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Find out how to keep the fraudsters out this shopping season:
WaterSafe, the national register for approved installers, is today launching a campaign in Scotland to protect consumers from lead in their drinking water caused by the illegal use of lead solder.
The campaign, launched during the World Health Organisation’s Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, is calling for all plumbers and installers to pledge to only carry and use lead-free solder.
The use of lead solder in drinking water systems is illegal. Despite this, a survey of plumbers shows a number are still using lead solder in drinking water systems and two-thirds carry it in their bags.
Lead can dissolve into drinking water and if it builds up in the body it can cause health issues, particularly in babies and young children.
WaterSafe, in partnership with the Drinking Water Quality Regulator (DWQR) for Scotland, is also urging people in charge of buildings to always check plumbers working on their drinking water system only use lead-free solder or fittings which don’t need solder.
Julie Spinks, director of WaterSafe, said: “Always using lead-free solder is the only safe option, which is why WaterSafe is calling for installers to sign our pledge to only carry and use lead-free solder. This is a simple step all installers can take to safeguard public health.
“We’re also urging anyone who has work being done on their drinking water plumbing, particularly people in charge of nurseries and schools, as well as landlords, health organisations and local authorities to ask their plumber which type of solder they are using to make sure it’s lead-free.”
David Reynolds, the Drinking Water Quality Regulator for Scotland, said: “I am delighted to support this excellent initiative encouraging behavioural change that protects public health today and for future generations.”
WaterSafe, which is supported by all UK water companies, including Scottish Water, and the DWQR, recommends only employing approved plumbers and installers qualified in the water regulations which are designed to protect drinking water quality.
A separate survey of WaterSafe members showed much higher awareness of the dangers of lead solder.
To find out more about the lead-free initiative or find a local WaterSafe-approved plumber, visit the WaterSafe website.
For more information on lead and drinking water contact Scottish Water for advice and new guidance from the Government on lead is available here.
Students across Lothian are encouraged to ensure their vaccinations are up to date before heading off to college or university this year.
Infectious diseases such as meningitis, septicaemia (blood poisoning) and measles can spread easily in universities and colleges. Vaccination offers the best protection against these diseases, which is why it’s important to check your vaccines are up to date.
Students are 11 times more likely to develop invasive meningococcal disease, which causes meningitis and septicaemia. The meningitis ACWY (MenACWY) vaccine helps to protect against these very serious diseases. Students who have missed having the vaccine, can get it up to the age of 25 years.
Parts of the UK and other countries in Europe have been seeing an increase in the number of people getting measles, and evidence suggests students are at higher risk. That’s why it’s important to check you’ve had two doses of the MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella and has saved over 4,500 lives across the UK.
Pat Wynne, Nurse Director for Primary and Community Care, NHS Lothian, said: “These diseases can be severe and, in some cases, life threatening.
“Students are at increased risk due to the large amounts of mixing with new people in enclosed spaces. Increasing cases of measles and meningococcal disease in particular were observed earlier this year.
“Vaccines are the best way to ensure you’re protected and these are offered for free on the NHS in Scotland. These vaccines are offered as part of the routine childhood immunisation schedule however if they’ve been missed, it’s not too late to catch up.
“Ideally, they should be given at least two weeks before the new semester starts.”
There is also still time to get the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. It helps protect against HPV-related cancers including head, neck and cervical cancer and also protects against over 90% of genital wart infections. Most students will have had the HPV vaccine at school if eligible but if not, students may still be able to get it up until the age of 25.
To find out about more information about these vaccines, please visit nhsinform.scot/vaccinesforstudents
If you are under 25 years and you’ve missed any vaccinations, call the Vaccination Enquiries Line on 0300 790 6296. If you are 25 or over, call your GP practice. They can check your records and arrange a referral if it is required.
International students may be able to get additional vaccines that were not available where they lived before.
Violence and abuse against retail workers soared last year, with the latest figures from the British Retail Consortium’s (BRC) crime survey revealing that the number of incidents rose to 1,300 per day in 2022/23 from almost 870 per day the year before.
This rise comes despite retailers investing heavily in crime prevention, spending £1.2bn on measures such as CCTV, increased security personnel, and body worn cameras, up from £722m the previous year. The cost of theft to retailers went up to £1.8bn from £953m the previous year, meaning the total cost of crime to retailers stood at £3.3bn – double the previous year.
The BRC’s annual crime survey highlights the scale of violence and abuse faced by people working in retail. Incidents, which include racial abuse, sexual harassment, physical assault, and threats with weapons, are now on a par with the levels seen during the pandemic, when staff bore the brunt of some people’s frustration with Covid safety measures.
While the total number of incidents climbed, dissatisfaction with the police increased, with 60% of respondents describing the police response to incidents as ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’.
