Police issue garden shed security advice

Garage/Shed Security

Break-ins to garden sheds and thefts from gardens are common throughout the country.

In fact, many criminals consider this type of crime to be low risk, as they don’t have to force entry to your home. Many people store bikes, power tools and expensive gardening equipment in their sheds making it very attractive to criminals.

The good news is that there is a lot you can do to outsmart garden thieves. A few simple solutions can make all the difference to the security of your garden:

• Make sure the lock is in good working order.
• If there are any windows in the garage/shed, fit a grill, adhesive frosting or put a curtain over the window, so that people cannot see in.
• Secure all the equipment that you can by padlock and chain, make sure it is attached to the building – a ground anchor is preferable.
• Surrounding hedges or trees should be trimmed or cropped so as not to provide cover for thieves.
• Clear your garden all of debris, rubble and tools that may be used to force entry.
• Consider installing a garage defender, which secures the door to the ground.
• If there is a door accessing the garage, make sure the locks are good quality and preferably tested to a British Standard.
• Use a good quality closed shackle padlock on your shed door. The hasp should be attached using coach bolts or anti tamper screws rather than basic screws.
• Loop a bike lock through the handles of garden forks, spades, etc. Remember, these can be used as tools to force entry to your house.
• Security mark your bicycles, lawnmowers, toolboxes and garden furniture, by engraving, painting or using a security marker pen.
• Install security lighting to illuminate your garden.
• Fit a shed alarm. These can be bought from online for around £10.
• Consider topping your fence or wall with a trellis, which will provide an additional barrier and provide support for climbing plants.
• Aggressive plants and shrubs, such as Berberis and Hawthorn can help deter intruders.
• Sign up to local alerts provided by Police at; http://ow.ly/YTLa30qxGDs

If you see anyone acting suspiciously near to your premises please contact the police immediately with as detailed a description as possible of any person or vehicle involved.

Please call 999 if an emergency and urgent police assistance is required or 101 to report the matter to the police.

For more advice, check our website – http://ow.ly/TifL30qxGDt

Nursing organisation issues statement on PPE

The NMC has issued a statement on personal protective equipment that sets out key points to help nursing and midwifery professionals during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Andrea Sutcliffe CBE, Chief Executive and Registrar at the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), said: “At this time of national crisis, it’s clear if we are to protect the public, then we’ve all got to do everything we can to ensure our nursing and midwifery professionals are able to practise as safely and as effectively as possible.

“We know that the consistent and timely availability of appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) continues to be a significant challenge in health and social care across the UK. Understandably PPE is being raised with us by our registrants and their employers and is the focus of intense activity at a national level in all four countries.

“The statement we are publishing today clarifies the key points that nurses, midwives and nursing associates should take into account when applying the Code in practice and making considered professional judgements.

“I hope this information will provide reassurance for everyone using and working in health and care settings and help support nursing and midwifery professionals to make the right individual decisions for them and the people they care for during these incredibly challenging circumstances.”

The Statement:

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) recognises the enormous challenges faced by health and social care professionals at this time and we know they are worried about the timely delivery and provision of the right personal protective equipment (PPE).

Despite the significant and urgent effort to improve the availability of appropriate PPE in health and social care settings across the UK, some professionals are still facing situations where there is insufficient suitable protective equipment available.

Our Code and Standards support nurses, midwives and nursing associates in these difficult situations by setting out the key principles to follow to keep themselves, those they lead or manage and those they care for safe.

To support our registrants further we set out below some key points to help them as they put the Code into practice and exercise their professional judgment during this unprecedented pandemic situation.

How national guidance and the Code supports you as a nurse, midwife or nursing associate dealing with challenging PPE issues

National guidance on the use of PPE has been issued to support you during this time. Whether you are a nurses, midwife, nursing associate or a student on clinical placement you should follow this guidance, which covers a range of infection control measures, including hand hygiene and respiratory and cough hygiene, as well as advice on appropriate PPE and best practice.

Your employer is responsible for ensuring that you and any staff you lead or manage have all the necessary protective equipment – including protective clothing – and that you have access to current guidance on how and when to use it correctly to minimise the risk of transmission of Covid-19. Your employer is there to help you and your colleagues by managing resources effectively and dealing with risk, so that that the safety and quality of care or service you provide for people can be maintained.

As set out in the Code, if you have any concerns about the availability or use of PPE you must raise these with your manager as soon as possible, to make sure that they are aware of the issue and can take action to support you. You can also refer to our raising concerns guidance or seek advice from your representative body or trade union.

