Parish Council News

SMOKING IN THE WORKPLACE AND SUBSTANTIALLY ENCLOSED PUBLIC PLACES

GOODMANHAM PARISH COUNCIL

The Clerk to Goodmanham Parish Council, in common with many Clerks to small Parish Councils, works from home and is the only employee of the Council.

However the new anti Smoking legislation does have an impact on the role which needs to be clarified to avoid any confusion at a later date..

The law requires that any parts of a dwelling will be required to be smoke free if they are used solely as a place of work for:

i. more than one person who does not live in the dwelling,

ii. a person who does live at the dwelling and any person who does not, or

iii. any person whether they live at the dwelling or not, if people who do not live at the dwelling come to give or receive goods or services.

On the first two points (i & ii) there would appear to be no problem as the Clerk is the only employee and is working from his own home. Therefore it does not matter if he/she does smoke or allows smoking on the premises.

However -on the third point (iii) there does need to be a clarifying statement.

The Clerk (myself) does not smoke and smoking rarely occurs in my home (and for the purpose of this statement - workplace).

However I do not intend to declare my home a completely and permanently smoke free environment (nor display the required ?No Smoking? notices) to the detriment of friends and family who do wish to smoke and to which I have no personal objection. It would be unreasonable to expect that a private home should do so in these circumstances.

It is important therefore to make it clear that my home remains the administrative ?office? for the Parish Council and I can and will freely (and legally) communicate with members of the public and Councillors by telephone, e-mail, letter and fax.

However, due to the new smoking legislation, any face to face contact must now be ?off the premises?.

In reality this is exactly what already happens and there will be no change to working practice at all.
If a member of the public or Councillor needs personal contact regarding any Council business I will visit them at a mutually agreed time and place.

If any person needs or wishes to see a document or record (that falls into the public domain) I will gladly bring that record or document to them as described above.

The current Clerk (myself) does not smoke but nor has he any objection to any other persons smoking in their own home or elsewhere in the event of a visit being necessary.

Any subsequent Clerk may, of course, wish to amend this statement to comply with his/her personal needs or beliefs.

This statement is necessary to avoid confusion at a later date. Clearly, these rules do not apply to non work related visitors (but who very unlikely to encounter a smoke filled atmosphere in any event).

All Parish Council Meetings, Parish Meetings and the meetings of any committee or sub-committee must also be completely non smoking (both members and any attending members of the public) if held in a substantially enclosed building. No Smoking signs must be displayed in all these cases.

No Smoking signs are available from the Clerk or can be downloaded from http://www.smokefreeengland.co.uk

As a matter of record, Goodmanham Parish Council does not currently own, or have responsibility for, any shelters, bus shelters or any other premises other than those already mentioned above.

Further information can be obtained from:

http://www.smokefreeengland.co.uk

VISIT BY GOODMANHAM PARISH COUNCIL TO THE HUMBERSIDE POLICE COMMAND CENTRE

One evening in early June 2007 Councillors Mrs M Skinner and Mrs C Sawyer and I visited the Humberside Police Command Centre at the kind invitation of Chief Inspector Mark Johansson of the Humberside Police.

The invitation followed a spate of anti-social behaviour and vandalism within, and adjacent to, the Parish - much of it around the old railway bridges. These incidents had resulted in calls being made to, and the involvement of, the Humberside Police.

CI Johansson explained in detail the structure of the Humberside Police and the 2 Command Centres. These Command Centres control and coordinate both communications between the public and police (including access to local Police Stations where appropriate) and the appropriate level of operational police response to any situation within the force area.
The force area is, geographically speaking, very large and includes the south bank of the Humber in northern Lincolnshire.

When a member of the public calls the Police on their non emergency number ? 0845 6060222 ? they will be connected to the Command Centre that is able to deal with their call the soonest. In the ?virtual world? of computers the location of the Command Centre is almost irrelevant. This process minimises any delay for the caller and allows the Police to take appropriate action as soon as possible.
A call via the 999 system is routed to the same locations but is answered as a priority. It is worth remembering that all 999 calls are first answered by the BT Operator (or KC for callers on the Hull exchange) and the caller is asked which service they require.
The BT Operator will also, briefly, ask for other details which will be important in maintaining contact with the caller.
The caller will then be connected to a Police Command Centre.

