Community safety

Includes the Norfolk Community Safety Partnership, how to keep safe in your community, safeguarding, domestic abuse, preventing radicalisation, antisocial behaviour, fire and coastal safety, flooding, cold callers, and rogue traders.

Community safety is a partnership approach to reduce crime and disorder in local communities. It is important that you feel safe where you live, work or spend your leisure time.

This page describes the Council's steps to support community safety and offers advice on what to do if you require support to keep your community safe.

Norfolk Community Safety Partnership

North Norfolk District Council is a member of the Norfolk County Community Safety Partnership (NCCSP). The multi-agency partnership is made up of representatives from the police, all Norfolk District Councils, the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Norfolk and other organisations who are committed to working together to reduce crime and antisocial behaviour and improve community safety.

Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Norfolk

The Police, Crime and Community Safety Plan 2022 to 2024 identifies six priorities:

• Sustain Norfolk Constabulary
• Visible and Trusted Policing
• Tackling Crime
• Prevent Offending
• Support Victims
• Safer and Stronger Communities

North Norfolk Safety Advisory Group

The role of the NNDC Safety Advisory Group (NNSAG) is to promote good safety standards at all public events in the district and ensure best practices are followed.

Norfolk Constabulary

In an emergency, call 999 and ask for the police.

Call 101 or use the textphone service on 18001 101 to speak to the police for non-emergency enquiries.

You can also contact the police and obtain further information by visiting the Norfolk Constabulary website.

Domestic abuse

Domestic abuse and sexual violence affect tens of thousands of people every year in Norfolk. Around one in five crimes reported to Norfolk Constabulary are related to domestic abuse, and the number of reports is increasing. However, a significant amount of domestic abuse remains unreported.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse in any form, you can find information about how to get help and support on our website.

Safeguarding

Safeguarding protects individuals' health, wellbeing, and human rights, allowing them to live free from abuse, harm, and neglect. In particular, this relates to children, young people and adults with care and support needs.

North Norfolk District Council have a statutory duty to safeguard children, young people and adults with needs for care and support from harm and abuse.

Prevent

Prevent is a part of the UK's counter terrorism strategy. Prevent aims to stop people from becoming terrorists, supporting terrorism and supporting disengagement and rehabilitation of those already engaged in terrorism.

North Norfolk District Council has a statutory duty under section 26 of the Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015 to have "due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism". Prevent forms part of the North Norfolk Safeguarding Policy for Children, Young People and Adults with Care and Support needs.

What to do if you have concerns about someone

Preventing radicalisation | Norfolk County Council

Prevent | Norfolk Constabulary

Prevent | Norfolk Safeguarding Adults Board

Safeguarding | NNDC

Fire safety

Fire safety in the home is not just a responsibility. It's a necessity. By understanding the risks, taking preventive measures, installing and maintaining smoke alarms, having a fire escape plan, knowing how to use fire extinguishers, and educating family members, you can significantly enhance the safety of your home.

Fire Kills Lets Prevent It: Fire Safety in the Home

Fire safety advice from the Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service

Safety advice and guidance | Norfolk County Council

Request a free home fire safety check if you are over 65 or have a disability that could make it difficult to react to a fire.

Antisocial behaviour

Antisocial behaviour can cause nuisance and annoyance or harm and distress to a person. It's a wide range of unacceptable activity and includes things like:

• noise, including loud music, banging, DIY at unsocial hours, loud parties, and frequent visitors at unsocial hours
• shouting, swearing and fighting
• intimidation through threats or actual violence
• harassment
• verbal abuse
• abusive behaviour aimed at causing distress or fear to certain people, for example, elderly or disabled people
• driving inconsiderate or carelessly, for instance, drivers congregating in an area for racing or car cruising
• dumping rubbish
• animal nuisance, including dog fouling and barking
• vandalism, property damage and graffiti
• antisocial drinking
• arson

Antisocial behaviour can ruin people's lives and devastate their communities.

Further guidance

If you are experiencing antisocial behaviour or would like further guidance.

