Have you ever wanted to experience first-hand what your local police officers deal with on a daily basis? The Lancashire Police Ride Along Scheme enables you to do just that, with an opportunity to observe officers whilst on duty. We are currently welcoming applications for the scheme from those living in West Division (Blackpool and the Fylde, Lancaster and Morecambe areas) who might be interested in finding out what happens when officers respond to emergency calls, or how they proactively patrol communities on the beat. Visits will take place in Blackpool or Lancaster and there will also be a chance to offer feedback on your experience. Potential participants should be aged 18 or above and will be subject to criminal record checks and must agree to certain terms and conditions before taking part. Chief Inspector Damian Kitchen, said: “We are really pleased to be running this scheme and offering members of our communities the chance to see first-hand the work of our officers. “I hope that the scheme means we can work towards even greater community involvement in what we do, and scrutiny and transparency particularly in the use of stop and search powers. “Across Lancashire we already have high confidence and satisfaction levels, but allowing members of the public a chance to see how we respond to calls for help and assistance, and the different aspects that our neighbourhood teams deal with, means that we can only improve upon this.” Earlier this year Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) rated the force as ‘good’ in its PEEL legitimacy inspection programme, looking at how legitimate the force is at keeping people safe and reducing crime. The inspectorate said the force required improvement in its use of stop and search and the Ride Along scheme is one of the ways in which the public may observe these searches and see what officers do in their daily jobs. To apply for the scheme and for more information, go to the Lancashire Police website and complete an application form.