Following an earlier incident in the Parish I had been critical of the police communication system which would not connect me directly with Pocklington Police Station, now that the direct number is no longer available.

CI Johansson fully explained the need for a central telephone number i.e. 0845 6060222 rather than every police station having its own geographical number. Most smaller Police Stations e.g. Market Weighton & Pocklington are no longer staffed on a 24 hour basis and it is a more efficient way of utilising resources for the Police Officers who work from those police stations to be out and about on Policing duties.
If they are out of the station they will not be available to answer the telephone and the caller will not be able to reach them.
However, by calling the central number a message can be taken for an individual Police Officer and be passed on, using the radio or e-mail, depending on the duty status of the Officer and on the urgency and/or nature of the message.
While this system does allow a message to be left for the appropriate local Police Officer, it also enables another Officer to call back if the original Officer dealing with a case has moved on or is away on holiday or training etc.

While it would be very nice, and arguably preferable, to have more Police Officers on the beat and Police Stations staffed on a 24 hour basis I can certainly accept the logic of the centralised system in the current restrictive economic climate. It clearly does utilise the limited resources more efficiently. I would like to thank CI Johansson for his very clear explanation of the rationale behind the current system.

Another of the issues that arose before our visit was the fact that a call to a 0845 number was almost invariably more expensive than a normal call made to a geographical number i.e. with the prefix 01 or 02. The caller, more often than not, had to pay an extra charge to simply call the Police. A call from a mobile was much more expensive and was nearly always outside of any price package that the caller may have for ?inclusive minutes?.
It may be that the advent of ?inclusive packages? and ?free minutes? became significant after the 0845 system was introduced. Perhaps this area needs to be looked at again.

CI Johansson assured us that the Police Service do not make any money from the use of this number. All proceeds of 0845 go to the telephone provider and the rates charged are industry standard national call rates.

However, the central number used by Humberside Police could equally be a geographical code e.g. 01482. It does not have to be 0845. Indeed, both codes could be used to prefix the central number and the caller could choose the cheapest/best method for him or her (a system already in use by some elements of the East Riding Council).
The Single non-emergency number was adopted in early 2005 and follows national best practice. The fact that there is now only one number has allowed Humberside Police to invest in the promotion of this number on its vehicle fleet, stationary, posters, business cards, media coverage etc? so that the message becomes easily known and embedded with the general public. The removal of the 23 telephone numbers that where in general use has removed the widespread confusion that existed amongst the public regarding which number to ring. For example, under the ?old? regime, someone may have witnessed and incident that required a quick police response, but because they rang their local police station, there was often no reply, for the reasons outlined above. This built an inevitable delay into the system and caused frustration for the caller and the police. The single non emergency number ensures that the vast majority of customers now contacting Humberside Police can do so with minimum effort and allows Humberside Police to deal with calls quickly and efficiently.

After a lively question and answer session we were given a tour of the actual Command & Control Room.

This was a busy place indeed and calls were constantly being received during the time that we were there. We were fortunate in being able to witness at first hand the impressive priority given to emergency calls coming in via the 999 system.

The Command Centre we visited, although quite clearly throbbing with activity, exuded an atmosphere of quiet calmness and organised professionalism.

The Command Centres are staffed by both civilian and police personnel but there is always at least one senior police officer in command. This senior officer is available to both support the Command Centre staff and to provide operational management any incident that may be reported.

We were impressed - and reassured - by the technology available to identify the exact location of the caller or the incident being reported ? even when the operator had little or no local knowledge of the area in question.
It is very important that the caller answers any questions that may be asked about the location of any incident that they are reporting.

Having been privileged to see these systems in action it was quite apparent that with every seemingly unimportant or irrelevant question, the Police Operator was narrowing the options, in real time, until the exact location was very quickly established.

In such a large county as the East Riding it would be virtually impossible to have Police personnel on duty who were familiar with the whole county at all times. This technology appeared to be very effective but may sometimes need the calm coope ration of the caller.

The Councillors and I found the visit both informative and interesting and all our questions were answered clearly and openly.
We left feeling rather better informed and we certainly had a better understanding of the mechanics of how the Command Centres operate, how communications are dealt with and of the work done by the personnel that operate within the Command Centres.

