Air ambulance receives ‘Outstanding’ rating from regulator; Fallen officers to receive State recognition

Every weekday morning we bring you the sector’s freshest news stories, starting today with the news that Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance (WNAA) has received an ‘Outstanding’ rating for its clinical services from the Care Quality Commission following an unannounced inspection last summer.

There’s also a story on the Elizabeth Emblem, a posthumous award for public servants killed in the line of duty, which has been announced by the UK government.

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Air ambulance receives ‘Outstanding’ rating from regulator

Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance (WNAA) has received an ‘Outstanding’ rating for its clinical services from the Care Quality Commission following an unannounced inspection last summer.

WNAA was praised for its overall approach in ensuring it was ‘planned and organised so it met the needs of the local population,’ and that ‘staff were experienced, qualified and had the right skills and knowledge to meet the needs of patients. More via Emergency Services Times

Fire service rescue dog wins Crufts Hero Dog Award

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service search and rescue dog, Vesper, has won the Kennel Club Hero Dog Award at Crufts.

Vesper, a four-year-old Belgian Malinois, has been deployed to numerous disasters, most recently the 2023 earthquakes in Turkey and Morocco. More via X

Police swamped with applications for voluntary redundancy prompting staffing crisis fears

Police have been swamped with applications for voluntary redundancy as part of a cost-cutting scheme – prompting fears over another staffing crisis in the force.

Bosses are looking to cut between 189 and 220 civilian jobs but received 756 “notes of interest” from staff thinking about leaving. More via Daily Record

Call for ambulance probe after deaths

Councillors have demanded an investigation after claiming rural areas are not getting a good enough ambulance service.

West Midlands Ambulance Service came under scrutiny following two deaths where 999 callers had problems obtaining defibrillator access codes. More via BBC News

‘Risk averse’ officers reluctant to use powers for fear of reprisals, says Police Federation chair

The chair of a body representing police officers has said some fear using their powers in a proactive way.

West Midlands Police Federation chair Rich Cooke claimed there were risk averse police officers at both ground level and in senior positions.

Some officers feared being over scrutinised and dealt with by an arbitrary misconduct system while bosses worried about social issues, he said. More via BBC News

Early focus on data privacy for force machine learning tool

West Yorkshire Police is in the process of developing a Domestic Abuse Assessment Tool which explores the feasibility of using emerging supervised machine learning technology to enhance the completion of risk assessments at domestic abuse incidents by police officers and to help them make the best decisions. More via Emergency Services Times

NPCC welcomes new lead for Serious and Organised Crime

The National Police Chiefs’ Council has welcomed a new lead for Serious and Organised Crime.

Chief Constable Chris Haward began his new post on March 4 and is responsible for leading the policing response to the national Serious and Organised Crime Strategy, recently published by the Home Office. More via NPCC

Fire service now ‘best prepared in UK’ to deal with terror attack, CFO says

Seven years on from Greater Manchester’s darkest hour at the Manchester Arena, the city’s fire service is ‘the best prepared in the UK’ for a terrorist attack.

That’s the belief of Dave Russel, the Chief Fire Officer for GMFRS, speaking after the latest inspection scored the service ‘good’ in 10 out of 11 areas. More via Oldham Evening Chronicle

The Elizabeth Emblem: Fallen officers to receive State recognition

The Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) has warmly welcomed the announcement of formal State recognition for officers who have died in service.

The ‘Medals for Heroes’ campaign was launched two years ago by PFEW, alongside the father of Greater Manchester Police officer Nicola Hughes who was ambushed and killed along with her colleague Fiona Bone in 2012. More via PFEW

Safe Spaces Scheme extended to Private Security Industry

The Safe Spaces scheme, which was launched by the National Business Crime Centre (NBCC) last year to make retail outlets a safe space for people in need of help, is being extended to include private security organisations and individuals.

Also known as Operation PORTUM, the Safe Spaces scheme is an overarching scheme that businesses can sign up to and support to create safer spaces in retail outlets for employees, customers and people in the community that feel vulnerable. More via NBCC