If situations arise where suitable equipment is not available difficult decisions may need to be made quickly about the safest and best course of action. The Code states that to preserve safety you must take account of your own personal safety, the safety of others and the availability of other options for care. So you shouldn’t feel that when making decisions, you have to place yourself or others at risk, or that you need to make these decisions on your own.

Where possible you should work with colleagues to find the best way forward in these circumstances. It is important to take into consideration the balance of risks in relation to those people who are dependent on care services, as well as the requirement to protect yourself and other staff so that they are able to provide ongoing care.

Any decisions you make should take account of local and/or national clinical guidance, advice and protocols.

Factors to consider include:

  • whether treatment can be delayed or provided differently (for example, remotely)
  • the availability of different levels of PPE that may offer sufficient protection to you and others in particular care activities
  • whether some members of the wider team are at a higher risk of infection than others
  • whether different care and treatment decisions might be appropriate to minimise the risk of transmission in accordance with local and national advice
  • Taking account of all the options available, what course of action is likely to result in the least harm in the circumstances, taking into account your own safety, the safety of others and the people in your care.

You should make a record of your decisions regarding how you handle any safety concerns. You should describe how you used your own professional judgment, the role of other members of the team in decision making, and the outcome.

We acknowledge that in exercising your professional judgment in line with the Code you may decide that you need to refuse to provide care or treatment to an individual because it is not safe for you to do so.

If a concern is raised with us about any registrant refusing to treat a patient because of their concerns about inadequate PPE or being responsible for service delivery in the absence of adequate PPE, we would follow the approach that we have set out in our joint regulatory statement. As part of this approach we would consider the context of the current pandemic, including the risks that the individual registrant was exposed to and how they exercised and recorded their professional judgment in line with the Code.

Remember families who receive care at home, urges charity

A social care charity is appealing to the Scottish Government to remember families who receive care in their own homes, and the carers who provide that care, during the Coronavirus pandemic.

In a letter to Jeanne Freeman, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport, the chief executive of the Scottish Personal Assistant Employers Network (SPAEN), Colin Millar (pictured), calls for action to urgently address what he describes as a “crisis”.

He writes: “We are writing on behalf of SPAEN’s 500 Direct Payment employers and the 1,500 or so others throughout Scotland who have chosen to use a Direct Payment or Option 1 to meet their social care needs.

“We are receiving frequent requests for information, advice, support and calls for SPAEN to raise these continued concerns and matters with the Scottish Government, Scottish Parliament and CoSLA as the body representing the local authority councils distributing these funds to PA employers.

“The experience of Direct Payment users in Scotland is harrowing and deeply concerning.

“They continue to report that they have little or no access to PPE and they are getting no information or updates on when or how this will be resolved.

“They continue to be fearful for themselves, their families and loved ones and their employees, their employees’ families and loved ones, all of whom risk their own health and welfare on a daily basis to provide key social care services to people in their own homes and who are placed at unnecessary risk of transmission of this virus due to a lack of PPE.

“Direct Payment employers want to follow, fully, the Scottish Government’s published guidelines on the use of PPE but they cannot do so without being given access to the vital equipment they need.

“Some callers to local authority councils are being advised to use their ‘current supply chain’ to access this. Many Direct Payment employers will not have a ‘supply chain’, they will be purchasing PPE on an ad hoc basis as and when required and permitted through the Direct Payment agreement.

“The normal suppliers are not able to meet the demand as commissioning is done at a strategic level either through the HSCP or the Scottish Government, resulting in a scarcity of PPE for people who are not supplied via these statutory bodies.

“We are aware that a number of other charities and organisations have made similar representations to the Scottish Government.

“While we do not represent unpaid carers, we have seen a huge increase in contact from these groups who are also deeply concerned that they are unable to access support or PPE.

“While we are in a period of crisis, and this is without doubt such a period, we are calling for a fundamental review into how Direct Payment recipients in Scotland are represented and supported at national and regional level at the earliest opportunity.

“After 20 years’ of representing Personal Assistant Employers across the length and breadth of Scotland, thanks to the support of the Scottish Parliament and contemporary Scottish Governments, this year SPAEN’s services are being retracted, due to funding cuts. This outbreak calls into question the logic behind such a decision and we are calling on the Health & Sport Committee to review this decision at its earliest convenience.

