Hertfordshire residents are being urged to stay home and stay safe, or risk a fine as police will enforce the rules against blatant offenders

I am reminding everyone that all unnecessary contact with another person, puts people and their families at higher risk. It is also a potential link in a transmission chain that could lead to a vulnerable person.

Since March 2020 Hertfordshire Constabulary have issued over 400 fixed penalty notices, which has included those attending parties, and vehicle drivers and passengers who were not on essential journeys.



The government advice is only leave your home if it is essential to do so, and stay local. The limited reasons include to exercise, to shop for groceries, to buy medicine, to go to work if you absolutely cannot work from home, and to escape domestic abuse.

We have been warned that we are entering the most dangerous phase of the pandemic. Our county has some of the highest infection rates, we need to protect our fellow citizens and our NHS.

While we as individuals play our part, I can assure you that our police officers are dedicated to keeping us safe. On behalf of us all I thank them for that. In addition to arresting criminals as they did before the virus, they are charged with enforcing the new restriction laws.

They have a very difficult role in ensuring the treatment of members of the public is balanced and proportionate.

Enforcing these laws saves lives. Officers have, and will continue to question and fine those who are blatantly ignoring them. Hundreds of fines have been issued in Hertfordshire during lockdown and more will continue to be given out for those who wilfully ignore the guidelines.”

Please remember during these difficult times there is hope. This week one of the country’s seven mass vaccination centres has opened in Stevenage, and has already started providing protection for our most vulnerable members of society.

We are not helpless against the virus, every decision you make either increases or decreases the risks of it spreading and infecting someone else.
My role is to ensure the constabulary are doing their upmost to protect lives, your role is to stay at home. Please play your part for the sake of us all, and protect the NHS.
 

Any one wanting to volunteer in Hertfordshire towards helping follow residents can contact Team Herts Volunteering
 

• Residents, services and community groups who would like to volunteer can visit www.thvolunteering.org.uk or call Herts Help on 0300 123 4044.
• Residents who are in need of support from volunteers can visit www.hertshelp.net, email info@hertshelp.net or call HertsHelp on 0300 123 4044.

Anyone currently using a social care service should expect that to continue, however they should speak to their care provider first or call on 0300 123 4042 for other urgent care needs.
Frequently asked questions for people with care and support needs can be accessed online, www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/serviceupdates. 
Hertfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner David Lloyd has given £50,000 in emergency funding to charities supporting residents during the coronavirus crisis.


£250,000 of COVID-19 emergency funding given to domestic abuse and sexual violence support services in Herts

Charities and groups helping victims of Domestic Abuse or Sexual violence Hertfordshire have been awarded over £250,000.

They applied through the office of the Police and Crime Commissioner  for the money which was made available by the Ministry of Justice.

Under the plans there was £10m available in England and Wales to boost the domestic abuse services that are already funded by PCCs, plus £5m for new providers. Another £5m was available be awarded to current and new sexual violence service providers.

Following this offices conducting an assessment of need for COVID-19 related emergency funding  the following groups have received help to meet the additional costs registered charities or social enterprise have incurred or will incur whilst adapting their services during the pandemic, and to cope with demand increases resulting from it, during this time period.

Future Living Hertford	£8,699
Tilehouse Counselling	£2,112
South Hill Centre	£14,425
Hertfordshire Practival Parenting Programme CIC	£12,939
St Albans & Hertsmere Woman's Refuge (SAHWR)	£9,061
Mediation Hertfordshire	£14,050
Watford Women's Centre Plus	£19,130
Safer Places	£87,930
Refuge	£31,350
Catch-22	£27,225
Catch-22	£23,650

Commissioner launches £50,000 fund for charities supporting residents during crisis

David Lloyd is making the money available to community and voluntary groups to use quickly to provide help for vulnerable individuals and families in crisis.

The Commissioner’s funding will enable the Herts Community Foundation (HCF) to award grants of up to £2,000.



