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The Five Vs and the Three Ps

6/13/2018

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My guest blogger today is Lord Willy Bach, Police and Crime Commissioner for the County I've called my home for the last 37 years: Leicestershire. 

Lord Bach has lived in the City and County for over 40 years. Following a high profile career in both criminal justice and public service, he brings valuable experience to his role as PCC for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

He was a criminal law barrister, prosecuting and defending at the Leicester Bar for 25 years. He was an elected Councillor on both Leicester City and Harborough District Councils.

During this time he served a term as Mayor of Lutterworth. Created a Labour life peer in 1998, he has served as a Justice Minister and more recently as Shadow Attorney General and Shadow Legal Aid Minister, a role he resigned upon his election as PCC.

Other Parliamentary appointments include Parliamentary Under-Secretary at DEFRA and the Ministry of Defence.
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A Leicester City football season ticket holder for over 40 years, he also enjoys cricket and music. 
Married, with three children, he lives near Lutterworth. 

by Lord Willy Bach, Leicestershire Police and Crime Commissioner
Role of the Police & Crime Commissioner
​

Police & Crime Commissioners (PCCs) are elected by the public for a term of four years holding the Chief Constable and the force to account, effectively making the police answerable to the communities they serve. They are non-operational, but responsible for providing an overall strategic view of policing, and proactively promoting equality and diversity.

PCCs aim to ensure the public and communities of which they serve are listened to and their needs are met as effectively as possible, by improving local relationships through building trust and confidence. We work in partnership across a range of agencies at local and national level to ensure there is a unified approach to preventing and reducing crime.

Under the terms of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011, PCCs must:
  • secure an efficient and effective police for their area;
  • appoint the Chief Constable, hold them to account for running the force, and if necessary dismiss them;
  • set the police and crime objectives for their area through a police and crime plan;
  • set the force budget and determine the precept;
  • contribute to the national and international policing capabilities set out by the Home Secretary; and
  • bring together community safety and criminal justice partners, to make sure local priorities are joined up.

I was elected as the Police and Crime Commissioner for Leicestershire on the 5th May 2016. As part of my role and responsibility I introduced the Police and Crime Plan 2017-2021 which sets out the priority areas on which I continue to focus on during my term of office. The plan identifies five key strands called ‘The Five V’s’ which is overarched by the ‘Three Ps’; Prevention, Partnership and Protection.
  • Victim Services
  • Vulnerability Protection
  • Visible Policing
  • Viable Partnerships
  • Value for Money

​These key strands include specific areas of focus such as alcohol and drug-related crime, Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE), domestic abuse, hate crime, human trafficking and modern day slavery, and mental health.
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To read more about the Police and Crime Plan please Click Here.

My responsibilities as PCC include facilitating effective partnerships to reduce crime in our communities, and commissioning appropriate support services for victims of crime. A percentage of the funding allocated to me is utilised for existing partnership priorities and investments in emerging priority areas such as Mental Health and Knife Crime.

The voluntary and community sectors have a vital role to play in the delivery of my Police and Crime Plan and I am passionate about the innovative, preventative and effective contributions they make to the communities across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. I am keen on working with community based organisations to address challenging issues impacting on public safety, and expanding the support services, and signposting to them, for vulnerable people at risk of being a victim or perpetrator of crime.

I have a prevention fund application form and guidance notes available on the PCC website for local groups and third sector organisations to apply for funding Click Here.

It is important to me that I spend valuable time within the local communities meeting members of the public whom I am here to serve as Commissioner, listening to their issues and concerns face to face. Therefore one of my key activities within my role is to run engagement events such as ‘What Matters To You’ and ‘Patch Walks’ enabling me to understand and review the needs and concerns of individuals, communities, and support services. Thus ensuring that the priorities are appropriate, deliverable, and effective, and that prevention, partnership and protection is at the forefront of the service I provide.

I am privileged to be the main sponsor for the Leicester Mercury Heroes of Leicester Awards in July, which recognises members of the community who have made an outstanding contribution in their role, or service provided, and provides an opportunity to commend and celebrate their achievements. 
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​Leicestershire Police

I am proud of the continued service the force provides to the people of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, with officers putting their own safety at risk to protect the public on a daily basis, and therefore I would like to highlight a few significant recent achievements:

  • The design and introduction of the less restrictive ‘Spit Guard’ which protects officers from detainee’s spitting at their faces whilst also being more comfortable for the detainee
​
  • Knife sweeps in Loughborough and Leicester resulted in weapons being seized and arrests made during anti knife crime campaign.
  • The proactive and cohesive partnership work demonstrated at the explosion on Hinckley Road, with colleagues from Local Authority, Emergency Services, and the local community.

