Guidance for WLGA_final 23 March 2020
Dear All
Today marks the start of a very unusual time for us all, with last night’s announcement come new challenges both as a community and for the organisation we represent. However what is clear is that now more than ever, we need to work together and learn to adapt to what is clearly a fast moving and ever evolving situation. It also has the potential to cause a great deal of distress for the many elderly and vulnerable individuals in our community.
As has been discussed widely in the media they are also the ones that are most at risk from the Corona Virus and it is essential that we prioritise their welfare. In that respect it is incredibly encouraging to see how communities are finding new ways to support these individuals and if you can think of anyway that we could assist please get in contact with your local officers (details attached once again).
The general public are now looking to the police to enforce the rules set out by the government last night, already this morning we have deployed local officers to gauge the level of local compliance. So far I’m pleased to report that generally the message seems to be sinking in, we are yet to see the large groups of youths that have been present over the previous weekend and I can reassure you that they will be robustly (but politely) challenged if encountered.
At present our stance is one of education and raising awareness, however we will be empowered to deal with dispersal as required, I am hopeful that common sense prevails and there will be no need.
As previously mentioned I wish to highlight that human nature can at times be cruel, we have already started to see the survival instinct with panic buying taking place, but I’m hopeful that this will settle down in time. Retailers are now taking the situation quite seriously and introducing restrictions on multiple purchases and also restricting entry to premises to allow for the aforementioned vulnerable categories protected time to shop. This is encouraging and in time smarter working practises will evolve and all will become used to this “new” normal.
Personally I’m more concerned by petty theft / burglary in our communities. Last week I made a joke on social media with a picture of toilet roll in a window and advised not to leave “valuables on display” this was slightly tongue in cheek, however it was a result of a vehicle being targeted in Ruabon after they had left a box of latex gloves on view…. Rather unsurprisingly the vehicle was damaged and gloves stolen… Please encourage all to take precautions… Such things as freezers in outbuilding or sheds, even livestock such as chickens could soon find themselves victim to the hunter gatherer instinct… god help anyone who has a stash of toilet roll or dried pasta in their garage…
As suggested previously, we are very much reliant on you providing us information that allows us to protect our communities. People tell you things and we rely on you telling us things… this is not “grassing” an expression that I personally hate… its community policing, it’s how we all work together to address local concerns. It is how we protect those who are most vulnerable and it’s how we also prevent those who would otherwise seek to exploit the difficult times we find ourselves in.
For this reason it would assist greatly if you could monitor local tensions and let us known if your respective communities are experiencing any issues, how are they responding to the conditions placed upon them and how can we assist in relieving this tension.
Licenced premises compliance, are all businesses respecting the request to close their doors?
ASB – groups of youths causing issue, now more than ever we want to limit the impact and distress these could cause.
Rural tensions – you will no doubt be aware that the situation in Snowdonia caused concerns over the weekend, the advice to get “fresh air” literally taken by most of the county and many heading into North Wales. We will continue to monitor the influx of visitors, 4×4 vehicles in particular have caused concerns locally and we will continue show a presence in the affected areas.
I will endeavour to provide you with weekly updates and I’m so grateful for all your assistance and support to date.
Please all take care and let me know if we can do anything to help either on a personal basis or on behalf of your communities.
Regards
Luke & Katie
While the Council would not presume to tell Community Councils what to do, it is clear that, because of their local knowledge and sources of intelligence and their community leadership, Community Councillors and Clerks have an important role to play in supporting the most vulnerable in your communities, for example by signposting them and their relatives to the Council’s website and published numbers for access to Council services (https://www.wrexham.gov.uk/assets/pdfs/contact_wrexham/popular_contact_numbers.pdf) and to Public Health Wales and NHS111 for medical advice (https://111.nhs.uk/covid-19).
http://www.wrexham.gov.uk/english/council/electoral/election_index.htm