Retailers are calling on the Government to introduce a standalone offence of assaulting, threatening, or abusing a retail worker. This would send a clear message that this behaviour will not be tolerated, making retail workers feel safer in the workplace.
It would also mean the police have data that allows them to understand the scale of the issue, and to allocate sufficient resources to deal with it.
This would ensure that retail workers have the same protection under the law as they do in Scotland, where a similar offence was introduced in 2021.
Helen Dickinson OBE, Chief Executive of the British Retail Consortium, said:
“Despite retailers investing huge sums in crime prevention, violence and abuse against retail workers is climbing.
“With over 1,300 incidents every day, government can no longer ignore the plight of ordinary, hardworking retail colleagues. Teenagers taking on their first job, carers looking for part-time work, parents working around childcare.
“And while the violence can be over in a moment, the victims carry these experiences with them for a lifetime. And we all know the impact does not stop there – it affects their colleagues, friends, and the family our colleagues go home to. This is a crisis that demands action now.
“Criminals are being given a free pass to steal goods and to abuse and assault retail colleagues. No one should have to go to work fearing for their safety.
“The Protection of Workers Act in Scotland already provides additional protection to retail workers, so why should our hardworking colleagues south of the border be offered less protection?
“It is vital that government takes action – introducing a new standalone offence for assaulting or abusing a retail worker.”
Katy Bourne OBE, Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner and APCC Lead for Business Crime, said: “The levels of retail crime described in this report reveal an unprecedented level of selfish lawlessness.
“Every day, retail staff are facing the consequences of shoplifters’ brazen behaviour and that’s why I have supported the call for a specific offence of assault on a shopworker.
“Our courts need to work more efficiently, and shoplifters need to be deterred from re-offending. That’s why I’m calling for my fellow Police & Crime Commissioners to focus their police forces on tackling shoplifting by making it a priority in their local Police & Crime Plans.”
Scottish Conservative deputy leader Meghan Gallacher MSP yesterday (Wednesday) launched her Proposed Desecration of War Memorials Prevention Scotland Members Bill for consultation at Holyrood.
The legislation would ensure that attacks on war memorials – which have been on the rise over the last decade – are actively discouraged by amending vandalism law to recognise the desecration of these monuments as a specific offence, which would bring Scotland into line with England and Wales.
The consultation will run from now until December 19.
In the early hours of Monday 14th November the war memorial in front of Edinburgh City Council was vandalised in what was a mindless act of vandalism.
Miles Briggs asked an FMQ at the Scottish Parliament that Thursday describing the incident as an “absolutely appalling insult to our fallen war heroes”.
Groups including the Friends of Dennistoun War Memorial have campaigned tirelessly for this legislation, which has also secured the support of veterans’ organisations, past and present British Armed Forces personnel – including Simon Weston – veterans campaigners, community action groups, and leading veteran charities.
Miles Briggs is now encouraging people to make their views known through the consultation so that Scotland’s War Memorials will receive the protection that they deserve.
Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, said: “I fully support my colleague Meghan Gallacher’s proposed bill to protect our war memorials in Scotland.
“Vandalising war memorials is an abhorrent act and those who damage these memorials should be punished appropriately.
“I encourage everyone in the Lothians to engage with this consultation to prevent our war memorials from being vandalised .”
Insect bites and stings
There are a number of precautions you can take to avoid being bitten or stung by insects: 
Move away slowly, don’t panic.
Cover exposed skin with long sleeves and trousers.
Wear shoes outdoors.
Apply DEET-based insect repellent.
Avoid flowering plants, food areas, rubbish.
Remove fallen fruit, use lids on dustbins.
Camp away from water sources.
Keep food and drink covered.
Use netting on doors and windows.
Keep doors and windows closed.
Protect yourself from stings and bites! 
NEW regulations for Buy-Now Pay-Later consumers are set to help protect an estimated 10 million customers from unconstrained borrowing while still ensuring those who need it have access to interest-free credit.
With more people taking out these credit agreements and the potential risks of consumers being exposed to financial harm; the UK Government is setting out proposed new regulations.
It will mean Buy-Now Pay-Later credit products are set to be regulated by the FCA and consumers will have the new right to take complaints to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
Under new rules providers will have to give consumers key information about their loans and issue credit that is genuinely affordable.
Economic Secretary to the Treasury, Andrew Griffith said: “People should be able to access affordable credit, but with clear protections in place. That is why these proposed regulations are so important.
“Today’s summit will also help regulators and banks better understand the best ways to support people who feel boxed in by debt and open up the financial system to people who find it more difficult to access.”
A summit of banks and debt charities will also be convened today by the City Minister who will urge the group to work together to improve financial education, ensure affordable credit is available to people who struggle to access it and remove the barriers which people with disabilities, like sight loss, can face when accessing financial services.
