Greater legal protection for Police Pursuit Drivers welcomed by Region's PCC

A plan to offer greater legal protection to Police Drivers when pursuing suspects has been welcomed by the Region's Police and Crime Commissioner. Jane Kennedy has previously called for changes in the law in order to give Officers more protection when chasing criminals on the Region's roads, particularly those on scrambler bikes and motorcycles. Under current rules, any motorist; including:- Police Officers pursuing suspects; who fails to drive in a 'competent and careful' manner can be prosecuted for careless or dangerous driving.  The UK Government launched a consultation on proposals to tackle motorcycle related crime, which includes:- new guidelines recognising Police Pursuit Drivers' higher level of training and offering them greater protection from prosecution. The proposals aim to dispel the 'myth' that Officers cannot pursue riders who are not wearing helmets.

Jane said:- "I warmly welcome these proposals which are long overdue. For far too long, Police drivers have had the fear that they themselves could end up in court for pursuing an individual who is driving dangerously. That fear became a reality for 1 Officer who endured months of anxiety while his case was considered and he was eventually exonerated. Police Pursuit Drivers are highly trained and incredibly skilled. They need to have the confidence that they can go after criminals who are putting the safety of other road users and pedestrians in jeopardy, and apprehend them without worrying about the potential repercussions for themselves. This legislation is also important in sending out a message to those who think they can cause havoc with scrambler bikes on our streets and get away it. This is not the case and they will be pursued, whether they are wearing a helmet or not. I am pleased to see these important issues are finally being addressed but the UK Government needs to act quickly to implement them fully."

Under the UK Government's proposals, Police drivers would be subject to a separate test requiring them to drive in a way that is necessary and proportionate to the circumstances. The rules will also make clear that a scrambler or motorcycle rider who does not wear a helmet is responsible for their own decision to drive dangerously. The consultation is open until 12 noon, on Monday, 13 August 2018 and members of the public are welcome to share their views at online.

Funding boost for grassroots sports

A special fund worth ₤10,000 has been created to help encourage Liverpool residents, of all ages, get fit and active. The Mayoral Active Sports Fund has been set up to allow community and volunteer groups, civic organisations, clubs and other not for profit voluntary ventures to apply for bursaries of up to ₤500 which will benefit the health and well being of those who live in the City.

The funding must be used to:-

Help start new initiatives and activities linked to recognised sports.

► Target people doing less than 150 minutes moderate activity per week, with a particular focus on those doing less than 30 minutes moderate activity per week.

► Engage volunteers who are new to volunteering in sport.

► Look into working with local Schools or other groups to spread the 'get active' message.

Anyone interested in applying for the funding needs to describe their projects in no more than 150 words, explaining how it will engage with residents and how it will improve people's experience of taking part in sport and activity. More information and the application form can be found online.

The deadline for applications is 5pm, on Monday, 18 June 2018.

Councillor Tim Moore, Mayoral Lead for Organised Sport, said:- "1 of our priorities is to do as much as we can to ensure communities across this City can engage, and get involved, with sport. We know that many groups already do incredible work in their neighbourhoods, and we want to support them in being able to stage more activities and hopefully engage with new audience of all ages. We created a similar fund in 2017 in line with our Commonwealth Games bid, and although we are disappointed we didn't get the Games, we are determined that the legacy of the bid would live on, and the Mayoral Active Sports Fund is a fantastic illustration of that. This year's programme is open to many more sports and I would like to encourage as many clubs and organisations as possible to bid for this funding."

Making sport more accessible to people in Liverpool is a key aim of the Liverpool Active City Strategy 2014 to 2021 Programme, which is being delivered by Liverpool City Council and NHS Liverpool Clinical Commissioning Group in partnership with strategic stakeholders.

As part of the Fit for Me campaign; which encourages people in Liverpool to be more physically active; more information about local sporting opportunities can be found on the website.

UK Government must tackle the "burning injustice" of the deepening crisis facing children's mental health

MENTAL health is 1 of the major public health challenges of our time. In recent years we've seen growing awareness in Westminster and in the media, but now we need urgent action to match the rhetoric.

Research shows 1 in 10 children aged between 5 and 16 has a diagnosable mental health condition, that's roughly 3 children in every classroom. 1 in 4, 14 year old girls and 1 in 10, 14 year old boys has symptoms of depression. Meanwhile, shockingly, 3 in 4 children with mental health problems cannot access the support they need, with many young people waiting 10 months for the start of treatment.

Clearly we have a major problem, which the Prime Minister rightly described as a 'burning injustice' in January 2018. But despite these troubling figures we seem to be sleepwalking our way into an ever deepening crisis. It's time for society to wake up and work together to ensure the next generation of children has better mental health than their parents.

The UK Government's Mental Health Green Paper is a unique opportunity to put this right, but the current proposals lack ambition, the timeframe is too long and the resources too low to achieve the radical step change we need.

Under current plans, young people in ¾ of England would see no improvement in 5 years' time. 2 cross party committees of MPs warned this could mean hundreds of thousands of young people missing out on the help they need.

Every year, Barnardo's supports more than 272,000 children, young people, parents and carers across the UK, many of whom are suffering from past trauma and at risk of developing a serious mental health problem that will affect their life chances.

These young people need support today. They can't afford to wait 5 years.

We hope the UK Government looks again at the Green Paper and puts in place the resource and the timeframes we need to make a real difference.