WITNESS APPEAL - ATTEMPTED CASH IN TRANSIT ROBBERY, WAVERTREE

MERSEYSIDE Police are appealing for information about an attempted cash in transit robbery that occurred at the Post Office in Lawrence Road, Wavertree on Tuesday, 3 February 2009.

At about 1pm a cash in transit van was visiting the Post Office when the security guard was approached by two men. The guard then activated his alarm and the offenders then left the premises and drove away in a black Audi in the direction of Picton Road.

The guard was left uninjured, but shaken after the incident.

The offenders are described as slim and tall. Both offenders are were wearing dark coloured clothing and had their faces covered.

Detectives are particularly keen to speak to anyone who might have witnessed the incident, or who might have seen anyone leaving the premises at this time.

If you witnessed the incident or have any information which may assist the Police, please contact Merseyside Police on 0151 777 5810 or you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

YOUNG DRIVERS TRAIN FOR SUCCESS

9 young people received an award on Saturday 7 February after successfully completing a pioneering road safety driving course aimed at giving 16 years and older the opportunity to learn more about road safety and responsibility and also to gain experience of vehicle control off the public highway in a safe and controlled environment.

With over 233 road collisions across Liverpool in 2007 involving 16-24 year olds, the course has been aimed at reducing this figure in years to come. The scheme has been developed by Knowsley based Directions Driver Training, in a joint venture with Liverpool Youth Service. The group of 16 – 21 year olds have been undertaking a combination of theory workshops and in-car training sessions over several weeks.

Tina Preston, Head of Training at Directions Driver Training who has been working on the project for a year said:- “By helping young people to understand where, why and how they are at risk, and giving them some practical skills to cope on today’s busy roads, they are less likely to become involved in a road collision. We are encouraging them to take responsibility for their attitudes and resultant behaviour, and giving them a viable alternative.”

Local businesses have also backed this innovative approach to tackling what is a growing problem, by helping to get the scheme off the ground. Jaguar at Halewood allowed Directions Driver Training to develop the student’s car control skills on their private land and Morrisons kindly provided use of their new training room at their popular Speke supermarket.

Neil McCarthey, Store Manager commented:- “We are pleased to be able to offer our support and improve the opportunities for young people in Liverpool. It’s great to see their enthusiasm for learning new skills and responsibilities.”

A further course is already underway giving young people in Speke something interesting and extremely useful to put their energies into. Carole Darnell, Senior Youth Worker at Parklands, Speke, commented:- “We can see that the course will engage 16year olds and older in something that interests them. This training scheme gives them important skills as well as building their confidence.”

Video Games Implicated in Anxiety Disorder & Panic Attacks Pandemic

THE Flight or Fight response, which releases Adrenalin into the bloodstream when real danger is present in order to prepare the body for action, is solely responsible for the current pandemic of anxiety related conditions, that's agreed; but would you have thought that your games console could be making things much worse?

Computer games can cause the body to quickly enter into the 'Flight or Fight' response as anxious excitement grows. Adrenalin release, which should be 'used up' quickly by physical action when confronted by a 'real' threat isn't required, as the body remains physically inactive whilst playing video games. Pushing anxiety to such a high level without physical action can send the body into Adrenalin overload. Playing video games forces the player to remain stationery and often involves a seated position which compresses the internal organs including the lungs and heart which play vital roles in the anxiety response. The lack of physical movement during Adrenalin release, whilst playing video games, puts undue pressure on bodily systems as they become physically primed for action and this can produce dramatic physical and mental consequences.

For children and adults alike, Adrenalin release can cause a range of physical conditions including sleeplessness, digestive problems, headaches, neck pain, general ill health, emotional problems, bad moods, obsessive behaviours, phobias and a range of other physical and psychological symptoms.

Adrenalin release creates physical changes, primarily in the digestive, circulatory and respiratory systems, preparing the body for action when a 'real' threat is present; this causes a wide range of uncomfortable and sometimes frightening symptoms such as panic attacks, disturbed thoughts, OCD, phobias and other anxiety related conditions if the Adrenalin released is not utilized fully.

"In the last decade, we have seen a dramatic increase in anxiety conditions in young people. We have now made it policy to investigate 'life practices' with parents and this often reveals that parents use computer games as a device for entertaining their children and also, in some cases, to give them 'something to do' when they complain of anxious thoughts and feelings. Computer gaming is a massively damaging pastime; not only physically, but it can have dramatic psychological effects. Often, children are also bought, or have access to, games for much higher ages, which contain anxiety-provoking content such as extreme violence or fast action. Short term, this may have little visible effect on the child (or adult), except for heightened aggression or bad moods maybe, but beneath the surface, dramatic changes to the brain's learning circuitry can lay the foundations for anxiety related conditions to develop. The recent increase in young people with anxiety disorder is frightening enough, but their parents are suffering too, unaware that the heightened anxiety and terrible posture involved in computer gaming is causing significant physical and psychological problems." Charles Linden

During the current economic climate and world unrest, anxiety levels are already at an all-time high and participating in healthy pastimes is vital to ensuring the psychological health of future generations. Anxiety disorders can be exacerbated by genetic predispositions, but their development is caused, primarily, by adopting anxious behaviours of people a potential sufferer is exposed to.

"Often diagnosed as stress or even depression, anxiety disorders are commonly treated using antidepressant drugs and counselling, but we offer drug free alternatives which work faster and more permanently. Anxiety disorders are not what people think they are. It is all to easy to be lead to believe that anxiety conditions are related to mental illness, but it is clear that they are caused solely by changes in behaviours after a period of heightened anxiety, regardless of its source. We have helped well over 100,000 people to recover from anxiety disorders and know what to do or say to create fast and permanent recovery. However, it is vital that pastimes which create 'anxious learning' are minimized to avoid the formation of these damaging and frightening conditions." Charles Linden

To contact Charles Linden or the Linden Centres, go to www.stopworry.com and use your local telephone number.