Mr Lloyd said: “My role is not just about policing, I have a broad public duty to reduce crime and the fear of crime. Now more than ever the community needs to work together to overcome the challenges posed by COVID-19.

“We already support many charities to deliver vital services to victims, the vulnerable and to support crime prevention and other work.

“Most of them are continuing to function extremely well during the crisis and I thank them for the flexibility and innovation they have shown. 

“However, some have told me they are suffering difficulties or are facing additional pressures at the moment so I want to provide some additional help at this difficult time.”
The money will be distributed alongside the HCF’s Coronavirus Disaster Relief fund, with an OPCC staff member overseeing the awards of up to £2,000.

Currently £50,000 has been ring-fenced by the Commissioner for the fund, but further money may follow if there is a demand.

“My team are in touch with those groups delivering services for us and will work with them to see what their needs are and how best we can help them,” added Mr Lloyd. 

“It is essential that we make sure we maintain vital services during this crisis, when users need them most. But we must also ensure that the third sector organisations are still able to function when it ends.”



HCF emergency funding is targeted at local charities supporting people facing a range of social issues including social isolation, food poverty, poverty and poor mental health.

Helen Gray, Foundation Director for HCF said, “Many people are suffering, not just physically due to ill health, but also economically and socially.

“We are proud to be playing a role in making sure donations to support those in need get to where they are needed most in our community, as quickly as possible. This is why we setup the Coronavirus Disaster Relief Fund, to provide rapid support to local charities in this incredibly challenging time”.

To get more information, donate or to apply for assistance contact http://www.hertscf.org.uk/coronavirus-disaster-relief-fund-appeal

Groups that have already got money include Mediation Hertfordshire to pay for telephone counselling and conflict coaching for vulnerable families, including those experiencing domestic violence plus Citizens Advice Welwyn Hatfield to purchase home working IT equipment for two advisors who are providing advice and guidance to a range of vulnerable clients.

Unfortunately there are criminals who are seeking to exploit this situation by operating scams to steal money. These are mainly being conducted by telephone, email or the internet. 

Hertfordshire's OWL alert service has highlighted just some of the frauds being attempted

Doorstep crime - Criminals targeting older people on their doorstep and offering to do their shopping. Thieves take the money and do not return.

Doorstep cleansing services - An offer to clean drives and doorways to kill bacteria and help prevent the spread of the virus.

Email scams - Trick people into opening malicious attachments, which put people at risk of identity theft with personal information, passwords, contacts and bank details at risk. Some of these emails have lured people to click on attachments by offering information about people in the local area who are affected by coronavirus.

Fake online resources – Such as false Coronavirus Maps – that deliver malware such as AZORult Trojan, an information stealing program which can infiltrate a variety of sensitive data. A prominent example that has deployed malware is ‘corona-virus-map[dot]com’.

Refund scams - Companies offering fake holiday refunds for individuals who have been forced to cancel their trips. People seeking refunds should also be wary of fake websites set up to claim holiday refunds.

Counterfeit goods - Fake sanitisers, face masks and Covid19 swabbing kits sold online and door-to-door. These products can often be dangerous and unsafe. There are reports of some potentially harmful hand sanitiser containing glutaral (or glutaraldehyde), which was banned for human use in 2014.

Telephone scams - As more people self-isolate at home there is an increasing risk that telephone scams will also rise, including criminals claiming to be your bank, mortgage lender or utility company.

Donation scams - There have been reports of thieves extorting money from consumers by claiming they are collecting donations for a COVID-19 ‘vaccine’



Members of the public are being urged to keep in contact with family members regularly and inform them of the most prolific scams and the possible dangers to them. If someone has been targeted by a scam it can be reported to Action Fraud online at www.actionfraud.police.uk/  or by calling 0300 123 2040.

For advice and information on how to check if something might be a scam, visit: www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/scams/check-if-something-might-be-a-scam/

Be particulary cautious of any demands for money that reference the Coronavirus. More information and advice can be found at the Friends Against Scams website.