Report antisocial behaviour | NNDC

Antisocial behaviour: how to get help | GOV.UK

Antisocial behaviour | Norfolk Constabulary

Flooding

With our 68km coastline and closeness to the Broads, North Norfolk does experience a risk of flooding. It is essential to be prepared for this if your property is at risk.

Check if you are at risk of flooding | GOV.UK

Am I at risk of flooding? | NNDC

Learn more about flood protection measures and what to do in a flood situation.

Your essential flood guide (PDF)

Flooding | NNDC

Flood Wardens | NNDC

Power outage

Power cuts, also known as power outages, blackouts or power failures, occur when an area is cut off from its electricity source. They can happen for several reasons, including network faults and damage caused by extreme weather.

Find out who to call in a power cut | NNDC

Coastal safety

With several Blue Flag and Seaside award beaches and thousands of annual visitors, the Council is very proud of our beautiful coastline and its communities. However, we want to ensure everyone is safe while enjoying our beaches.

Coastal safety | NNDC

RNLI Beach Safety: Top five tips to stay safe by the sea

Wherever possible, please swim at a lifeguarded beach.

RNLI: Find your nearest lifeguarded beach

Community resilience

Community resilience is when the community adapts to changing conditions and withstands and recovers rapidly from disruptions.

There are plenty of opportunities to support resilience in your community

Find out how to promote resilience in your community | NNDC

The Norfolk Resilience Forum can help plan for emergencies and contains a wealth of information and support regarding all aspects of emergency continuity in communities, businesses, and homes.

Emergency planning

Our emergency planning staff work with other agencies and organisations to plan for and mitigate for major incidents. We can help you to prepare for emergencies including flooding and severe weather and storms.

Emergency planning | NNDC

We can also advise businesses with continuity planning, assisting them in making plans to ensure their organisation can continue its critical services during a disruption.

Scams and fraud

Being scammed can be very distressing, and the effect is often emotional and financial. If you've been scammed, you're not alone, there's support available.

Scams and fraud | NNDC

How to spot and avoid scams | Age UK

If you're worried that an adult who needs care and support has been affected by a scam, you can tell local adult social services. They'll make safeguarding enquiries and work to make sure that person is protected.

Contact our adult social care team | Norfolk County Council

Cold calls

Cold calls are unwanted phone calls by companies or people trying to sell you something. Companies are required to get your consent before they can market their goods and services to you by phone or email. If they don't have it, they shouldn't be doing it.

You can block certain numbers from calling or texting on most modern phones. Check your phone's instruction guide or contact your service provider for help.

To help prevent nuisance and malicious calls, you can register with the telephone preference service. You could also contact your phone service, such as BT or Virgin Media. They should be able to suggest more ways to screen and block incoming calls.

Door-to-door

Unwanted knocks at the door from people trying to sell you products can be a nuisance, especially if they happen regularly.

Sometimes these visitors' intentions are fraudulent, whether selling counterfeit goods or services or gathering information about you or the property. In some cases, fraudsters may even pretend to be from your utility company and use the excuse of needing to take a meter reading to gain access to your house.

Most door-to-door callers are simply trying to sell you something. If you don't like how they speak to you or feel they're calling too often, ask them for their company's details and make a complaint.

It may also be worth leaving a sign or sticker near your doorbell or letterbox saying 'no cold callers, thank you'. It will be enough to deter most sensible salespeople.[infonotice]

You can request a 'No cold callers' door sticker from Norfolk County Council by calling 0344 800 8020.

Rouge traders

A rogue trader is someone in a position of trust misusing it and then concealing their actions.

Avoiding Rogue Traders | Advice for Consumers | Safe Local Trades

A Trusted Trader directory is provided by Norfolk County Council.

Rogue traders and bogus callers | Norfolk County Council

CCTV

North Norfolk District Council no longer operates any town centre CCTV systems. The Council transferred some of the town centre systems to the ownership of town councils, who expressed a desire to continue providing them.

Contact your town or parish council for more information.