The latest “Financial Inclusion Policy Forum” will take place at the Money Advice Trust in Birmingham, bringing together the leading lights from the financial services sector, charities, consumer groups and regulators.
They will discuss the best ways to ensure access to affordable credit and remove barriers which people with disabilities, like sight loss, can face when accessing financial services.
Buy-Now Pay-Later can be a quick, easy, and helpful way for people to manage their finances, allowing them to spread the cost of a full purchase over time without paying interest.
However, because many of the agreements aren’t currently regulated and rely on minimal credit checks, lenders are not required to give key information to borrowers, and some people may end up borrowing more than they can affordably repay.
For those who are facing financial difficulty, new contracts awarded by the Money and Pensions Service this year are expected to provide free debt advice to more than 1.5 million people in England over the next three years.
During the forum the City Minister will also discuss the most effective ways to help those in financial difficulty.
Students are being encouraged to get protected against infectious diseases such as meningitis, measles and HPV (human papilloma virus) as they return to campus.
As schools, colleges and universities return after the festive break and students begin to mix closely, it is a time when we can see increased spread of infectious diseases.
Being vaccinated offers the best protection and we would encourage those eligible to get their most up to date jags to protect both themselves and their peers.
Dr Iain Kennedy, of NHS GGC Public Health, said: “Student health is vitally important and that is why we are encouraging everyone to ensure they have their vaccinations up to date.
“Diseases can spread easily and quickly through schools, colleges and universities and being vaccinated ensures the best possible protection.
“If you are unsure of your vaccination status, please get in contact with your local GP practice who should be able to advise you on this.
“All our routine immunisation programmes are available on the NHS.
“For more information about getting your vaccines, please speak to your GP or log on to NHS Inform where you can read further information on vaccinations.”
Under a planned amendment to the Online Safety Bill, people who share so-called ‘deepfakes’ – explicit images or videos which have been manipulated to look like someone without their consent – will be among those to be specifically criminalised for the first time and face potential time behind bars.
The Westminster government will also bring forward a package of additional laws to tackle a range of abusive behaviour including the installation of equipment, such as hidden cameras, to take or record images of someone without their consent.
These will cover so-called ‘downblousing’ – where photos are taken down a woman’s top without consent – allowing police and prosecutors to pursue such cases more effectively.
This will deliver on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s pledge to criminalise the practice, in line with previous measures this government has taken to outlaw ‘upskirting’.
Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Justice, Dominic Raab, said: “We must do more to protect women and girls, from people who take or manipulate intimate photos in order to hound or humiliate them.
“Our changes will give police and prosecutors the powers they need to bring these cowards to justice and safeguard women and girls from such vile abuse.
Today’s announcement builds on the campaign of Dame Maria Miller MP, as well as recommendations from the Law Commission, to introduce reforms to the laws covering the abuse of images.
The amendment to the Online Safety Bill will broaden the scope of current intimate image offences, so that more perpetrators will face prosecution and potentially time in jail.
The Domestic Abuse Commissioner, Nicole Jacobs, said: “I welcome these moves by the government which aim to make victims and survivors safer online, on the streets and in their own homes.
“I am pleased to see this commitment in the Online Safety Bill, and hope to see it continue its progression through Parliament at the earliest opportunity.”
Around 1 in 14 adults in England and Wales have experienced a threat to share intimate images, with more than 28,000 reports of disclosing private sexual images without consent recorded by police between April 2015 and December 2021.
The package of reforms follows growing global concerns around the abuse of new technology, including the increased prevalence of deepfakes. These typically involve the use of editing software to make and share fake images or videos of a person without their consent, which are often pornographic in nature. A website that virtually strips women naked received 38 million hits in the first 8 months of 2021.
The government will take forward several of the Law Commission’s recommendations to ensure legislation keeps pace with technology and can effectively tackle emerging forms of abuse.
This includes:
The move builds on government action in recent years to better protect victims and bring more offenders to justice, including making ‘upskirting’ and ‘breastfeeding voyeurism’ specific criminal offences, extending ‘revenge porn’ laws to capture threats to share such images, and using the Online Safety Bill to create an offence specifically targeting ‘cyberflashing’.
Ruth Davison, CEO of Refuge, said: “Refuge welcomes these reforms and is pleased to see progress in tackling abuse perpetrated via technology. As the only frontline service with a specialist tech abuse team, Refuge is uniquely placed to support survivors who experience this form of abuse.
“We campaigned successfully for threatening to share intimate images with intent to cause distress to be made a crime, via the Domestic Abuse Act, and these reforms will further ensure police and law enforcement agencies rightly investigate and prosecute these serious offences.
“Tech abuse can take many forms, and Refuge hopes that these changes will signal the start of a much broader conversation on the need for strengthening the response to online abuse and harm.”
