunities. People tell me they want public transport that’s affordable, reliable and crucially safe – this bus can really help with that part and help improve lives of those fed up with the ASB that goes on while they are waiting for a bus.

“It really is vital that we take people’s concerns around ASB seriously and that our police respond with positive and robust action to tackle the issues raised. Our Trojan bus is a great example of how we are listening, and how our police are working hard to catch those responsible and put a stop to behaviours that people understandably have had enough of in their area.”

Neighbourhood Inspector Gemma Calvert, of Northumbria Police, said: “As a Force, we recognise that the anti-social behaviour of a minority can have a significant and detrimental impact on the communities we serve – and that includes on public transport.

“The Trojan bus in South Tyneside is just one innovative way we are tackling pockets of disorder and identify those causing issues in hotspot area.

“Already we’re seeing some promising results and, together with our partners, we will continue to use every tactic at our disposal to fight crime and keep people safe.

“We would ask the public to continue to work with us, by reporting any concerns to police using the ‘Tell Us Something’ page of our website or by calling 101.

“In an emergency, or where a crime is taking place, always dial 999.”

The ‘Trojan bus’ is a multi-agency project with OPCC, Nexus, Metro Unit, Stagecoach, Council CCTV Room, Council business responders and the Council Youth Services.

Ends.

FORCE-wide crackdown efforts to tackle motorbike related crime and ASB is to be stepped up, Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Kim McGuinness has announced.

Recent policing operations by officers in Northumbria have had very encouraging results with bikes seized and significant arrests made, and the Commissioner says she is determined to bolster efforts further by investing in what has been identified as an increasing concern among local communities.

Some £196,000 secured from the Home Office will fund a new, dedicated support unit to strengthen intelligence sharing between partners. This will then feed into robust police action and designated operations to target the trouble-makers responsible for causing motorbike related ASB in their neighbourhoods.

Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Kim McGuinness, said: “I’m more than aware just how much of a concern motorbike related crime is across our communities. It’s not only nuisance behaviours but dangerous behaviours too. It may only be a small minority doing it but it can put many people at risk of what can be very tragic consequences.

“We must do all we can to drive out this problem – and this project will focus on really understanding the issue, promoting safety and encouraging reporting. We want to steer troublemakers away from these nuisance behaviours and officers will take tough action on those responsible.

“The minority who ride dangerously need to be clear of the punishments. Nobody wants a fine, nobody wants their bike taken away but these are the things that are going to happen if you chose to ride somewhere illegal, somewhere unsafe.”

“By tackling those responsible for these behaviours we can improve the lives of local residents and that’s what we are setting out to do.”

Funding has been secured through Round 5 of the Home Office’s Safer Streets funding. Two further bids made by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Northumbria have also been successful. Other work will cover improving women’s safety in public places, tackling transport ASB and cutting down the number of deliberate secondary fires.

If you have any information about bike-related anti-social behaviour in your community, you can report it to Northumbria Police online via the ‘Tell us Something’ pages of their website, call 101 or contact independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

KIM MCGUINNESS has called on an independent watchdog to investigate crime levels in areas she dubs as Government ‘funding favourites’ for police uplift investment. By contrast, Northumbria has been the force hardest hit by austerity and even post-uplift remains 427 officers short when compared to pre-2010 levels.

Northumbria’s Police and Crime Commissioner has written to the National Audit Office asking them to further investigate police resources following the conclusion of the Government’s uplift programme to recruit 20,000 new police officers. The NAO is the UK’s independent public spending watchdog, supporting Parliament in holding Government to account.

Kim McGuinness believes that data to date shows the way in which funds for recruitment were allocated by the Home Office to police forces has risked permanently embedding a reduction in headcount in those forces hit hardest by Government austerity measures.

In the NAO’s own 2018 report Northumbria Police was cited as one of the forces to suffer most from austerity measures. Around 25% of the force’s budget was cut, the NAO report found, with a reduction in officer numbers of around 1,100 as a result.

In 2022 the NAO looked at value for money from the Government’s Uplift programme and noted that “it is too early to assess whether the additional officers are delivering the wider aims of Government to improve public safety and help to reduce crime”.

Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Kim McGuinness, said: “The impacts of funding formulas and uplift investment on local crime levels needs looking at. People have the right to know. Not all areas of the country have benefited equally from the recent uplift in police officer numbers.

“I believe forces with a smaller police precept base, like we do here in Northumbria, have been denied the chance to fully replace the number of officers they’ve lost since 2010. The allocation of Home Office Uplift funding has effectively embedded this cut in headcount for the foreseeable future. For some of us Government has failed to fix the problem it created.”

Kim McGuinness went on to explain “As the NAO report in 2018 found, Northumbria has been reliant on Government for 81% of our funding. Under uplift we received funds for an initial intake of 615 officers. This figure was increased by 60 after the Home Office re-allocated underspend. Government withheld funding for around 425 extra officers needed to bring Northumbria’s policing numbers up to 2010 levels. This disparity is repeated in forces across the North of England, where the council tax base is often smaller than other areas.”

However, the Commissioner pointed to a very different story elsewhere in the country. Last year Essex Police revealed they now have the highest number of officers in their 182-year-history, funded by Uplift and the local precept which makes up nearly half of their funding. The area has also welcomed a significant fall in crime.

The Commissioner continued: “Home Office officials will have known of the differing reliance on central funding when they allocated Uplift targets. It’s fair to say there is a noticeable North-South divide when it comes to funding favouritism too.  And so, I have asked the NAO to look into this again and consider the impact of uplift on reducing crime, and whether the bias in uplift allocation will be considered when measuring impact at a local level.”

