Community Safety Newsletter

Safer Internet Day took place on Tuesday 9 February and although it was a little different this year, over twenty schools across the District still took part.

Instead of the usual workshops organised by Sevenoaks District Council and the Sevenoaks District Community Safety Partnership, the schools took part in a day of online learning.The theme of this year’s event was the reliability of the internet and learning how to separate fact from fiction.

The primary schools that took part learnt helpful tricks and tips to stay safe on the internet in a fun and engaging way.

The secondary schools’ presentation went through the reliability of influencers on social media and how to spot what they are selling. This was made in conjunction with Sevenoaks District Youth Assembly.

Throughout the day, the schools shared photos of their activities and their participation certificates on social media. Cabinet Member for People and Places, Cllr Lesley Dyball says:“Helping young people to stay safe online is a priority for the Council. We were delighted that so many schools could take part. The internet has transformed our lives for the better, but we know there are potential risks. This year’s event was a fun way to help young people spot fake and misleading information online. This should stand them in good stead for many years to come.”

During the pandemic, residents have reported to us an increase in Door Knockers who are selling goods. This breaches the COVID-19 rules and should not be happening and is a breach of the rules.Working with Kent Police and Action Fraud we are doing all we can to deter this. Often the people selling will say that it is part of their Probation. The National Probation Team do not offer this service as part of a community initiative. Sellers will come from all over the Country to target areas across Kent. Please report any callers to Police online or via 101 and to KCC Trading Standards on 0808 223 1133

Action Fraud are still seeing a big increase in automated National Insurance scams. Residents across the UK, including Kent have reported receiving an automated telephone call telling them their “National Insurance number has been compromised” and in order to fix this and get a new number, the victim needs to “press 1 on their handset to be connected to the caller”. It is a scam and once connected to the “caller”, they are pressured into giving over their personal details in order to receive a new National Insurance number but are actually connected to a criminal who can now use their personal details to commit further frauds.

Remember, if you receive one of these calls, then disconnect immediately as HMRC would never contact you this way. With all these types of calls, never press button 1.

If you believe you have been a victim of this scam, then contact your bank, immediately and report it to Action Fraud at www.actionfraud.police.uk or by calling

0300 123 2040.

Sevenoaks District Council has welcomed a team of ‘Town Centre Ambassadors’ to provide support and advice to businesses and visitors in town centres throughout the District during the current Coronavirus pandemic.From 8 December, the four friendly faces are on hand across the District’s four town centres, Edenbridge, Sevenoaks, Swanley and Westerham to answer questions and provide useful advice to businesses and customers about staying safe on our high streets. They are working closely with Police colleagues to address social distancing and numbers of visitors to the towns.

Cabinet Member for ‘People and Places’, Cllr Lesley Dyball, says: “It’s vital that we continue to support the local economy and our high streets throughout the pandemic and that means making them as safe as possible. The Town Centre Ambassadors will be there to help businesses and shoppers, answer any questions they may have and encourage everyone to ‘shop local, safely’.”

The Ambassadors are supported by Government funding up to 31 March 2021