Our Community Outreach campaign work saw us visit three different counties within our region in just one week, as we look to further expand our reach.
The EMCRC is a police-led initiative with an ethos to help small and medium sized organisations to better protect themselves against online threats by offering advice, guidance and the necessary services to make themselves more secure.
The Community Outreach campaign allows us to visit businesses within the East Midlands region to chat directly with them.
Small to medium sized organisations seldom prioritise cyber security, often believing it to be unimportant or too expensive. They may be of the belief that they won’t be targeted by cyber criminals because they’re a small enterprise, when in fact the figures point to a small business in the UK being successfully attacked every 19 seconds.
By talking to business owners, managers or the decision makers directly, our hope is that they take advantage of the EMCRC’s free community offerings, including our free information pack, subsequent emails packed with advice and our newsletter.
Detective Inspector Colin Ellis, Managing Director of the EMCRC, said:
“This is a really important campaign which will by raising awareness of online crime, helping to better protect our business communities and important local services.
“Cybercrime is not just a big business problem. On a daily basis it affects far more of our small businesses, charities, schools and other organisations, but these attacks don’t get the media coverage that the big businesses get. That’s why it’s important to make our local businesses aware of the threat of cyber-crime and help them become better protected.”
On Monday, June 24, Comms Lead Phil Viles and new Community Outreach Lead Vicki Walker began the tri-county tour in sunny South Derbyshire, starting in Swadlincote – where they met the local Safer Neighbourood Team on their daily patrols – before moving on to a busy Mercia Marina – a gorgeous spot on the water full of fashionable boutique-style businesses, and stylish restaurants and cafes.
Swadlincote
Mercia Marina
On Wednesday, June 26, Vicki was joined by Reuben Leach, the EMCRC’s second new recruit. Reuben has become the Centre’s Cyber Engagement Officer, and as a Northants-based member of the team, Market Harborough - a market town in Leicestershire just over the Northamptonshire border - was their location of choice.
Market Harborough
The day after (Thursday, June 27), Phil and Vicki were reunited and hit the streets of Nottingham’s bustling Hockley area. It’s packed full of trendy boutique shops and cafes just out of the city centre’s corporate gaze.
Nottingham
Many businesses signed up to receive the free information pack, which is the beginning of their customer journey with the EMCRC, a journey which includes a wealth of free advice over a period of time and also includes our free monthly newsletter.
Visit the website to get your free information pack and subsequent packs and newsletters, and follow the campaign on all the EMCRC's social channels: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Reporting
Report all Fraud and Cybercrime to Action Fraud by calling 0300 123 2040 or online. Forward suspicious emails to report@phishing.gov.uk. Report SMS scams by forwarding the original message to 7726 (spells SPAM on the keypad).