Police seek volunteers for befriending scheme in North Yorkshire

Lonely people in communities in England's largest county are calling police just to speak to someone on the phone, experts have warned, as a befriending scheme is launched to ease the burden on public services.
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The pilot scheme from North Yorkshire Police is seeking volunteers to befriend vulnerable people who have come into frequent contact with emergency services. The force is contacted by about 108 people every month, North Yorkshire Police has revealed, in situations where other support may be more appropriate and at a cost of hundreds of policing hours.

The befriending scheme, to be piloted in Harrogate, Hambleton and Selby, is hoped to connect communities and create networks for individuals who are vulnerable, socially isolated or disadvantaged. They could be elderly, or young people who may be struggling to find their way, or those with early onset dementia,” said Natasha Almond, North Yorkshire Police’s citizens in policing co-ordinator manager. “We know of older ladies who think someone’s coming to their back door, or trying to get in their windows at night. It’s not happening, but they are contacting police on an almost daily basis. They are calling the police, their GP, just to have a connection with someone. If people have friends and social networks within their communities they have increased health and wellbeing.”

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The aim of the Community Connector scheme is to match individuals with volunteers who can support them in their own communities. This could be in assisting them to take part in activities, spending time with them, or offering advice and support.

The force is looking for volunteers who may have experience with mentoring, such as former teachers, social workers, life coaches, therapists or mental health workers. While the need for support services can be seen across the country, the issues around isolation and loneliness are often felt far stronger in communities such as North Yorkshire, said Miss Almond.

“It’s the geographical landscape,” she said. “A lot of the loneliness for people is that they haven’t got the services they need, because of the geographical barriers and the fact that a lot of these services don’t exist in rural areas. This is about making sure we build up community resilience, their personal skills, coping mechanisms, and in knowing there’s a community out there for support. That’s much better than going to the police or the doctors in the long term.”

The Yorkshire Post has been campaigning to highlight the issue of loneliness, which is as damaging to health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, since 2014.