“Without a national body representing PA employers, these and many similar issues will simply not be raised and people electing to exercise their right to use a Direct Payment, as per the current legislation, will be further eroded.

“Ironically, it is in times like these that many people assessed as requiring social care support are seeking Direct Payments as care agencies and local authority run home care services are withdrawn or re-assessed with little or no notice or consultation.

“We’ve had repeated requests from people affected by decisions to remove their existing social care support either through care agencies or local authority home and support services where staff absenteeism has presented significant logistical challenges.

“We have requested and continue to lobby for Direct Payments to be made available to anyone and everyone who has an assessed social care need and specifically as a direct alternative where existing social care arrangements are being withdrawn as a result of Covid-19 or related resource issues.

“Peoples’ social care needs cannot, unfortunately, be abated to accomodate resourcing issues and there has already been assurance from the Cabinet Secretary that no-one should lose the support they’re already assessed as requiring.

“SPAEN represents over 500 individual employers who have equal concerns and responsibilities.

“SPAEN would welcome any invitation to join the discussions being held by the Scottish Government to discuss the current challenges facing all of social care to ensure our membership and the many hundreds of others using Direct Payments are fully and properly represented.”

Chancellor delivers Tuesday’s UK Government update

Good evening from Downing Street, where I’m joined by Steve Powis, Medical Director of the NHS and Yvonne Doyle, Medical Director at Public Health England.

Earlier today, the government’s independent fiscal watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility, the OBR, published a report into the impact of coronavirus on the economy and public finances.

It’s important to be clear that the OBR’s numbers are not a forecast or prediction.

They simply set out what one possible scenario might look like – and it may not even be the most likely scenario.

But it’s important we are honest with people about what might be happening to our economy.

So before I turn to the health figures, I want to spend a few minutes explaining what the OBR have said – and let me thank them for their continued work.

There are three brief points I want to make.

First, the OBR’s figures suggest the scale of what we are facing will have serious implications for our economy here at home, in common with other countries around the world.

These are tough times – and there will be more to come.

As I’ve said before, we can’t protect every business and every household.

But we came into this crisis with a fundamentally sound economy, powered by the hard work and ingenuity of the British people and British business.

So while those economic impacts are significant – the OBR also expect them to be temporary…

…with a bounce back in growth.

The second point I want to make is that we’re not just going to stand by and watch this happen.

Our planned economic response is protecting millions of jobs, businesses, self-employed people, charities and households.

Our response aims to directly support people and businesses while the restrictions are in place…

…and to make sure as restrictions are changed, we can, as quickly as possible, get people back to work; get businesses moving again; and recover our economy.

The OBR today have been clear that the policies we have set out will do that.

The OBR today have been clear that if we had not taken the actions we have, the situation would be much worse.

In other words, our plan is the right plan.

The third point I want to make is this: right now, the single most important thing we can do for the health of our economy is to protect the health of our people.

It’s not a case of choosing between the economy and public health – common sense tells us that doing so would be self-defeating.

At a time when we are seeing hundreds of people dying every day from this terrible disease, the absolute priority must be to focus all of our resources…

…not just of the state, but of businesses, and of all of you at home as well, in a collective national effort to beat this virus.

The government’s approach is to follow scientific and medical advice through our step-by-step action plan, aiming to slow the spread of the virus, so fewer people need hospital treatment at any one time, protecting the NHS’s ability to cope.

I said in my Budget a month ago that whatever the NHS needs, it will get – and we have honoured that promise:

Yesterday we published an update showing that we’ve given our public services an extra £14.5 billion in recent weeks.

We are taking action to increase NHS capacity, with more beds, more key staff and more equipment on the front-line.

And the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care will be updating on our plans for social care tomorrow.

This is why we are instructing people to stay at home, so that we can protect our NHS and save lives.

I can report that through the government’s ongoing monitoring and testing programme, as of today:

  • 302,599 people in the UK have now been tested for coronavirus, with 93,873 people testing positive
  • 19,706 people in the UK have been admitted to hospital with the virus, down from 20,184 people yesterday;
  • Sadly, of those in hospital, 12,107 people have now died – an increase of 778 fatalities since yesterday.

Our thoughts are with the families and friends of all those who have lost their lives.

These figures are a powerful reminder to us all of the importance of following the government’s guidance:

Stay at home. Protect our NHS. And save lives.

Morrison’s Doorstep Deliveries

Morrison’s are helping our vulnerable customers get food delivered.

