New partnership focusing on lone worker protection in York.
Ellie Steers – Brand Ambassador at Eboracum, Rebecca Pick – Founder at Pick Protection and Cameron Wright- Service Delivery Manager at Eboracum.
York’s Eboracum® is partnering with Pick Protection to bring a range of lone worker safety solutions to the city.
Award winning company Pick Protection was founded six years ago. After years of research and development it now boasts an impressive programme of services for lone worker monitoring. The synergy between Eboracum and Pick Protection is aligned in that they have a real passion to deliver services that are focussed around safety and security.
The solutions available include remote monitoring of lone workers, an app based SOS system, devices with simple “panic buttons” and the ability for staff to easily notify employers when they are going into a risky situation alone, triggering a time based response/call back system.
Rebecca Pick, founder of Pick Protection says
“There are 3 key elements of a lone worker system. First is the device/application or method that is used to request help. Next is the online portal where all activity can be reviewed and tracked, and lastly the control room where assistance is arranged and deployed. Working with Eboracum, we can now provide a fourth element to this in York which is the actual response to the alert by trained & licensed operatives.”
Carl Nickson, Managing Director at Eboracum® said:
“ We love to work with like-minded organisations who have a genuine passion for safety and security. Lone worker protection services are something that we can now confidently promote and deliver in York due to Pick Protection’s innovative and flexible product range. I look forward to exploring how this can be expanded across the city and beyond for the benefit of both employers and employees.”
These solutions not only provide important protection to employees, but also provide employers with resources and tools to comply with the Health & Safety at Work Act.
To find out more about lone worker protection options just get in touch with us: mail@eboracumgroup.com
Starting in September 2020, Eboracum® proudly provide a new student-focussed service at Abode, York.
The 500 bedroom Student Accommodation on Percy’s Lane in York receive a local, proactive and flexible security service.
With a careful balance between security and customer focus, Eboracum’s team members provide a visible and reassuring presence in and around the scheme.
This, coupled with rapid response to alarms/requests and remote CCTV monitoring ensures complete managed security services.
The Service is bespoke in that team members familiarise themselves with the scheme’s buildings, procedures and tenant needs to enable a prompt resolution when responding to requests ie. tenant losing a key and locked out, etc.
The scheme developer S Harrison also receive real time online reports so that they can be kept fully up to date and in the loop.
“Being chosen to work in in this client/supplier partnership with S Harrison is a real privilege for us. As a local York business we are grateful to be in a position where we can continue to adapt our services at Abode.”
Carl Nickson – Director at Eboracum®
S Harrison, developer of Abode, York was Founded in 1952 and is one of the UK’s leading property and development businesses.
With York bustling again with summer tourists, private security company employees accredited with certain police powers are joining police officers to take action against cyclists who ride on pavements and in ‘footstreets’ in the city centre putting pedestrians at risk of harm.
There had been many reports of ‘near misses’ and cyclists ‘racing’ in pedestrian-only designated areas as local shoppers and visitors returned after non-essential retail outlets reopened on 15 June following the easing of restrictions following the COVID-19 lockdown.
At the height of the lockdown the rules that prohibited cycling through York’s footstreets were not enforced so as to encourage people to exercise and to help with food deliveries. With the lockdown easing and visitors returning, those rules are being enforced and cover newly extended footstreets.
A team led by the York Business Improvement District (BID) was set up to tackle the problem. Part of this team included a York-based security company, Eboracum, whose employees work as Street Rangers on behalf of the BID. The Street Rangers were joined by regular police officers, police community support officers and council enforcement officers.
The first phase of operation involved cyclists being stopped to enable the rules to be explained. Now follow-up operations are being held at different times throughout the day without notice to ensure cyclists ride within the rules or face a penalty notice and fine.
Carl Alsop, BID operations manager, said that the BID took action after a series of complaints from businesses, members of the public and city centre hosts, about cycling in pedestrian areas. “Now those streets are busy again with residents, visitors and families, the problem has become more urgent.”
Carl explained that the BID is a big supporter of cyclists – having increased the available city centre bike storage by about ten per cent.
“However, for the good of all those who work, shop and socialise in York city centre, we need to make it clear to the small minority of riders who ignore the rules that their anti-social behaviour isn’t acceptable,” added Carl.
