Force takes retro gamer approach to improving community relations | Infected blood scandal victims to finally get proper compensation

Cardiff Central Police station was recently transformed into a gaming hub in a bid to break down any barriers between young people and the police. And victims of the infected blood scandal will finally receive the compensation they deserve in a £10bn scheme.

Don’t forget to bookmark this page and check back daily to stay abreast of the latest goings on in the emergency services sector.

Soon you will be able to get the daily digest straight into your inbox, but for now, be sure to register for the weekly digest out every Friday.

South Wales Police takes retro gamer approach to improving community relations

Cardiff Central Police station was transformed into a gaming hub earlier this month as the local neighbourhood police team teamed up with gaming console provider 8BitBeyond in a bid to break down any barriers between young people and the police.

This is part of South Wales Police‘s ongoing community building initiatives and involved connecting the old style games consoles running games such as Paperboy, Pacman and Donkey Kong to monitors from the police stations’ old CCTV room. More via Emergency Services Times

Ambulance waiting times for critically ill patients increase across Scotland

Ambulance waiting times for patients categorised as “critically ill” increased in almost every Scottish local authority over a five-year period, according to new figures.

A patient in Glasgow waited two hours and one minute for a response to a critical call in 2023 – the highest of the year, followed by Aberdeen City with one hour and 54 minutes. More via Yahoo! News

Fire prevention survey to help promote home safety

The extension of an online fire safety survey to the Isle of Man will “undoubtedly” save lives, the chief fire officer has said.

Mark Christian said having access to the platform would help the service to protect the most vulnerable residents.

They system allows users to input information about their property to receive tailored advice on how to improve safety. More via BBC News

Court rules new police powers to impose conditions on protest are unlawful

The government exceeded its powers by lowering the threshold last year for police to impose conditions on peaceful protests, a move which would require more substantial changes to the law, London’s High Court ruled on Tuesday.

The ruling handed a victory to civil rights group Liberty, which took the government to court over changes to public order laws which it says gave the police almost unlimited powers to shut down protests. More via Reuters

Infected blood scandal victims to finally get proper compensation in £10bn scheme

Victims of the infected blood scandal will finally receive the compensation they deserve in a £10bn scheme.

Paymaster General John Glen announced interim payments of £210,000 will be made this year while the final compensation programme is set up. He said time is of the essence, admitting many fear they won’t live to see compensation finally paid out. More via The Mirror

Zero carbon fire station in Crewe helps service to meet its net zero ambitions

Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service moved a step further towards its goal of being carbon neutral by 2045 with the official opening of a new green fire station in Crewe.

This community fire station is home to two fire engines and a specialist vehicle and provides a modern working environment for the crews as well as providing space to engage with local residents. More via Emergency Services Times