DCMS Secretary of State Michelle Donelan said: “Through the Online Safety Bill, I am ensuring that tech firms will have to stop illegal content and protect children on their platforms, but we will also upgrade criminal law to prevent appalling offences like cyberflashing.
“With these latest additions to the Bill, our laws will go even further to shield women and children, who are disproportionately affected, from this horrendous abuse once and for all.
“The government will bring forward the wider package of changes as soon as parliamentary time allows and will announce further details in due course.”
Children have more access to screen time than ever before, in particular, access to the internet.
Internet safety has become an increasingly worrying problem amongst parents, however internet expert Allison Troutner from VPNOverview.com has listed the best ways to keep your child safe online.
1. Consider a family ‘tech agreement’
One way to set ground rules with your child is to create a Family Tech Agreement. A family tech agreement answers as many questions as possible about internet and device use so boundaries are clear to all family members. It’s a good way for the whole family to talk about safe and responsible online behaviours.
To create a family agreement, discuss topics like:
This is a starting point: your family may discuss more topics on internet safety for kids depending on the ages of your child or teens and what devices you use.
2. Report any harmful content that you see
Flag or report all harmful content or contact you or your child experiences using social media apps using in-app reporting features. For cybercrimes, cyberbullying, or harmful content, use in-app features like Twitter’s safe mode to report it. Most social media companies have their own safety and privacy policies and will investigate and block content or users. Apps geared towards kids, like Facebook Messenger Kids, have clear guidelines and safety features so that users can block content or contacts and have a safer experience in the app.
3. Balance safety with independence
Technical controls can be a useful way to protect your children online but they can’t solve all your problems. Children need a certain amount of freedom and privacy to develop healthily. They need their own free space to learn by trial and error what works and what doesn’t. So keep balancing, it’s part of it. Having open and honest conversations with your children can be the best way to balance this safety.
4. Keep the computer in a common space
If possible, keep computers and devices in a common space so you can keep an eye on activity. It prevents children from doing things that might be risky. Also, if harmful or inappropriate content appears through messages, you can address it with your child straight away.
5. Password-protect all accounts and devices
From phones to computers to apps, put a password on it. That way, no one without the password can access you or your child’s device. Keep track of passwords by using a password manager.
6. Update your operating systems regularly
All of your devices from mobile phones or tablets to computers and smartwatches receive important updates in response to security issues on a regular basis. Be sure to install them regularly so you have the most up-to-date security fixes and remain safe online. Our recommendation is to set updates to install automatically so your device is less vulnerable to known attacks. Usually, you can find this feature in Settings, then select Automatic Updates, but it varies between devices.
7. Install security or antivirus software programs and a VPN on your computer
Additionally, cybersecurity or antivirus software programs prevent spyware or viruses that may harm your computer if your child visits a malicious site. Using these programs, parents can also set up regular virus checks and deep system scans to make sure there is no harmful activity happening under your nose.
A VPN hides users’ internet activity from snoops and spoofs your location. This protects your kids by making sure hackers or predators can’t detect their actual location. You can install a VPN on your router so that the location is spoofed on all connected devices.
8. Set parental controls
It may seem obvious, but parental controls are crucial to your child’s safety online. Parent controls are built-in features included on devices and apps. With these features, parents customise their child’s online experience. What parental controls are available on each device or app varies, but in general, they limit screen time, restrict content, and enhance user privacy.
Features of parental controls:
Take time to look at what parental controls are available on your child’s commonly used apps. Then, set them to reflect the type of experience you think is best for your child or teen’s online safety.
A joint comment from Catherine Allen, co-author of the IET’s Safeguarding the metaverse report and member of the IET’s Digital Policy Panel, and child safety advocate and IET Honorary Fellow, Carol Vorderman M.A.(Cantab) MBE:
“Today’s harrowing verdict in the Molly Russell case has once again highlighted the urgent need for policy makers to take emerging technologies that pose a serious safety risk to individuals, most notably children, seriously. It is vital legislation within the new Online Safety Bill fully protects children from online harms, particularly unregulated content. It currently does not go far enough and this is dangerous.
“We’ve already had a delay in legislation, now it seems aspects of the Bill relating to children will remain untouched. The rapid speed in which online platforms evolve, such as experiential environments accessed via virtual and augmented reality, mean new threats emerge daily. There is currently no provision within the Bill for safeguarding online users in ‘live’ scenarios where they can fully interact with strangers.
“Whether it is social media, a virtual reality headset or a metaverse gaming platform, politicians must avoid trivialising or feeling mystified by new technology platforms. Yes, there are complex factors to consider, like protecting our existing rights to freedom of expression, but that doesn’t mean we can delay addressing underlying problems.
“We must fully safeguard the metaverse, and protect individuals online.”