As part of other BID initiatives during lockdown, Street Rangers were involved in joint operations with police to carry out daily patrols to protect around 200 businesses that wanted to ensure their premises were protected whilst they remained empty. This service was extended with the Street Rangers adapting their long-established night-time bicycle patrols with police to deter burglars from targeting empty premises.
In addition, the Street Rangers locked and unlocked gates and carried out patrols at the Museum Gardens, Yorkshire Museum and York Observatory at the request of the York Museums Trust.
Since the Street Rangers were launched in 2016, they have helped to detect and deter thousands of crimes as well as support city businesses, provided support and reassurance to local residents and acted as city ambassadors to tourists every year.
Eboracum Managing Director, Carl Nickson, said: “Our Street Rangers are working closely with our partner organisations to help make York City Centre a safe place for residents, tourists and local businesses.”
Eboracum’s employees have been accredited with certain police powers by the Chief Constable of North Yorkshire under the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme (CSAS), a voluntary scheme, contained in Section 40 of the Police Reform Act 2002.
The role of assessing private sector companies seeking approval to run a CSAS scheme is carried out on behalf of the National Police Chiefs’ Council by Police Crime Prevention Initiatives (PCPI), a police-owned organisation that works on behalf of the Police Service throughout the UK to deliver a wide range of crime prevention initiatives.
PCPI carries out checks to establish whether companies are ‘fit and proper’ to exercise CSAS powers and then makes recommendations to Chief Constables in the area the scheme will operate.
It is Chief Constables in England and Wales who decide whether to accredit employed people already working in roles that contribute to maintaining and improving community safety with limited but targeted powers.
PCPI has assessed more than 120 private sector companies seeking to run a CSAS. The scheme significantly increases the number of businesses able to deliver services that reduce low level crime and disorder whilst assisting police by easing demands on their time and resources.
The volunteer committee for Crimestoppers in North Yorkshire and York has this month recruited their first Community Ambassador: security, training and support services company Eboracum UK Limited.
The independent charity’s Community Ambassador Programme is designed to increase awareness of Crimestoppers through partnership with businesses, public authorities, other charities and agencies. Acting as our Ambassadors, they enable Crimestoppers to spread the word about our unique service guaranteeing anonymity to help protect people, places and communities from crime.
While we are gradually easing out of lockdown, Crimestoppers is currently appealing for people to report anonymously what they know about crime against commercial outlets in a campaign called #ClosedtoCrime. Our Community Ambassador, Eboracum UK Limited, will connect with communities and companies to raise awareness of the campaign and to drive people to report what they know about crime 100% anonymously.
“We’re delighted to announce Eboracum UK Limited as our first Community Ambassador for North Yorkshire and York. The range of services the business provides means they’re ideally placed to promote the work of our charity. They share our values and belief that everyone should feel safe from crime. They’re a trusted organisation who engage with members of the public on a regular basis, with a great team on the ground. I’m excited to work with them and to support their promotion of our charity with local communities. This will also help local businesses at this time who, while being closed due to the pandemic, may have had their premises interfered with by criminals.
“I’m pleased our North Yorkshire Crimestoppers’ volunteer committee has gone from strength to strength since the appointment of John Dobbin as Chair. With a variety of passionate volunteers, and now our first Community Ambassador, Crimestoppers is now even better placed to raise awareness of our charity to the communities that need us the most.”Gemma Gibbs, Crimestoppers Yorkshire & the Humber Regional Manager
“It is a privilege to be a Crimestoppers’ Community Ambassador. We see this as an accolade as well as a partnership arrangement. On both a company and personal level, we can further spread the word and awareness of the great work that the charity is doing. I feel that our company is well placed to pass on these important messages to the community about an easy, anonymous way to report information about crime.
“Our approach to this role is to empower our own team members to actively talk about Crimestoppers when engaging with people, and to align ourselves with local Crimestoppers’ campaigns.”Carl Nickson, Managing Director and founder of Eboracum UK Limited
Slavery in the 21st century is often enforced by threats to the individual, coercion, through mental or physical abuse, or the threat of abuse, abduction, fraud and deception. Modern slavery is an international crime that affects an estimated 29.8 million slaves around the world, with an estimated 13,000 people held in slavery in the UK today. In 2015 there were 3,266 potential victims identified and referred to the National Crime Agency.
Modern slavery takes a number of forms including sexual exploitation, forced labour, domestic servitude and criminal exploitation. Often the person is forced or compelled to work and they are often controlled by an ’employer’, usually through mental or physical abuse or the threat of abuse, both to them and their families.
