A sticker blitz initiative, aimed at bringing much needed assistance to people heading for the East Coast caravan parks and the emergency services, is being launched this month.Lincolnshire's East Coast has the highest concentration of static caravans in Europe and is second only to Florida. Across Lincolnshire's East Coast there are around 35,000 static caravans and 'holiday homes' on sites covering hundreds of acres.
Thousands of people come to the East Coast each year, many of them choosing the option of staying in static caravans, otherwise known as holiday homes. With 110 caravan parks across Ingoldmells and Chapel St Leonards alone, unsurprisingly many visitors will not know the name of their site, let alone the number of their caravan and where it is situated. If an emergency situation arises, holidaymakers will be required to provide this information to the emergency services. Experience is that many cannot, in some cases leading to precious time being wasted as emergency personnel struggle to locate the caller's address.
In a bid to provide a slicker service, which could ultimately mean the difference between life and death, the area's Neighbourhood Policing Team has devised an A5-sized sticker to be placed in all static caravans across the East Coast area.
The sticker is to be displayed in all caravans, reminding holidaymakers and residents of their caravan park address and caravan number and also offering advice on what to do in an emergency. In excess of 50,000 stickers will be delivered to caravan site owners over the coming weeks for static and touring caravans, which will then be handed out to permanent residents and those who rent out properties for the holiday season. The stickers are also available for collection from Ingoldmells Police Station.
"There have been numerous occasions where emergency services have received calls from people staying in the area who simply don't know their holiday address," explained Police Community Support Officer Chris Wood from the Ingoldmells, Chapel St Leonards & Hogsthorpe Neighbourhood Policing Team. "In the case of emergency medical treatment, this could be a matter of life and death so this information is vital."
Last year the area's caravan sites were the targets of a man who used concrete slabs to break into numerous caravans and steal property. Some of these offences involved the offender breaking into occupied caravans, assaulting and threatening the resident. It is for this reason that having exact details to hand is vital, allowing the police to travel direct to the scene of the offence.
Thanks to an observation by a local PCSO, the man was apprehended in February. Stephen Charles Grimes (53) of no fixed address was charged with a number of caravan burglaries across the area and his case is in the hands of Lincoln Crown Court.
Ahead of the Summer 2009 season, a DVD providing crime prevention advice has been produced for caravan owners. The DVD will be used throughout the summer at public events and shown to interested parties. The DVD will also be available via the Lincolnshire Police website soon.
"Not only will the stickers assist the emergency services, we hope they will assist people holidaying in caravans across the area, with services such as taxis and takeaways and providing reassurance during their stay in the area," said PCSO Wood.