Orders can be placed before 4pm with an aim to get delivery the next day between 2-5pm.

There is currently a limit on how many orders can be placed with each store.

You must live within 10 miles of a Morrison’s to use this service.

Payment by card only.

You place your order from the list below, with a limit of 3 per item.

Products will be generic and based on store availability.

Everything will be fully explained when you phone to make an order.

Special dietary requirements will also be met.

Please – if you are able to go to the shops don’t use this service, it is for vulnerable/elderly/isolating members of our community.

Additional mental health support announced

Additional support to help people look after their mental health and wellbeing during and after the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has been announced by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

The support includes an investment of more than £1 million towards the expansion of the Distress Brief Intervention (DBI) programme to help people in distress, and the launch of a new mental health marketing campaign across television, radio, print and online.

The DBI programme, which was previously operating in four pilot areas, will roll-out across Scotland, giving people over the age of 16 who are in emotional distress due to COVID-19 the opportunity to speak to specially trained staff. People who are in distress but do not need clinical intervention will be referred to the DBI programme by frontline staff, including NHS 24.

The first phase of the new mental health campaign will launch this month and provide people with practical advice on coping with the current restrictions. Signposting to existing advice will be included and those who need extra support will be directed to NHS Inform as a key information resource and helplines operated by NHS 24, Breathing Space, SAMH and Samaritans.

The First Minister said: “COVID-19 restrictions have affected all of our lives. People who may never have been affected by mental health issues in the past, are now facing emotional distress due to financial loss, bereavement and social distancing. 

“NHS 24 has experienced an increase in calls, including to Breathing Space, in recent weeks and we anticipate this will continue to grow. It is vital that during this period of uncertainty anyone who requires support for their mental health can receive it.

“Since 2017 more than 6,600 people have accessed the DBI programme and I am pleased that people across the country will now be able to access this support. Early intervention like this is such an important part of how we treat mental and emotional health and the DBI is all about equipping people with the skills and support to manage their own health and to prevent future crisis.

“This £1 million investment is in addition to the £3.8 million we invested last month to increase capacity of our telephone and digital mental health services. This national marketing campaign will equip us all with some practical things we can do to feel better and help us cope until things return to normal.”

The DBI programme, which launched in 2017, currently operates in Lanarkshire, the Borders, Inverness and Aberdeen.

Around £1,038,000 will now be invested in recruiting staff to expand and develop the Distress Brief Intervention programme nationwide.

Funding will be distributed to NHS Lanarkshire and NHS Borders, third sector partners Penumbra, Support in Mind and SAMH, and to Stirling University for evaluation and Glasgow University for training.

The nationwide DBI programme will mean that people in distress related to COVID-19 who have no need for clinical intervention will be either linked directly by phone to NHS 24 by the first responder, or directed to phone NHS 24 if they are able to. Once through to NHS 24 an initial assessment will be made as to next steps, and whether they should then be referred to the DBI programme. If they are referred the distress responder will follow up with a phone call within 24 hours of referral.

Edinburgh businesses warned of threats to vacant premises

EMPTY workplaces across Scotland are being seen as potential easy targets for thieves and vandals looking to commit crime.

The warning comes following a spate of attacks on premises across the country, suggesting criminals are keen to exploit the current COVID-19 lockdown which is leaving most commercial premises empty for extended periods – and a lack of potential witnesses on the streets.

Experts across policing, fire and rescue and the security sector are coming together to help advise businesses of the risks and dangers, via an upcoming free webinar as part of a timely series launched by the Scottish Business Resilience Centre (SBRC) at the outset of the COVID-19 response.

David MacCrimmon is seconded to SBRC from Police Scotland, as its lead for serious and organised crime and counter terrorism and will be available to speak with concerned business owners and keyholders at the session, which takes place on Thursday 16 April at 10am.

He said: “With most of us stranded in our homes, the clear and obvious place that burglars, arsonists and vandals will sadly be looking to will be our empty offices, clubs, bars and shops.

“This could range from a one-off break in to steal alcohol from a bar, to an organised effort to steal valuable assets.

“But businesses can limit their exposure to the risk – and there are reasonable steps they can still be taking to protect their premises while sticking to lockdown advice. This webinar will give us a chance to fully explain some of those options and for those that sign up to ask questions.”