​Leicestershire Police has made good progress in the Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) assessment 2017, making significant changes to improve the overall quality of service it provides for victims of crime, particularly those who are vulnerable. Officers have been recognised with having the appropriate skills, knowledge and understanding to identify and protect vulnerable people within the community.
Leicestershire’s Chief Constable Simon Cole (pictured here with me) has accepted my offer to run the county’s force for the next five years. Simon is, quite frankly, an inspirational chief constable, respected throughout the force, my own office, our many partners and indeed across the whole of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. Not only has he steered Leicestershire Police safely through some choppy waters in order to meet the harsh savings targets resulting from austerity measures, but he has overseen a significant and effective change programme modernising the way in which the force delivers police services.
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He is also a strong champion of diversity and is determined that the police should be representative of the many communities I serve.

You can follow the OPCC and keep up to date with our work and engagement events, on Twitter (
https://twitter.com/LeicsPCC​)  and Facebook. 

The next What Matters To You event is taking place on July 9th, between 1.30 and 3.30 p.m. at the Co Op Store in Earl Shilton. So please come along and have a chat.

LORD WILLY BACH
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Summer Sun and Mental Health

6/6/2018

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by my guest blogger, Aimee, from SeeTheUniverse - a mental health and psychology blog
I am 22-years-old and have just finished my university degree in Social Policy and Early Childhood.

Blogging for me is a hobby which I am super passionate about and therefore the majority of my spare time goes into writing blog posts and doing my research. If I was to be given the opportunity to be a full-time, paid blogger, I would grab it with both hands! 

Helping people in various different ways is also something that I am passionate about, therefore I aim to help people through my blog as well as working closely with various charities such as Safe Families and Mind.

I hope you enjoy my guest post! If you do and would like to read more, please feel free to head over to my blog and follow me on Twitter, I would love to get to know more people!

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Summer Sun and Mental Health
With the lovely weather that we have had lately and the summer months fast approaching, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss the importance of mental health problems and how they do not take a break when the sun comes out.

Mental health problems are often with people for life, therefore they do not disappear when social events pop up, or when the summer months arrive. Summer is often associated with fun in the sun, BBQs, swimming, family events, late nights with friends and many more happy occasions. But for many people summer brings challenges and hurdles. This does not mean that they are incapable of enjoying the nice weather, it just means that it can sometimes be a little bit more difficult for them to do so.


Many of us take one look at the sun and without giving it a thought, we squeeze into our bikinis, or shorts and t-shirts and head outside to catch a tan! However, some people fear the warm weather. For many people digging out their summer wardrobe brings worry, this could be because of body-image anxiety, eating disorders or self-harm scars to name a few mental health related issues.


When suffering from mental health problems, day-to-day tasks such as staying hydrated and nourished and looking after personal hygiene can be seen as a challenge. Summer days can add to these challenges with the added pressure on looking ‘perfect’, with smooth hairless bodies or evenly tanned skin! Getting ready in the mornings can be hard enough, without feeling the need to fit in with the rest of the society as they prance around in their summer clothes.


​Warm weather also means an increase in social events, such as BBQs, family get togethers and late nights with friends. Again, events like this can be difficult to cope with when a person is suffering from a mental health problem such as depression and/or anxiety. When the sun is out we often feel obliged to sit outside and soak up the rays, but it is okay to stay indoors from time-to-time and look after yourself. There is no need to feel guilty or selfish for saying ‘no.’ 
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If you are struggling with a mental health condition, make sure that you look after yourself rather than trying to please others.
​

Make sure to switch off technology every now and again and just relax, without scrolling through social media and seeing what everyone else is up to.

Make sure to engage in self-care, no matter how small, everyday!

​And if you are in need of help, support or guidance, please reach out. It is okay not to be okay. 
You may be unaware of a person’s mental health problem, and may crack some jokes about a person's clothing or may stare at their scars… this only adds to their fears.

Please do not judge anyone on their appearance. You never know what their story is or how much damage you could be doing to that person. If a friend or family members says ‘no’ to attending a social event, that is okay. Do not make them feel guilty for not going, instead; see if they are okay, ask them if there is anything they want to talk about or if there is anything that they need.

Words and actions can have a serious effect on people. So please, make sure you make the right decisions.
​

Have Hope Always, from Aimee, at SeeTheUniverse.

Connect with Aimee, at SeeTheUniverse:

Blog:   www.seetheuniverse.com

Twitter:  twitter.com/Seetheuniverse_  


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The Story Of Mental Health And Me

6/2/2018

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by my guest blogger Liam Protheroe
Mental Health… Where do you start to try and talk about it? It’s a crazy thing, isn’t it?

You can try and think back to times when everything seemed all bright sun and colourful rainbows, but for some reason, even with the same sun and same colours of the rainbow; it doesn’t feel so bright and colourful anymore.

