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Fire crews and staff provide
support to Walton residents following fatality
FIRE crews and staff from Merseyside
Fire and Rescue Service have been providing reassurance and support to residents
in Walton, Liverpool, following the tragic death of a local tenant in a flat
fire that happened, on Saturday, 28 October 2017. We are old that
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service were called to the to the incident, within a
property, on Euston Street, Walton, that started around 9.11pm and crews alerted
at 9.13pm, arriving on scene within 5 minutes. Sadly the crews discovered the
body of a man in the bedroom when they arrived. A further casualty was treated
by Paramedics at the scene and required no further treatment.
An incident investigation has since confirmed that the fire was caused by
discarded smoker's materials. Firefighters and staff from Merseyside Fire and
Rescue Service have since visited the Walton area, offering advice and support
to local residents following the incident. As part of the campaign staff visited
370 properties and completed 102 Home Fire Safety Checks which included:- 124
new smoke alarms fitted or replaced. The crews also successfully identified 12
high risk properties in the area. Further work will now be done with partner
agencies to address the issues found within those buildings and provide support
to the occupiers. The crews were accompanied during the initiative by Cllr Peter
Brennan from Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority who also took the chance to
speak with residents about any concerns they may have. Cllr Brennan said
afterwards:- "This was a really positive exercise by the crews and staff
from Merseyside Fire and Rescue service and I think it has a done a great deal
to help reassure local residents and address concerns they may have had
following the tragic incident last weekend. The fact that the teams were also
able to identify 12 high risk properties in the area means that residents can
receive the support they need."
Part of the reassurance work undertaken by crews and staff yesterday concerned
the dangers that can arise from candles and smoking in the home. Always try to
smoke outside if possible and if smoking in the home you should take extra care
and never smoke in bed. Also always make sure you have extinguished all
cigarettes properly before you go to bed. You should always keep candles away
from flammables surfaces or textiles such as curtains, TV sets or bath tubs and
never leave them unattended. Always extinguish them before you go to sleep and
use a proper candle holder.
For fire safety advice call Merseyside and Rescue Service on:- 0800 731 5958.
Also seek out the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service online via their
website,
also on their
Facebook,
Twitter
and
YouTube accounts.
Revitalise calls for root
and branch overhaul of failing PIP benefit
DISABLED people's charity Revitalise;
which runs the
Sandpipers Respite Centre, in Southport;
has welcomed the news that 10,000 disabled people will be better off as a result
of their legal victory over Personal Independence Payment (PIP) rules. The
charity is calling for a root and branch overhaul of the entire PIP system to
prevent further confusion and ensure disabled people receive sufficient benefits
to play a meaningful role in society. As austerity bites ever deeper, the
respite break provider has had to quadruple its hardship funding in recent
years, in response to an unprecedented increase in demand from disabled people
and carers in financial hardship.
Revitalise CEO Chris Simmonds commented:- "This latest legal victory
simply adds weight to the argument that PIP is not fit for purpose and needs a
complete overhaul. This time last year the UN Committee on the Rights of
Disabled Persons (UNCRPD) found that the UK's welfare reforms amounted to 'grave
and systematic violations' of disabled people's rights. Then came the news that
many disabled people were being left with no choice but to purchase their own
wheelchairs in order to maintain their mobility, leaving many confined to their
homes. This government claims to be committed to the rights of disabled people,
but how can they lead dignified, productive, meaningful lives if they are not
given the financial support to do so?"
What your your views on this topic? Do
you agree with Revitalise on this issue or have you go other views? Email your
thoughts to:-
News24@SouthportReporter.Com.
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2 arrested in connection to
Sam Cook Murder
MERSEYSIDE Police Detectives
investigating the murder of Sam Cook have carried out warrants in the Speke and
Wavertree areas as part of their ongoing enquiries on, Friday, 3 November 2017.
At around 9am, a warrant was carried out at an address in Sandgate Close, Speke
leading to the recovery of cannabis and other equipment. A 19 year old man from
Speke was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply cannabis and
was taken to a Police Station for questioning. A 2nd warrant was carried
out at an address in Bligh Street, Wavertree. A 21 year old man from Wavertree
was also arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply cannabis and
taken to a Police Station for questioning. Officers are still appealing to
everyone who was in the basement of Empire nightclub in Liverpool City Centre
and may have witnessed the altercation or the incident itself to come forward,
or anyone with further information to come forward. Detectives are
also issuing a further reminder to people with any images or video, from
Saturday, 21 October 2017, to send them to a dedicated
email
address for further investigation. Anyone with photos or video can be assured
that anything sent will be treated in confidence. Anyone with further
information to assist the investigation is asked to contact Detectives on the
Hotline Number:- 0800 230 600, or you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on:-
0800 555 111.
Crimestoppers wants Young People to be
Fearless against crime
INDEPENDENT charity Crimestoppers has
launched its youth service Fearless.org on Merseyside at an event at Aintree
Racecourse. A group of young people took part in an interactive session led by
Fearless youth worker Leon Hobson, who himself has been a victim of knife crime.
Leon, spoke about how the incident changed his life and how he now devotes his
life to helping young people make the right choices. The young people were given
the opportunity to speak about how crime impacts their lives and whether they
would report crime if there was a way to do it anonymously.
Those in attendance were also able to put challenging questions to Jane Kennedy,
Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner, Crimestoppers Regional Manager, Gary
Murray and Liverpool Football Legend and Crimestoppers Volunteer, David Fairclough.
The unique service Fearless.org gives young people the chance to report crime
online anonymously and to learn more about crime and how it can destroy lives.
It is also a valuable resource for youth leaders and teachers to use as they
seek to tackle difficult subjects and challenge attitudes in their youth clubs
and classrooms.
David Fairclough, Liverpool Football legend and Crimestoppers volunteer said:-
"I volunteer for Crimestoppers because it is vital that we raise awareness that
the public has a vital role to play in making our communities safer by reporting
Crime anonymously. We need to explode the myth that you should not snitch on
criminals. These people do not care how much damage or harm they cause to our
young people. By reporting crime through Fearless.org they can make Merseyside
safer for their family and friends."
Colin Mathews, Chair of Crimestoppers' Merseyside Volunteer Committee said:-
"We are delighted to work in partnership with Aintree Racecourse to launch
our major youth initiative. It is vital that we engage with our young people
using media that is relevant to them and to let them see that they have a voice
and a role to play in making Merseyside safer. Sadly over the years we have seen
many young lives and families destroyed by crime on Merseyside, we hope that
using our online resource Fearless.org our young people will make the right
decisions and feel able to report crime anonymously."
Merseyside's Police Commissioner Jane Kennedy said:- "We know that some
young people can be reluctant to talk to the Police. Their friends and even
their families may try to enforce a 'no grass' culture, partly due to ill
founded fears of what Police investigations can lead to. It is also another form
of bullying. We must change this. Young people need to know they can do the
right thing, helping to bring justice for victims of crime, in the knowledge
that by doing so they are making their own communities safer. Crimestoppers
provides a really important avenue for people to give information to the Police
anonymously and in complete confidence, and I welcome their decision to launch a
dedicated youth brand in our region to encourage young people to come forward
and report crime safely online without fear of reprisals."
Crimestoppers received over 6,500 pieces of actionable information by phone or
through the online form from its website, in 2016, in Merseyside, which is a
record number. In the 1st 6 months of this year 246 pieces of information on
possession of firearms alone were received and over ₤1.5 million pounds worth of
drugs were recovered.
Young people can contact us with information about crime anonymously via:-
Fearless.Org.
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