The Home Office estimated that nationally the additional officers will provide net positive benefits of £4.7 billion over the next 10 years through additional charges, reduced reoffending and deterrents, and will reduce the number of crimes by around half a million a year by 2024-25.

In a letter to the head of the NAO, Kim asks whether they will be assessing this return on investment against the criteria, and will it breakdown this assessment on a force by force basis.  She states the public have a right to see how crime has changed in areas with the most policing investment, and how those denied the ability to recruit to their 2010 headcount levels have seen crime levels change as a result. She looks forward to the reply.

The letter sent is available to download here.

The Local Youth Fund has returned, providing young people across the region with a platform to voice their views on how violent crime is tackled, by bidding for a share of the £16,000 fund.

This comes as Police Commissioner Kim McGuinness’s Violence Reduction Unit launched its Knives Impact Everyone campaign, highlighting the devastating consequences carrying a knife can have, as well as pointing young people to further information and support.

Now this exciting initiative provides an opportunity for young people to feel empowered to join the fight against violent crime by not only developing projects that matter to them, but those that will also have a positive impact on their local areas.

Nearly 4000 young people have already directly benefited from previous rounds of this fund, with a range of projects delivered to improve communities and ultimately make them feel safer thanks to almost £30,000 handed out.

For this new funding round, the Violence Reduction Unit have commissioned NE Youth to support with the delivery, and sees young people who attend their youth sessions recruited to form a panel, putting them at the forefront of the decision making process and giving a unique opportunity to gain valuable skills for their future.

With the fund now open, young people are once again encouraged to work with their local community groups and youth organisations to develop and submit their ideas for projects to prevent knife crime and increase feelings of safety in their communities.

When the fund closes on 13^th November 2023, the youth panel will take on the responsibility of assessing all bids put forward by young people and selecting one successful project per local authority area to receive a share of the funding.

Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Kim McGuinness said: “When it comes to tackling violent crime, young people have told us that they want to be part of the solution – and that’s why initiatives like this are so important as they provide a platform for them to be heard. No one should feel the need to carry a knife or bring violence to our local communities, which is why I want young people to tell me what actions they want to see happening, what would improve their local areas and what will make them feel safer.”

She added: “After consulting with young people across the region, the Violence Reduction Unit released the Knives Impact Everyone campaign, which helps us to continue getting important information to young people on the dangers, consequences and impact of carrying and using knives. This fund now goes that extra step further by giving young people the tools they need to develop their own projects and crucially provides access to positive opportunities that reduce their chances of becoming involved in violent crime. Together we can really make a difference in building safer communities for all.”

On behalf of the North East Youth Alliance, NE Youth Chief Executive Jon Niblo said: “We are delighted to be once again collaborating with the Violence Reduction Unit on this important fund for Young People. Young People continue to raise concerns about their own safety and this fund provides an opportunity to lead a project or activity that contributes towards making our communities safer.”

To apply for a share of the Local Youth Fund, visit the NE Youth website or for more information, please contact the Northumbria Violence Reduction Unit by email vru@northumbria-pcc.gov.uk

A Police and Crime Commissioner has warned the dire need for mental health support is outstripping the number of hospital beds available – a problem adding to growing pressures on local police resources.

Last week, Kim McGuinness joined Northumbria Police officers to see first-hand how officers respond to 999 mental health callouts, which continue to soar.

Only an hour into the shift a call came in after parents were worried their son who was hearing voices.

Police attended and were joined at the house by an on-call doctor who said the individual needs to be sectioned under Section 2 of the Mental Health Act but not only were there no beds available in the North East, there were none available in the entire country.

This, the Commissioner was told, wasn’t the first time this has happened.

She also heard about a regular caller who felt they could no longer carry on. It frequently falls on officers to attend, spend time with people in crisis and help they try access specialist support – not easy out of hours.

The Commissioner wants to reveal the true demands being placed on overstretched officers who can spend an entire shift filling the shoes of mental health specialists, as NHS and public sector organisations remain underfunded by Government.

Mental health-related incidents in the Northumbria Police force area have increased by 152% since 2017 and Kim McGuinness is calling for urgent investment in mental health services. The College of Policing also estimates police officers spend 20-40% of their time dealing with such incidents.

Everyturn Mental Health, which works on behalf of the NHS and local authorities, provides crisis services to offer practical and emotional support to anyone in mental health crisis backed the Police and Crime Commissioner’s figures and also said its ‘Together in a Crisis’ service (TIAC) has seen an increase of 109% in referrals since 2022. 

Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Kim McGuinness, said: “Police officers are being called out and are saving lives – but that’s not fighting crime. It was such a sobering and at times disturbing experience being out with officers attending to calls for concern and this is what our officers see day in day out. They’re dealing with people who need professional help, but our police so often are the first port of call and as I saw for myself – there’s nowhere for them to go.  It’s not easy and our officers are doing an amazing job but people in a mental health crisis need to be looked after by healthcare specialists. That’s why Government needs to free up pressure on our police by investing in mental health services. We can’t carry on taking the 24/7 availability of our police for granted.

“The current system is not only letting people with mental health conditions down, but also our police officers, and the safety and wellbeing of our community. Poor funding of our essential services is the problem. The mental health service has faced cuts and our police have faced drastic cuts themselves. Northumbria Police has had £148 million cut out of its budget since 2010. We’re seeing the very desperate consequences of all this now and things need to change”.

Although she said it is not a long-term solution, last month the Commissioner announced plans to work with a local charity to put specialist mental health workers into the force’s 999 call handling centres – so people can help straight away.