Signs that someone might be a victim of modern slavery include:
Showing signs of injury, abuse and malnourishment
They look unkempt, are often in the same clothing and have poor hygiene
Appearing to be under the control and influence of others
Living in cramped, dirty, overcrowded accommodation
They have no access or control of their passport or identity documents
Appearing scared, avoiding eye contact, and being untrusting
They may allow others to speak for them when addressed directly, rather than speak for themselves.
They’re collected very early and/or returned late at night on a regular basis
May have inappropriate clothing for the work they are performing, and/or a lack of safety equipment
May be isolated from the local community and their family
They travel only with other workers
It can include victims that have been brought from overseas, and vulnerable people in the UK, being forced to illegally work against their will in many different sectors, including brothels, nail bars, factories, car washes, construction and agriculture.
What’s the difference between modern slavery and human trafficking?
The terms ‘modern slavery’ and ‘human trafficking’ are often used interchangeably. They can be taken to mean the same thing on most occasions, but human trafficking may also refer to the movement of people from one place to another. Human trafficking often involves threat, force and coercion, and people may be trafficked into modern slavery as a result of abduction or deception.
What to do if you suspect modern slavery
If you have information on the criminals operating modern slavery networks you can talk to CrimeStoppers, as an independent charity, 100% anonymously – your identity will never be revealed. If you are already in the UK, call free on 0800 555 111 or report details online here on their website.
What to do if you are a victim of modern slavery
Due to their anonymity guarantee, CrimeStoppers can’t take information from victims of crime. If think you may be a victim of modern slavery you can contact the charity Salvation Army by calling their 24-hour confidential helpline on 0300 038151.
The UK Modern Slavery Helpline is available 24/7 to offer confidential, advice and support for any victim, statutory agency, business, or member of the public regarding modern slavery suspicions or concerns.
Trained Helpline Advisers are available to discuss potential signs of modern slavery and options for callers or victims in need. Call free on 08000 121 700.
We have updated our risk assessments, policy and procedures so that our team members can work safely during the Coronavirus crisis.
As restrictions are loosened by the Government, we see a new normal. Our approach to work will be surrounded by anti-viral measures. We have one priority. That is to keep our team members safe by reducing the chance of contraction or transmission of COVID-19 at work.
What are we doing?
We can keep people safe by ensuring that strict measures are implemented and adhered to at work. The government released a new standard called “COVID-19 Secure”. This standard is issued to all employers and should be followed where appropriate. We use this standard/guidance to set out our main principles of what we will do together at Eboracum®.
Commitment
The Managing Director has signed the government’s commitment/pledge. This confirmed that the Eboracum® complies with the standard and we will display this at sites where our team members work. You can download a copy of this signed commitment below. It reads “We confirm we have complied with the government’s guidance on managing the risk of COVID-19”.
Our main COVID-19 Secure principles:
We will adopt the following main principles to manage a safe working environment:
Assess risk, implement control measures and share this with all of our team members
Ensure that there are cleaning, hand washing and hygiene procedures on client sites, assignments and in company offices
Where their role allows, we will help our team members to work from home
We will take reasonable steps to maintain a 2m distance at work
Where people cannot be 2m apart, we will do everything practical to manage transmission risk.
What is the process for ensuring safe working inline with these principles?
There are four elements to the processes that we will use when assessing and approving team deployments:
A company-wide risk assessment. This risk assessment includes various control measures around safe working in relation to COVID19. It is heavily based on Government guidance. All of our team members will read and adhere to the control measures put in place on this risk assessment.
Client/assignment specific checklists. We will use checklists to assess whether a role/assignment/client site that we work at also satisfactorily meets the COVID-19 Secure standard. The Managing Director will be responsible for managing this process. The company will not reply any team members unless this can be completed satisfactorily. We will work with clients to an agreed standard.
Instruction, briefings, awareness and information. We will provide our team members with as much information that is relevant to their role. This may be new guidance, updated risk assesments or changes in procedures. We will also provide training such as e-learning.
Monitoring & supervision. One of the key elements to ensure compliance is by checking and auditing the various tasks, roles and client sites. We will use the completed risk assessment and check that each control measure is being adhered to. (Image (c) Peninsula Group Ltd)
Eboracum® has top-down commitment to making sure our team members are safe at work. For more information please contact Carl via email carl@eboracumgroup.com.
We are supported by our Health & Safety advice provider – Peninsula Group Ltd.
