NEWS RELEASES
Community Access Office Launches
11th January 2002
A ground-breaking project that brings an ‘all-in-one’ mobile police station, council office and fire safety advice centre to rural communities is being officially launched next week (Wednesday 16th January).
The new Community Access Office uses a fire brigade mobile command centre which has been converted to have a dual role. The size of a single-decker bus, it is complete with access to police and council computers and a confidential interview room. It will visit villages in the district of Horsham, and although vehicles such as mobile police stations have been used elsewhere, the idea of three agencies setting up this kind of ‘one stop shop’ is a novel approach.
Horsham District Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance and Community Strategy, Cllr Vivien Lyth, will at the launch. She said: "This is an excellent and innovative example of joined up public services working together and reaching out to people. We can now get closer and better communicate with those many people living and working in and around our many villages." The vehicle will promote both County and District Council services.
A senior government figure will be at the launch – Hugh Marriage, the Crime Reduction Director for the South East. He commented: "This initiative demonstrates so well the importance which Horsham District Council, West Sussex County Council, Sussex Police and West Sussex Fire Brigade attach to having a proper working relationship with rural communities. As a result, the partners will quickly become better placed to reduce crime and the fear of crime and improve community safety. It is vital that people should be able to talk easily to these services and to be able hear what they are doing for the community."
Hugh Marriage will be joined by leading figures from the agencies behind the project, including Michael Dennis, West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member for Public Safety; West Sussex’s County Fire Officer Martin Burrell; the Chairman of Horsham District Council, Councillor Claire Vickers; the District’s Chief Executive Martin Pearson; and Assistant Chief Constable Nigel Yeo.
Forest Division’s Superintendent Jim Dale said: "This is part of a three pronged strategy to reduce the fear of crime through increased visibility. The first element was the Mountain Bike Patrol, the second our park and walk policy. The Community Access Office is part three, providing a service to rural communities who don’t currently have access to a police station."
The unit will be staffed by Forest Division, Horsham District Council and West Sussex Fire Brigade, and will visit villages regularly on a rota basis. The vehicle, which is based on a Dennis Dart bus chassis, was purpose-built for the Brigade and has been used at major incidents such as large fires and the Selsey tornado. It even has an expandable side which creates more space when the unit is parked, and it has been fitted out with new signs to promote its multi-agency work. The pilot scheme will last for a year, and its impact will then be assessed.
Government Pathfinder funding – created to promote e-government – has helped fund the IT equipment on-board the Office. The vehicle will be the area’s latest Help Point, providing a single point of contact for district, county and parish council plus health authority services.
Senior Divisional Officer Bill Howkins, from West Sussex Fire Brigade, said: "Like the police and Horsham District Council we are anxious to take our services out into the more outlying areas of the community, to raise fire safety awareness and to promote fire safety in the home."
Hundreds of posters and thousands of flyers are being distributed in the villages that are being served by the Office, promoting an original way of putting joined-up government into the very centre of communities.
This news release has been issued jointly by Horsham District Council, Sussex Police and West Sussex Fire Brigade.
Ends
CONTACT: Richard Morris, Communications Manager (Tel: 01403 215549)