We are grateful to Chief Inspector Mark Johansson for giving us his time and expertise and for ensuring that we had the best possible insight into the work done by the Command Centre.

The Parish Council would urge all residents in the Parish to report any incidence of damage, graffiti, underage drinking or antisocial behaviour or other criminal activity directly to the Police using the number appropriate to the urgency/seriousness of the incident i.e. 0845 6060222 or 999

For purely ?antisocial behaviour? issues the Safe Communities Officer can also be contacted in addition to the Police. Please follow the links for contact numbers.

Thanks again to the Humberside Police for their invitation to visit the Command Centre.

Graffiti, Vandalism, Antisocial Behaviour & Criminal Damage

This item will be run as a permanent Diary of events in relation to under age drinking, vandalism and criminal damage within or adjacent to the Parish until such times as the situation has been satisfactorily resolved.

Easter Weekend 2007

As you will all aware Goodmanham has finally fallen victim to graffiti. You may even be aware of the broken glass and other debris lying in the road beneath the old railway bridge on Goodmanham Rd.

What you may not be aware of is the damage that these young criminals are doing out of sight up on the disused railway line.
This applies to both the private land on the old ?Driffield trackbed? and the public (Hudson Way)? Beverley trackbed?.

The graffiti is widespread, broken glass everywhere and clear evidence of much alcohol consumption. These young vandals do not even bother to remove the evidence that would assist in their identification and the source of their alcohol. The Carrier bags - many of them freshly discarded - used to transport the party goodies - are exclusive to one local retailer. While there has always been a low level of inappropriate behaviour in these areas it has, at least, been at a tolerable level that had little impact on the community.This current bout of this anti social disease began in earnest over the Easter weekend and has continued ever since.

The initial damage to the bridge on Goodmanham Road was reported to the East Riding Council and one of our local residents reported the matter to a police officer on foot patrol.
However when I, as the Clerk to the Council, attempted to formalise the complaint and offer further information relating to both the offence and the possible perpetrators (including other offences that were being committed) I found Humberside Police spectacularly unhelpful.

You must now telephone an 0845 number. If like me you have an inclusive package from your telephone provider (mobile and/or land line) it will not include any non geographical numbers such as 0845. You will, therefore be paying just under 5p a minute (over and above the cost of the call of course) for the privilege of speaking to a Police Service that you have already paid for out of your Council Tax.

Monday 07 May 2007

The local gang of youths from Market Weighton were active on the old railway line again over the weekend of 5/6 May 2007. Once again the camp fires have been burning and glass and debris have been strew about. Our local Community Police Officer has been informed.

As mentioned earlier this attack upon our community began over the Easter weekend and continues with no let up. The local police are aware and are involved. There have been some police patrols in the area including mounted patrols. However, the patrols have not been in the area at the same time as this gang of youths. They have not been caught or deterred by Police activities and they are probably completely unaware that there has even been a Police presence in the area.
To be fair to the local uniformed officers, there are few of them and even fewer at the times when these anti-social youths are likely to be about. That, however, is a political matter and is clear evidence of the degradation of our essential services.

The important element in this saga is that the perpetrators of this antisocial and criminal behaviour continue to behave as they wish and whenever they wish.

So, if you, the residents of Goodmanham, are wondering what your Parish Council has been doing about the vandalism, graffiti, criminal damage and underage drinking that is clearly happening in and near to our Parish here is a summary:

q	We have made the Police aware

q	We have made the Police Authority aware (although they do not have any operational or managerial input relating to the Police)

q	We have made our District Councillor (and Market Weighton Town Councillor), Mr David Rudd aware and he is making his own enquiries.

q	We have made the Anti Social Behaviour Team at The East Riding Council aware

q	We are trying to liaise with any and all agencies who may be able to help.

I would add the observation that these youths are clearly consuming alcohol and some, if not most, are almost certainly underage (and we do not know just how young these girls and boys actually are). They have also been seen to be walking and misbehaving along the bridge parapets and must have been hanging over the safety rail to daub the graffiti. They too are in danger!

