Stay alert > Control the virus > Save lives
This page has links to the latest advice and guidance to help you stay safe and get information about what to do during the COVID-19 Coronavirus outbreak.
Follow the national guidance
We can all help control the virus if we all stay alert. This means you must:
- stay at home as much as possible
- work from home if you can
- limit contact with other people
- keep your distance if you go out (2 metres apart where possible)
- wash your hands regularly
Do not leave home if you or anyone in your household has symptoms.
Read more about what you can and cannot do
Dedicated help and support is available for anyone isolating without support from family, friends or neighbours. Please phone Warwickshire County Council on 0800 4081447.
Advice for everyone on coronavirus is available at the County Council’s Coronavirus page or on 01926 410410.
How the OPCC is responding
Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Seccombe has produced a plan to outline the work he and his office are doing to support communities and Warwickshire Police during the Covid-19 emergency and beyond.
The plan outlines the work that is under way to mitigate the risks posed by Covid-19, to provide help and support to those that need it. It also sets out how the Commissioner will continue to support the Chief Constable while also holding him to account in delivering an efficient and effective policing service to communities during the crisis.
The document sits alongside the main Warwickshire Police and Crime Plan, which remains in place to 2021 through the Commissioner’s extended term of office, with the overall ambition of creating a safer, more secure Warwickshire.
Latest news and updates
From the PCC
- Emergency funding available to support domestic abuse and sexual violence victims’ services – May 20
- Projects given a £2.25 million boost to help keep Warwickshire safe and aid coronavirus response – May 14
- PCC puts questions to the Chief Constable on public’s behalf – May 13
- PCC publishes plan to support communities over the next 12 months – May 7
- Custody visitors turn to technology to ensure welfare checks can happen virtually – April 17
- Support services for domestic abuse continue to provide help during Covid-19 – April 8
- Warwickshire Police thank the public for their continued support during the CoVID-19 pandemic – April 3
- Warwickshire PCC’s response to the coronavirus pandemic – March 20
- Reaction to postponement of PCC elections to 2021 – March 13
From Warwickshire Police
- Survey shows residents happy with Warwickshire Police approach to policing during the COVID-19 pandemic – May 22
- Warwickshire Police asks drivers to slow down as more people return to the roads – May 18
- Force urges domestic abuse victims not to suffer in silence – May 6
- Increase in cyclists prompts police to share safety message – May 1
- Extra ‘Special’ volunteers support Warwickshire Police during Covid-19 crisis – April 30
- Roads policing officers continue to monitor Warwickshire’s roads – April 24
- CoVID-19 and domestic abuse – look out for your family, friends, neighbours and vulnerable people – April 24
- CoVID-19 and Cyber Crime – April 23
- CoVID-19 and Sextortion – April 21
- Roads Policing Team thanks drivers who are staying at home – April 20
Information and Advice
For the latest coronavirus information and guidance from the Government and the NHS, please visit:
NHS Coronavirus Information Site
Government Coronavirus Information Site
Contacting the OPCC
We are following Government directives and adopting the ‘stay at home’ rule. Our offices at Northgate Street in Warwick have now closed and staff are working remotely.
The team at the OPCC will continue to operate as normally as possible during this period, despite the challenging circumstances that the current situation places us all in.
You can continue to contact us as normal by email at opcc@warwickshire.pnn.police.uk or by phone at 01926 412322. Wherever possible, please try to contact us by email in the first instance, but please note that due to our revised working arrangements, it may take us longer than usual to provide you with a reply.
Local authorities
All of the local authorities across Warwickshire have information and advice available about their services and how to contact them during the crisis:
Crime Prevention Advice
You can find a range of crime prevention advice online as normal at https://www.warwickshire.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/
Additionally, you can find specialist information advice on the following sites:
- Rural Crime – Warwickshire Rural Watch
- Business Crime – Warwickshire Business Watch
- Cyber Crime – Cyber Safe Warwickshire
- Hate Crime – Report Hate Now
- Community Safety – Safe in Warwickshire
Look out for Fraudsters
Recently the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) reported a new trend in fraud related to Coronavirus, or COVID-19. The majority of reports are related to online shopping scams where people have ordered protective face masks, hand sanitiser, and other products, which have never arrived. Other frauds being reported include ticket fraud, romance fraud, charity fraud and lender loan fraud.
Protect yourself
- Watch out for scam messages – don’t click on the links or attachments in suspicious emails, and never respond to unsolicited messages and calls that ask for your personal or financial details.
- Shopping online – if you’re making a purchase from a company or person you don’t know and trust, carry out some research first, and ask a friend or family member for advice before completing the purchase. If you decide to go ahead with the purchase, use a credit card if you have one, as most major credit card providers insure online purchases. For more information on how to shop online safely, please visit: https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/shoponlinesafely
- Protect your devices from the latest threats – Always install the latest software and app updates to protect your devices from the latest threats. For information on how to update your devices, please visit: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/guidance/securing-your-devices
Support for those experiencing domestic abuse
The orders to stay at home and isolate from family and friends are going to prove challenging for everyone. However, it may prove additionally challenging for people in violent and abusive relationships. People who have not previously been victims may also find themselves subject to domestic abuse. There is no excuse for domestic abuse and one incident is one too many.
What is domestic abuse?
Domestic abuse is categorised by any incident or patterns of incidents of controlling, coercive or threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are or have been intimate partners or family members regardless of gender or sexuality. This can encompass but is not limited to the following types of abuse:
- Physical
- Emotional
- Psychological
- Sexual
- Financial
Reporting domestic abuse:
If you have been a victim of domestic abuse you can call police on 101 or make a report via the Warwickshire Police website https://www.warwickshire.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/If you feel threatened or a crime is in progress call 999.
Refuge
If you are experiencing domestic violence in Warwickshire, Refuge’s Domestic Violence Service Warwickshire can support you and your children to keep safe. Refuge Domestic Violence Service Warwickshire is a county-wide service which the PCC has co-commissioned to provide support to women, men and children experiencing domestic violence in Warwickshire.
If you don’t want to contact police, you can also get support and information from the Refuge-run Warwickshire Domestic Violence Centre which continues to operate by phone on 0800 408 1552 .
Further advice:
- Warwickshire Police
- Gov.uk/domestic-abuse
- Family Intervention Counselling Service
- Domestic Abuse Counselling Service
- Citizen Advice in Warwickshire provides free and impartial advice.
Support for all victims of crime
Another service commissioned by the PCC is independent charity Victim Support, which delivers local support services to victims of crime across Warwickshire, encompassing emotional and practical support for victims to help them cope and recover.
We know there will be concern from victims of crime at this current time, but the message from Victim Support is that they are still operating and ready to help with phone support and resources to support you. Their staff have moved to full remote working but you can get in touch with Victim Support by phone – so while it’s different locations, it’s the same people, with the same commitment to helping you cope and recover after crime.
Contact Victim Support
Alternatively, you can use the live chat service any time (available 24/7).
If you need support outside of local open hours, call the Supportline for free on 08 08 16 89 111 or request support via the website.
Other help and advice
The Ministry of Justice Victims’ Information Service website also provides details of local support and where to go for help if you need specialist support e.g. victim of harassment, relative of a victim, living with domestic abuse.
Contacting the police
Officers are working 24/7 to help keep everyone safe. If your call is not urgent, please use an alternative way to contact the emergency services. Non-urgent incidents and crimes can be reported on the force website: www.warwickshirepolice.uk.
The website also contains lots of advice and guidance which may relate to your issue, so please check there first. If you do need to speak to someone on the phone (but it is not an emergency), please call 101 or contact your local Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT).
Only dial 999 in an emergency.
