Staying safe during riots and disorder

Last week’s horrific knife attack and murder of three young girls in Southport shocked and appalled the nation, and the subsequent riots and disorder are causing further fear and upset.

 

The hatred has been targeted specifically at Muslim communities, immigrants or those assumed to be immigrants or asylum seekers. This is abhorrent. There’s no place for racist violence and hatred in our communities, or at Saxon Weald.

 

The safety of our customers is really important to us, so we’d encourage you to take precautions to stay safe. You can also report any antisocial behaviour you witness to us. (Antisocial behaviour is a phrase to describe the way that one person’s actions can cause distress to other people, and can include things like hate incidents, abusive language and threatening behaviour.)

 

You can report antisocial behaviour to us at any time by phoning 01403 226000 during office hours or by e-mailing us [email protected] or by sending a message through your online account.

 

If you have an emergency out of office hours please call us on 01403 226000.

 

If English isn’t your first or preferred language we have interpretation services available to you. To access the service, just request an interpreter when speaking to us on the phone. Or, if you want to request a telephone interpreter by email, please contact us at [email protected] - in the subject line, please enter “LanguageLine” and state which language you require.

 

There are some practical things you can do to stay safe:

• Avoid protest or riot areas – avoiding entering protest areas, even if that means rearranging your plans. If you inadvertently find yourself near a disturbance, get away from the area as soon as possible.

 

• Consider your travel arrangements – if your travel plans are disrupted by protests and can’t be rearranged, consider using alternative modes of transport, such as taxis, to minimise your exposure to the protests.

 

• Stay safe – don’t let unidentified visitors into your home or any communal areas.

 

• Stay up to date – repeat protests are planned over the coming weeks so make sure you stay up to date on what’s happening in your area.

 

• In an emergency, call 999 and ask for the police – it’s always better to be safe, than sorry.