Hospitality staff trained to spot vulnerable victims – Watford and Three Rivers

The Community Safety Unit has delivered awareness training to hospitality staff across Watford and Three Rivers, teaching them how to look out for and support vulnerable victims.

The training session, which ran from 9.30am to 12 noon at Hunton Park Hotel on Thursday (10 August), included inputs from different departments and partners on the topics of hate crime, child exploitation and violence against women and girls (VAWG).

 

The attendees listened to presentations about:

• Hollie Guard app – a personal safety app launched by the family of murder victim Hollie Gazzard.
• Hate Crime – what is classified as a hate crime or incident, how to report it, and what support is available.
• Child criminal exploitation – how to identify the signs, how best to support victims, and how to report it.
• Ask for Clive – a charity that promotes inclusion and works with organisations to create a welcoming environment for those in the LGBTQ+ community.
• Ask for Angela – a scheme that encourages people on a first date (or who have met someone for the first time) to get help from bar staff if they feel unsafe.

 

Staff from Premier Inn, Holiday Inn, Travelodge, The Grove and Hunton Park Hotel were among those who attended. Following the training, they now know the warning signs to look out for, how to support any customers that fall victim to these crime types, and use the correct reporting pathways.

 

The training covered the indicators of exploitation, hate crime and domestic violence, how to identify the signs it could be happening inside a hotel room and how to initially support a vulnerable victim if required. Information videos also featured as part of the session.

 

The team then shared best practice in risk management and recording processes, detailing the information that should be gathered and passed over to police in the event that any of these crime types is suspected.

After the session, the attendees had the opportunity to chat and ask questions of the officers and staff.

 

Sergeant Karl Diggins, from the Watford Community Safety Unit, said: “The training was really well-received and we are pleased that the hotels involved are embracing the training available to them, as it shows their commitment to helping us tackle these types of crimes.

“If you don’t work in the police or safeguarding sector, it can be incredibly daunting when you are faced with the possibility that a child is being exploited or an adult is being abused.

“That is why it’s important for us to share best practice and guidance around how to spot, record and report any instances so we can investigate, disrupt offenders and put support in place for victims.

“By working in partnership and sharing information, we can achieve our goal of protecting even more vulnerable children and adults from harm in Hertfordshire.”

More training sessions are being planned. If you work in the hospitality sector and you think your teams would benefit from this, email your contact details to Sergeant Diggins at [email protected] to register your interest.