North Yorkshire’s Police and Fire services join forces for Christmas safety advent calendar

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service and North Yorkshire Police have joined forces this year to launch a Christmas safety advent calendar on social media.

Every day over the festive period, a new window will ‘open’, revealing advice on a range of topics from drink and drug driving and domestic abuse to fire safety messages to help protect your loved ones, and keep our communities safe and secure at Christmas time.

Between Tuesday 1 December 2020 to New Year’s Day 2021, members of the public can follow the advent calendar on both the police and fire services’ social media pages using the #NorthYorksChristmas hashtag.

It will cover safety tips on topics such as online shopping and puppy sales, which have risen dramatically over the last few months, but has presented a golden opportunity for fraudsters eager to get their hands on your money.

This year will undoubtedly be a very different festive season for some compared to previous years, which is why the advent calendar will also cover messages such as how to tackle loneliness and where to get support if you need it.

In addition, other messages that you can expect to see include:

• Domestic Abuse and what you can do if you have concerns about your partner
• Child abuse, exploitation and advice about what to do if your child gets a new smart phone or device for Christmas.
• Road safety and the devastating impact drink and drug driving can have
• Demand in the Force Control Room over the festive period and what you can do to help reduce it.
• County Lines and counter-terrorism and how you can play your part in helping to tackle this.
• Advice on how to stop a burglar breaking into your home and stealing your Christmas
• Tackling crime in your local area and looking after the vulnerable over the festive period
• Where to get support if Christmas isn’t the most wonderful time of year for you

North Yorkshire Police’s Chief Constable Lisa Winward said:

“This year, we’ve joined up with our colleagues at North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service to share some very important messages on social media to help protect our loved ones and keep our communities safe and secure at Christmas time.

“Our dedicated team of officers and volunteers will be working throughout the festive period to provide assistance and support to those who need it. If you need us, you can call our Force Control Room on 101 for non-emergency incidents or issues. If you require an emergency response always, dial 999.

“Christmas is going to be very different for many of us this year but no matter how you are spending it; on behalf of everyone at North Yorkshire Police we hope that you have a very enjoyable and safe Christmas.”

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s Deputy Chief Fire Officer Jonathan Foster said:

“We’re really pleased to be part of this year’s joint advent calendar, which will help North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service and North Yorkshire Police get our important safety messages out to our communities.

“Christmas can often be a busy time for us all, and even with the COVID restrictions in place this year, there’s presents to buy and Christmas dinner to cook which means safety and security isn’t top in our minds. We hope that the advent calendar will help us all to think about the steps we can take to stay safe.

“On behalf of everyone at NYFRS we hope you all have a safe and enjoyable Christmas. Our staff will be working throughout the Christmas period so if you do need our help in an emergency please dial 999.”

To view the advent calendar follow #NorthYorksChristmas on the police and fire services’ Facebook and Twitter pages:

• North Yorkshire Police Facebook: facebook.com/NorthYorkshirePolice
• North Yorkshire Police Twitter: twitter.com/NYorksPolice
• North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service Facebook: com/northyorksfire
• North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service Twitter: twitter.com/NorthYorksFire