General News

Responding to Racist Violence in Communities

Over the last couple of weeks, we worked with our colleagues to present a statement that VONNE coordinated on behalf of North East infrastructure organisations (including DCA), responding to the racist violence that took place in communities.  

Here at Durham Community Action we’ve been listening to VCSE organisations, hearing concerns and supporting organisations with queries they’ve had, particularly around risk and safeguarding.  We’ve also been linking with local, regional and national colleagues, engaging with responses that reflect our different local situations whilst supporting coordinated messaging and guidance to partners. 

Moving forward we will continue to listen to and support local organisations, as well as working with partners to support VCSE organisations and the communities they support.

Please do continue to keep in touch.

You can find helpful resources below:

Message from Counter Terrorism Police North East:

First of all, I am sure you will share the same view that these are troubling times and the level of violence that has been seen on the streets of the region and the wider country is truly shocking.

In terms of the NE region there has been serious and sustained disorder in Rotherham, Sunderland , Middlesborough and Hartlepool. There have many other incidents as well that the Police have had to contend with and a massive challenge currently is assessing information which is often disinformation / misinformation but the impact on communities is significant as the reach of social media is extensive and influential.

This week conversations have taken place between CTPNE Prevent and some partners in the region specifically around people who have been identified / been arrested for involvement in the violent disorder and whether Prevent referrals were needed. The advice I would like to be circulated across partners is as follows :

In the event of there being a concern that a known Adult or Child has been involved in recent disorders , this single strand piece of information alone is insufficient for a Prevent referral. As we know Prevent is focussed on people who are deemed as being susceptible/ vulnerable to being drawn into terrorism . There needs to be additional information that would warrant this becoming a referral.

So just to provide a bit of additional context to explain where we are going ………..earlier this week CTPNE Prevent were invited to a strategy meeting in relation to children arrested for violent disorder at a location in the region. CTPNE Prevent put the question to partners what else was known about each of them in addition to the fact that they had been arrested for violent disorder. Were there any previous concerning behaviours / comments / conduct indicative of them being potentially drawn into the extremism / terrorism space. We would call this the “Check” bit of Notice ……Check ……Share.  

So moving forward the ask would be the following from our wider partners:

• Please don’t submit a prevent referral in the context that all is known about them is involvement in recent disorder
• Please don’t hesitate to contact us for advice in circumstances whereby you need support in the “Check” part of Notice – Check – Share…………….

Thank you

• Prevent
• CTPNE
• Durham Constabulary: Building Trust and Confidence by: Relentlessly Pursuing Criminals, Being Determined to Protect Vulnerable People, Providing a First-Class Service to Victims and Being the Best at Preventing Crime & ASB.
• Neighbourhood Policing: Use your postcode to get access to local news and events from your Neighbourhood Policing Team, at https://www.durham.police.uk

A number of national organisations have been sharing resources that VCSE organisations may find helpful at this time.  We will continue to share and update this list as needed.  

The Charity Commission

You can read the Charity Commission’s full online statement for links to information and guidance to circulate within your organisation, including a contact number to call if you require additional support.  They share guidance around safeguarding, managing risk and dealing with misinformation.

The VCS Emergencies Partnership

The VCS Emergencies Partnership highlight some suggestions for organisations to consider:

Prioritise your people:

• Communicate with them, raise their awareness and make sure you give them up to date guidance on how to keep themselves and others safe 
• Consider travel times and routes 
• Be careful about your brand and how that brand identity may put your people at risk 
• Review your policies, contact details and emergency plans 

Protect your properties:

• Review your business continuity plans 
• Consider guidance on what makes your buildings safer… recognising some are quick fixes, but many may take longer to implement (more details below) 
• Don’t forget the vacant buildings – these can be easy targets 

They have also shared the following resources:

• Health and Safety Executive have guidance on violence and aggression in the workplace
• Muslim Council of Britain have a range of resources on mosque safety 
• UK Trauma Council has published a range of relevant resources for those working with children and young people affected by trauma and bereavement (we shared these last week). Some of the key pages are:   
  • https://uktraumacouncil.org/resources    
  • Critical Incidents in Educational Communities - UK Trauma Council 
  • Guidance on creating the best environment for recovery - UK Trauma Council 
  • Traumatic Bereavement for children & young people - UK Trauma Council  
• British Red Cross offer workshops on Empathy and Migration and Coping With Challenges for young people.   More information can be found on their web page including resources about how to talk to children about conflict:
  • How to talk to children about conflict | British Red Cross
  • Talking about major emergency | Secondary teaching resources (redcross.org.uk)
  • Dealing with emotional and physical distress 
• British Future provide a practical guide to messaging that combats hate crime and prejudice: Calling out hatred and prejudice
• GOV.UK funding for protective Security Schemes for places of worship
• Tell Mama UK share how the disinformation about Southport spread: How misinformation and disinformation about the Southport stabbings went viral (tellmamauk.org)
• Belong Network have blogged on preventing tension and conflict in communities and good practice on building shared ground and addressing community tensions
• Involve share a framework on building community cohesion
• Open source guidance on how to spot ‘fake news’ for young people
• Understanding hate crime for children

NCVO have also shared the following resources/guidance:

• Watch our recent webinar recordings on responding to opposition and communicating in a crisis
• Read our guidance on how to manage risk
• Read the CIPD's advice on supporting your workforce through a crisis

Misinformation is rife across social media, so we would advise against sharing any content without ensuring it's from an official or verified resource. Instead, please seek guidance and support from local emergency services and your Local Resilience Forum. Watch our video for advice

For those who want to donate to support the Southport community, read the Charity Commission's recent guidance on giving with confidence to registered charities.

Additional Resources

Hope Not Hate have an extensive range of publicly available resources to support community engagement, community events and changing the local narrative:  

Community Resources – HOPE not hate

For the Longer Term

For the longer term, the VCS Emergencies Partnership suggests the following:

• The NaCTSO Counter Terrorism Crime Prevention Toolkit is aimed at small organisations. It contains helpful, low-cost solutions to deter crime and counter terrorism e.g. making it difficult to gain access to premises, increasing chance of detection and reducing access to contents and victims.
• A 5-step process for risk management is outlined here: ProtectUK Risk Management Guidance | ProtectUK- including guidance around CCTV, doors and locks, windows, shutters and grilles – as well as how to develop a security culture.
• The E-learning package E-Learning | ProtectUK is a good place to start with developing understanding and practice in this area. They have also provided guidance for staff work (Run Hide Tell)