PR Date: Wednesday, 15 April 2020 - 3:45pm
‘Stay at home, stay safe and protect yourself from fraud’ - those are the messages which the North Herts Community Safety Partnership (NHCSP) would like residents to take heed of during the coronavirus pandemic.
The NHCSP, which includes North Hertfordshire District Council (NHDC), Herts Police, Herts Fire and Rescue Service, NHS and housing associations including settle and First Garden Cities Homes, work closely together to reduce crime and disorder in North Hertfordshire.
The NHCSP is encouraging members of the public to be more vigilant against fraud, particularly about sharing their financial and personal information, as criminals seek to capitalise on the Covid-19 pandemic. They advise residents to follow these simple steps:
Stop: Taking a moment to stop and think before parting with your money or information could keep you safe.
Challenge: Could it be fake? It’s ok to reject, refuse or ignore any requests. Only criminals will try to rush or panic you.
Protect: Contact your bank immediately if you think you’ve fallen for a scam and report it to Action Fraud. www.actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040.
Remember: Your bank or the police will NEVER ask you to transfer money or move it to a safe account.
The Partnership would also like to reassure residents that there are robust contingency plans in places to respond to a situation like the coronavirus pandemic, to ensure that frontline services and law and order are maintained.
In a joint message from David Scholes, Chair of the Community Safety Partnership and NHDC Chief Executive, and Cllr Martin Stears-Handscomb, Leader of NHDC, said: “Our message is clear to North Hertfordshire residents, we are here for you and our priority is to continue working together to keep communities in the district safe during this unprecedented and difficult period.”
The Partnership is also encouraging all residents and businesses to follow Government guidance and rules to stay at home and only go outside for food, health reasons or work, if you cannot work from home.
Herts Police Chief Inspector Sally Phillips said: “If we all work together and follow these rules it will slow the spread of the virus, save more lives and enable us to return to normality sooner. We urge residents to comply with these rules and remain committed to educating residents and only resorting to enforcement action as a last resort.
Chief Inspector Phillips also warned residents to be vigilant against coronavirus scams with fraudsters using covid as an opportunity to target victims for money on their doorsteps and online. “As more people stay safe at home or self-isolate from coronavirus, they are using the Internet more – potentially putting themselves at risk from scammers. We urge people to be vigilant to potential scams and to take all reasonable steps to avoid being a victim of these fraudsters. For further information go to the advice section on our website – www.herts.police.uk.
“I would also encourage local residents to use our feedback service echo, especially while we are in lock down and our face to face events are temporarily suspended. This is a new and easy way for members of the public to tell Hertfordshire Constabulary what matters most to them about policing in their area, and allows them to keep in contact with us.
“It enables people to share their views, opinions and feedback any time they want and in their own words. There’s no sign up and no personal information needed, simply fill in your thoughts and press submit. You can do it online here or by texting the word ‘echo’ and their thoughts to 66099.
“All feedback is reviewed and the more we receive the more we can understand what matters most to the public we serve, where services are working well for them or where we need to improve. For further information please visit: www.herts.police.uk/echo “
For further information about coronavirus support in North Herts go to www.north-herts.gov.uk/home/emergency-planning/coronavirus-covid-19
More information on the Community Safety Partnership can be found at www.north-herts.gov.uk/home/community/community-safety/north-hertfordshire-community-safety-partnership
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