Dear all,
The NHS and local partner agencies met with Derbyshire Police this afternoon to get an accurate picture of rumoured protests and disorder in Derby and across the county this evening. This ‘Tactical Coordinating Group’ (TCG) is led by the Police and their overriding message was clear that they have the situation under control.
They are monitoring everything very closely and we should only act on information from the Police, given there is a significant amount of dangerous misinformation circulating online and on social media.
The situation is very fluid, and the Police are well resourced to respond, as necessary. They have put in place two precautionary measures, learning from events across the country over the past week. Firstly, a ‘dispersal order’ is currently in place the centre of Derby which gives officers the power to ask groups of two or more people to leave the area if they are seen committing any anti-social behaviour. A ‘section 60 order’ is also in place, giving officers the right to stop and search any individuals for offensive weapons.
The TCG will continue to meet over the coming days as often as required to share official intelligence, which we will cascade to DCHS staff where appropriate. To reiterate, that is the only reliable source of information and intelligence we should act on, and we should avoid feeding the rumour mill by sharing any unofficial hearsay.
Your safety remains paramount, and we hope that people managers have checked in with teams today as a priority, and started having personalised conversations, discussing what support might be appropriate for colleagues. And colleagues should not hesitate in raising any concerns with their manager. We’ll continue to share updates and add guidance and support to the DCHS intranet as the situation develops.
DCHS Executive Team