RESIDENTS have been urged to attend safeguarding events in a concerted drive to prevent crimes such as abuse and fraud.

Councillor Michael Harrison, North Yorkshire County Council’s health and adult services boss, said while everyone would recall recent cases of large-scale abuse and neglect, next week’s Safeguarding Week also aimed to help individuals.

The campaign is being supported by the North Yorkshire Safeguarding Children Board, North Yorkshire Safeguarding Adult Board, the Police and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire, and the North Yorkshire Community Safety Partnership, working with North Yorkshire Police and local partners.

It aims to educate residents about issues such as harassment and child neglect and point them in the direction of how and where to report concerns.

Cllr Harrison said a simple system had been developed to report issues ranging from avoiding scams to cyber-bullying.

He said: “It is not about having a society full of busybodies, it’s about when someone sees something that doesn’t feel right having the confidence and knowledge to report it and then leave it to the professionals to deal with.

“The worst thing would be if someone suffers some kind of abuse that could have been prevented if only someone had reported it.”

During safeguarding week, there will a number of information events taking place across the county, including displays in shopping centres for anyone wanting to find out more.

At Skipton Fire Station on Monday, (June 25) there will be information on a range of safeguarding issues such as avoiding scams, staying safe online, cyber-bullying, and grooming – there is no need to book and anyone wanting to find out more is welcome to drop in between 10am and 1pm.

In Scarborough on Wednesday, June 27, information will be available from the police, county council and community partnerships on fraud and cyber fraud, grooming, and scams – look out for the information stand in the town centre.