Humberside Fire and Rescue Service has joined forces with Humberside Police to provide timely community alerts via text or email.
It has been just over three months since Humberside Police launched ‘My Community Alert’, enabling residents, businesses and community groups to participate in an exchange of information about what is happening in their local area. They now have over 9000 registered users receiving real time messages about incidents happening in their neighbourhood that may affect them or their family.
Residents can choose how they would like to receive messages - by text, voicemail or email - how often they would like to receive them and about the issues that matter to them, from collisions and road closures to missing people.
The system allows officers to message anyone who has signed up to the system with "live information" on everything from missing persons to reports of local burglaries.
Since the launch of My Community Alert, positive feedback has been received from members of the public. One user commented “it is useful to receive community-based messages, keep up the good work”. Another said “valuable information, particularly for my role as a carer of vulnerable people. I print off relevant information and give this to individuals”.
Chief Inspector Jenny Bristow said:
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“Our communities play a crucial part in helping us prevent and detect crime and anti-social behaviour. Police officers and PCSOs regularly send out Alert messages appealing for help, highlighting suspicious activity, offering crime prevention advice and keeping people up to date about general police work and safety events.
Having Humberside Fire & Rescue Service (HFRS) on board will provide the public with a greater insight into local community issues and will ensure we are able to protect more vulnerable members of our communities by them receiving fire prevention and personal safety messages from our partners.”
Chief Inspector Bristow continued:
“We already have just over 9,000 people signed up and we want many more to register and receive information from Humberside Police and Humberside Fire & Rescue Service. By working together, we can make our communities safer and stronger and help to protect people from harm.”
By teaming up with Humberside Fire & Rescue Service people will now receive further alerts about seasonal issues such as summer water safety or bonfire night as well as reassurance following fires or gas leaks in their particular area.
HFRS Group Manager of Public Safety Matt Sutcliffe believes the addition of Fire Service information will make the alerts even more useful:
“We are one of the first fire services in the UK to offer these alerts alongside our colleagues in the Police. We work closely together at incidents and in the community already, so it only seems right that we embrace this technology together to keep the public up to date with what is happening in their neighbourhood.
This further collaboration between the Police and Fire Service will undoubtedly reduce risk among the most vulnerable of our society by offering targeted messaging which is relevant and timely.”