Like previous webinars in the series, Thursday’s will see SBRC draw on its widespread expertise alongside leading industry names, to provide guidance to business owners concerned about the wide-ranging implications of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As part of its advice, the upcoming session will cover tips on what to remove from the premises, what to leave in windows, as well as how and when to safely visit.

Gary Wood, a Watch Commander with Scottish Fire and Rescue Service seconded to SBRC, will also lead a discussion on fire and safety risks – with simple tips that can be followed. He said: “With many businesses temporarily closed due to the current Government restrictions on Covid-19, premises may now be unoccupied.

“Fire does not discriminate and can strike at any time including periods of unprecedented situations such as the global pandemic we currently face. But with a number of straightforward steps, it is possible to appropriately manage fire risk within your temporarily vacant premises.

“The watchwords are ‘Protect the building – Protect the business’. There can be a link between fire risk and criminality in terms of the risk of wilful fire raising.

“This webinar will focus on practical guidance and advice that business owners and managers can use to mitigate those fire risks”

Further expertise will be provided by Ronnie Megaughin, Regional Manager for Scotland and Northern Ireland with the Security Industry Authority and Allan Burnett QPM, Operations Director with SecuriGroup.

During its first week, the SBRC provided advice to more than 600 business people across areas from cyber security to the legal implications of COVID-19. So far the dedicated webinars have been viewed by more than 1250 individuals.

To register for the session on vacant properties, please register here: https://bit.ly/3efzHkJ

To watch previous webinars, please visit: https://www.sbrcentre.co.uk/news/

The SBRC is a non-profit organisation which exists to support and help protect Scottish Businesses.

To ensure Scotland remains a safe place to live, work and do business, SBRC will be regularly sharing COVID-19 developments and advice from Scottish Government, its partners and members as they happen.

SBRC maintains a unique connection to Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and Scottish Government, which gives the organisation exclusive access to the latest information to advise citizens and businesses how to interact safely.

Employers can also reach SBRC by emailing enquiries@sbrcentre.co.uk.

EE gives unlimited data to NHS Heroes

EE is offering unlimited mobile data for NHS staff until 9th October 2020. 

Marc Allera, CEO of BT’s Consumer Division, said: “We hope this gives NHS staff one less thing to worry about.

“They can keep in touch with friends and family and use the internet without worrying about using up their data. Along with the discount we already provide, this is a thank you from all of us at EE to those in the NHS that are working so hard for us all.” 

All that NHS workers have to do is register online at www.ee.co.uk/nhs with a valid NHS email address to receive the new offer – this includes those staff already receiving discounts on their monthly mobile plans from EE. They’ll then receive a text message confirming that the unlimited data is on their account, until 9th October 2020. 

This offer is being supported with a TV campaign featuring Kevin Bacon detailing the offer and thanking NHS workers on behalf of EE for all they are doing to support the country. The campaign will run on TV, video on demand (VOD) and social media from today. 

EE and BT are doing all we can to increase our support for the NHS and are supporting with technology for hospitals, doctors and nurses, as well as connecting many of the temporary field hospitals around the country, including London’s NHS Nightingale Hospital. 

BT has also made it possible for BT Sport customers to ask BT to give their monthly subscription credit to the NHS Charities Together for Covid-19 Urgent Appeal.

So far, an amazing £292,000 has been donated, and we thank those customers for their generosity.

Employment Q & A for Furloughed Staff

HELP IS being offered to employers and furloughed employees who are grappling with multiple questions when it comes to managing the new furlough process.

Gilson Gray has issued guidance on the main points from new Government advice for employers and furloughed employees, covering such issues as can employees take on an additional job, does salary include benefits, what happens to holiday leave?

Graham Millar, Employment Law Partner at Gilson Gray, said employers and their employees can now be better informed on key issues around calculating salaries, additional work, and holiday entitlements.

Graham said: “Furloughed employees are now expressly allowed to take on additional employment for different employers, but only if their old employment contract allows it. If your contract doesn’t mention additional work, your employer is able to change it to allow you to take on a second job.

“For employers calculating a salary, you can’t include non-monetary benefits, like the value of a company car, within the 80% payment rule. Whether you can include car allowances remains to be clarified by the Government.

“It’s good news for employees whose income relies on commission payments – your employer can add in “compulsory”, meaning contractual, commission from HMRC as well as your basic salary before calculating the 80% figure.”

More good news comes for employers of smaller businesses, as the Government has now said employees can be furloughed multiple times, as long as each furlough period is a minimum of three weeks. This allows employers or smaller businesses to rotate their available workforce.

