Hemel Hempstead community hub teams up with police to help disabled people

People with disabilities teamed up with the Safer Neighbourhood Team, tea room staff and volunteers to celebrate the hub joining up.

The premises signed up to the scheme display an orange Keep Safe sticker in their windows to make them easily identifiable, while people with learning disabilities carry an ‘in case of emergency’ (ICE) telephone number on their Keep Safe card, keyring, travel wallet or on their mobile phone.

PC Donna Horwood, hate crime officer, said: “People with learning disabilities tell us Keep Safe gives them confidence to come in to town and feel safe and reassured that if they need help or need to report a crime, they can do so easily and safely.

"The orange sticker flags up places to make a phone call in the event of an emergency, to contact a parent, carer or support worker, the police or another emergency service if need be.”

PC Horwood helped train tea room staff and volunteers ahead of them officially joining the Keep Safe scheme last month, which coincided with them hosting an event for residents to raise issues with officers from the local Safer Neighbourhood Team, which happens on the first Wednesday of every month.

Keep Safe volunteer Chris Day, chairman of the Hemel campaigners, said: “I am very proud of all the Keep Safe team achieved in town last year.

"Working together we chose places to invite to join Keep Safe and with the Liberty Tea Room joining it makes 10 places in the town centre showing a Keep Safe orange sticker, which is great.

Hertfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner David Lloyd, who funds Keep Safe through his Action Fund, said: “It’s great to see local people come together as a team, working on community safety, and organisations in the town showing their commitment to supporting vulnerable members of the community.

Keep Safe coordinator for Herts People, First Jane Dellow added: “People with learning disabilities really like the Keep Safe community safety scheme and say that it is reassuring for them to know where they can get help and support if need be and how their local community, businesses and services are so welcoming of the scheme.”