It's hard to think sometimes how the same person, with the same smile, same laugh, same loving and caring attitude can all of a sudden disappear. Almost like a light gone out. You can try and try to pretend that everything is okay and carry that same person, but that's all it is.

Pretending. 

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My name is Liam Protheroe and, like many people, I suffer with poor mental health. From the time where I first started to realise something wasn’t right it was difficult. Where do you go, who do you talk to and who even cares? Can you just live with it and just heal yourself by assuming that your mind will return back to its previous state? I wish.

When I first started seeking medical help for my mental health around 4 years ago, it wasn’t something that was really discussed so easily. There weren’t many people speaking out, not many public figures and nothing that really made me feel it was okay to talk about. I was ill. However, not a cold or the flu, where it was easy to take a week off work to recover. But an illness that I couldn’t even understand nor explain myself. How could I explain to my employers and family why I was too ill to go to work?

I certainly didn’t look it. Just like having the flu, I couldn’t get out of bed. I thought is this just me being lazy, you can't just not go to work because you feel sad. But I didn’t just ‘feel sad’. I was a shell of who I used to be, trying to chase the highs of life one hundred times more than I used to with a thousand times less energy or motivation to do so. 


Years of taking pills the doctor gave me didn’t really seem to help much. I didn’t really care about myself and would often take health risks because what was the worst that could happen? Death? I was told so often how much people care about me and value me. Its a shame that after my first suicide attempt my friends got scared and ran away, but who could blame them when they had no idea what was going on.

Throughout the years I would think about suicide a lot. Glorifying it, like it was a peaceful and beautiful thing. Like it was the best thing that could happen to me. But was it? Is feeling so low about yourself that you take your own life the ‘best’ thing that could happen to you? Simply, no. At the lowest times it really does feel like it though. When you just feel like you couldn’t get any lower, you are a burden on any soul you meet and feel as if you have no real value in life. It’s a difficult mindset to get out of.  

Luckily, I did. My mental health issues haven’t gone away. I've just learnt about myself and what was good for me. I looked at my life and thought, what do I want? It feels good to ask yourself what you want sometimes. I stopped trying to please people, people who didn’t care whatever I did. I started doing things I liked, doing things that made me happy. I left the job I thought I loved, stopped seeing the people I thought made me happy. Just really started being selfish for my own sake.

​Does this make someone a bad person? Not a chance. A massive part of the healing process is finding yourself and surrounding your life with everything that makes you happy. Remove toxic people and environments and appreciate those people who do truly care and love you. The kind of people who don’t judge you for being who you are. Who don’t give up on you. We all make mistakes, I was given a permission slip to make them when I was brought into this world.


So what do I do now? I cherish my family and friends. I appreciate the small things and stopped worrying about things that I can't change because what's the point? All it does is makes you feel bad. 
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I also started a Mental Health organisation called ‘Mental Time’. I felt like I wanted to achieve something, but not just anything. Mental health is something that I am very passionate about. There are so many people out there who may feel like I have felt before.  I just can't take it. Its not nice.
​

I told my family one day what I was going to do, they loved the idea and supported me all the way. 
I told them if I could help just one person like me, everything would be worth it. Now after around three months I have helped many more than just one person, but I won't stop.

How am I going to help people? I have no mental health training, no relevant qualifications or experience. You would be surprised how easy it is to help people. Sometimes all people want to do is to chat without fear of judgement. All you have to do is be willing, and I mean genuinely willing. Not only do I help others in need, but by helping them I get this great feeling. By helping others I am helping myself. I am doing something good in the world without the want or expectation of anything in return.

So, what I am aiming to do with Mental Time is based off my own experience. There are many people and organisations doing great things out there, where people can get help. However, from my experience I found it very difficult to pick up the phone and call, or email or even visit a website. I imagine I am not the only one like this, because it is hard. I want to push the message of instead of waiting for someone to reach out for help, let's reach into our loved ones' lives. Do they seem different? Not showing their face much or just not the same person you’re used to? Just ask them. Are you feeling okay? It could make a massive difference. Just those four words could save your friends, mums, dads, sisters or brothers life. Its crazy that, isn’t it?

As much as I wish I could save the world, I can’t. But I can sure try. And you could help.

If you would like to get involved, get in touch on the Mental Time website.

Remember that people care, if by nobody else, I certainly care.
​

Liam x

Mental Time website: Mental Time  
Mental Time Twitter:  
twitter.com/MentalTimeUK
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    Stewart Bint supports mental health charity Lamp Advocacy.

    Click here to donate
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    Author

    Stewart Bint is a novelist, magazine columnist and PR writer. 

    He lives with his wife, Sue, in Leicestershire in the UK, and has two children, Christopher and Charlotte, and a budgie called Bertie.

    Usually goes barefoot.

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