Graham added: “There’s still no formal guidance on the issue of holiday leave and holiday pay for furloughed workers, which means the Working Time Regulations still apply as normal.

“Under those regulations, employers can tell employees when to take holidays if they give enough notice, and a lot of employers will want employees to use some of their accrued holidays during furlough so they can avoid weeks’ worth of holiday requests after the lockdown has ended.

“While the Government has extended how long you can carry holidays for, it makes sense for people to use holidays while on leave – but questions remain as to whether holiday pay affects ‘salary’ in terms of the Job Retention Scheme. We’re hoping this will be clarified soon.”

A full version of this guidance is available on: 

https://gilsongray.co.uk/insights/covid-19-governments-job-retention-scheme-what-about-holiday-leave-and-holiday-pay/

The Employment Team at Gilson Gray will continue to publish updates and information for employers and employees on its website News and Insights blog, https://gilsongray.co.uk/news-insights/

All of the teams at Gilson Gray are continuing to maintain the firm’s excellent, high quality service to clients, providing a full range of legal services throughout the pandemic. 

For more information on Gilson Gray and its services, please visit: http://gilsongray.co.uk/

Police campaign tackles online child abuse

Police Scotland has launched its latest campaign targeting sexual predators who groom and abuse children online.

With lockdown in place across Scotland, people are now at home for long periods of time, prompting more internet use and increasing the opportunity for predators to target children online.

The new #GetHelpOrGetCaught campaign proactively targets men who are either already offending or at risk of offending. It features a film which challenges behaviour and asks the question: if you wouldn’t do it in the real world, why groom and abuse children in the online world?

Launching the campaign, Assistant Chief Constable Duncan Sloan, lead for Major Crime and Public Protection, Police Scotland, said: “Protecting children from abuse online is one of our top priorities. But we are now living through a period of heightened risk, as people follow guidance and practice social distancing during the COVID-19 outbreak.

“We are acutely aware that people are at home, that they have more time to access the internet and that the potential risk of online child abuse is, therefore, extremely high. This makes our current campaign even more relevant.

“Online child sexual abuse is not virtual, its repercussions are real. Grooming, indecent communication and causing children to participate in sexual activity, are all serious criminal offences.

“Offenders will be identified and arrested and they will face the consequences of their actions: not just a conviction but the potential loss of family, reputation and work/livelihood.“Abusers are responsible for their actions, it is up to them to take action and stop, to get help or get caught.”

Police Scotland consulted with partners on the campaign including Stop It Now! Scotland.

Stuart Allardyce, Director of Stop It Now, Scotland, said: “Actions that would not be acceptable in real life, are not acceptable online. There are no grey areas. Whether it is sending sexualised messages or images to young people, trying to get them to send images to you, or trying to meet up for sexual purposes – all of these things are illegal and wrong.

“Stop It Now! Scotland provides help to people who are worried about their sexual thoughts, feelings or behaviours towards children. We work with men who have committed online offences and many of them tell us that they knew what they were doing was wrong – but that they didn’t know how to stop.

“If you are already talking to children or young people online, asking for images or seeking to meet them, or are feeling the urge to do so, please reach out to us for confidential and anonymous help. It is not only victims of the crime that suffer. Families of groomers are often devastated by the actions of their loved ones and this can have a life changing impact.

“We know that at the current time, calling our helpline on 0808 1000 900 can be difficult given the current COVID-19 restrictions but confidential and anonymous help is only a phone call away.”

Matt Forde, national head of service for NSPCC Scotland, said: “Each year hundreds of crimes of online child sexual abuse are recorded by police in Scotland, and we are deeply concerned that offenders are exploiting the conditions created by this current public health crisis, with children spending more time online.

“Police Scotland has – now even more so than ever – rightly identified tackling these crimes as a priority, through raising awareness of the issue and sending a direct and robust message to offenders. However, law enforcement can in no way win this fight alone – tech firms must urgently make protecting children a task of utmost importance, by identifying and disrupting offenders on their sites.

“It is also extremely important that parents have regular conversations with their children about their online activities and try to make them feel comfortable to talk about anything that concerns them.”

Internet grooming and online child sexual abuse remains a major threat across the UK. Offences continue to rise with 1694 recorded in Scotland between April 2019 and February 2020, compared to 1573 over the same period for 2018/19.

The #GetHelpOrGetCaught campaign, which cost £55k, will run across various social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and YouTube, for an initial four week period.