Latest Monday 28 May 2007

The dangerous vandals have been back on or under the Railway Bridge, Goodmanham Rd again this Bank Holiday Weekend but there appears to have been a change in their habits this time! (click here for earlier details)

While the road was strewn with glass, as has been the case on many occasions of late, there is some indication that the perpetrators may have been sitting in a vehicle beneath or adjacent to the bridge.on this occasion. If this suspicion is true then it does add the dimension that we may now have young drunks in motor vehicles as an additional hazard in our Parish.

The glass was swept off the carriageway to the side of the road and the matter reported to the Police via the Command Centre in Hessle.
On this occasion the Command Centre Operator was helpful and courteous, took down the details and put the complaint into their system.

This problem has been ongoing since the Easter Weekend. There has been some Police activity in the area but unfortunately not at the same time as the re-occurring problem with underage drinking, vandalism and the daubing of graffiti!

Monday 1 June 2007

The East Riding of Yorkshire Council - Anti Social Behaviour Team - have also now responded to a written request for information about their service and any help they may be able to offer to Goodmanham Parish Council. I will be meeting with one of their reps in the near future to discuss the problem.

It would be helpful if any member of the community who witnesses any wrongdoing notifies the police at once. If anyone is aware of the identity of the any of these young people - pass the information on to the police.

Friday 8 June 2007

A meeting was held ?on site? with the Safe Communities Officer from the East Riding Council and Sgt White of the Humberside Police and myself. Issues relating to drinking, vandalism, anti-social behaviour and the dropping/throwing/smashing of bottles/objects in the vicinity of the bridge on Goodmanham Rd were discussed.

It was clear from the very small numbers of complaints made to the Police or Safe Communities Dept at the East Riding Council that residents of Goodmanham Parish are not informing the Police or Council when the incidents occur.

It is vital that anyone who witnesses any action or activity that they consider dangerous, anywhere in the Parish, should contact the Police immediately.

This would include the dropping of objects from the Railway Bridge. If you feel that people are or could be in danger from the activities witnessed it would be appropriate to use the 999 system to contact the Police.

Equally important is the reporting of damage, graffiti, intimidation, the use of foul language, broken glass in the road or hedgerows. Also any other objects in the road beneath or adjacent to the bridge or anywhere else in the Parish do need to be reported. Likewise we should not have to tolerate fly-tipping or littering by anyone.

If we do not report an incident then we cannot hope to stop it!

Even though you may not have witnessed the activity yourself it is nevertheless important that you report the matter, including the time that you think it may have happened e.g. overnight on Saturday/Sunday or perhaps ?about 11 o?clock on Friday night?.
This information will allow both the Police and the Safer Communities Officer to build up a picture of what has happened and when it happened. If we tell them of every incident then they can gauge the level of the antisocial behaviour.

If the persons drinking alcohol are over the age of 18 and are not committing any other offence then there is little that the Police can do if it is happening on private land or on public land not designated as a ?No Alcohol Area?.
If some or all of the young people involved appear to be underage then the matter is worth reporting. Likewise if they are sitting in a motor vehicle drinking alcohol and you suspect that the driver is likely to have also consumed alcohol it is worthy of being reported.

If we, the community, can give them the information they need then they may be able to re-arrange their resources appropriately and deal with the young people involved.

Please report any and all incidents directly to one or both of the agencies below. Unfortunately if they are all channeled via the Parish Clerk it diminishes the value of the report. It appears that only one person finds it a problem rather the the community as a whole. The Police and Safer Communities Dept will not recognise that the Parish Council represents the community as a whole when reporting such incidents within or near to the Parish, despite the fact that they have been democratically elected to do so.

Police - 0845 6060222

Safe Communities Department - East Riding Council 01482 396380

Please remember - If we don?t report an offence or incident - statistically speaking - it will appear to have never happened at all!

Monday August 13 2007

After a wet miserable summer we have had a couple of weeks fine weather and, quite predictably, the vandals, underage drinkers and generally anti-social youths have returned to disused railway lines around Goodmanham.. Rubbish, broken glass and bottles and evidence of alcohol consumption abound.

The Carrier bags left lying around reflect the new retail outlet in Market Weighton.

The local Police have been advised of the resumption of antisocial activities and have agreed to try to attend the next Parish Council Meeting on Friday 17 August 2007.

Alan Morris
Clerk to Goodmanham Parish Council