Meet the new community police inspectors for Blackpool

Inspector Cara Leadbetter stepped up to the team in West Division in September, while Insp Gareth Stubbs has this month joined her following the retirement of long-serving inspector Dave Wilson.

Both say that the aim is for their officers to forge even closer links with the people in their patch and to strive to make a difference to people’s lives.

Among their first aims is to realise the long held plan to open another community policing hub, this time in Revoe to complement the ones at Grange Park, Bispham and at the municiple buildings in the town centre.

They take their place in the police hierarchy beneath Superintendant Damian Kitchen at the top and Chief Inspector Mark Morley.

Insp Leadbetter, 47,has spent 23 years with Lancashire Constabulary, first working in the east of the county where she is originally from, coming to the west Lancaster, Morecambe, Fleetwood, Blackpool on support units.

She passed her inspectors exam in 2012 and carried out operation work on the Fylde coast but decided to move to the neighbourhood role to develop further.

“We are not so much looking at a Central, North and South divide in Blackpool, but instead one team a pan-Blackpool approach and developed relationships.”

Insp Stubbs, 39, grew up in Blackpool and has ben in the force 19 years with most of that service in the Blackpool area.

A former Warbreck pupil he attended Blackpool 6th Form before studying law at Lancaster University.“I was living in Lancaster when I got the nod that I was accepted to the force and came straight back and bought a flat in Bispham and have been in Blackpool ever since.

“I started in Blackpool Response and then a six years as community beat manager for Brunswick ward around the high rise flats. Then in neighbourhood policing in Claremont, Brunswick and the town centre. Nearly half my service is in neighbourhood policing so its nice to come back to it in an inspector role.

“I am lucky really because when I took over from Dave Wilson, who did a great job, I have come into a fully formed and restructured neighbourhood policing outfit.“We hav

e the hubs at Bispham and the one @TheGrange and at municipal building and we are almost fully staffed for the fist time in years.

“So in terms of major improvements there is not a huge amount to do.

“My priorities are going to be anti social behaviour in and around the Brunswick ward and then working on persistent community and social problems in and around Claremont.”

He said both wards were among the most deprived in the country with high levels of crime and poverty.

“At the moment we have are running Operation Advent which we run each Christmas which looks at issues of shoplifting and anti social behaviour in town, but also making sure shoppers are safe when it comes to Covid.”

Insp Leadbetter said: “As most people know the community policing team moved from the former South Shore police station to divisional HQ at Gerry Richardson Way. “N

ow one of my priotrites is to get more officers into the hub at St Peter’s Church on Lytham Road as its such as buy ward area.

“We have also got a new base being fitted out at Revoe School. It’s been ongoing for a while, but I have really pushed for it since coming into post in September.

“We had desks delivered yesterday that is going to be a great space for the New Year with officers and PCSOs in a real area of need.

“We are also pushing the Lancashire Talking initiative, with its short survey asking people what issues are important in their area. Engagement with the community. “Th

e surveys so far have shown up anti-social behaviour as you would expect but also things like drug dealing and cannabis farms.

“So we have an operation running over the past few months in Bloomfield ward where there has been a youth problem especially in lockdowns.

“We are using a partnership approach with them to try to address behaviour issues.

“But most of all we would just like to thank the community. It’s a difficult time with Covid and mostly people have been very supportive of us and we hope they take the Lancashire Talking survey and sign up to it for next year.”

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