VULNERABLE people are being offered more support to help them feel safe and secure in York.

The We Care campaign has been launched to help people with learning difficulties and disabilities.

The scheme has been developed by PCSO Justin Piercy, from the York North Safer Neighbourhood Team, with the assistance of York People First, a group for people with learning disabilities.

It provides members with a card with details about the scheme and of their next of kin or carers. If the member feels confused, lost or scared in York, they can approach someone, go into a shop or speak to a police officer and show the card to request help.

Contact can then be made with the people listed overleaf.

PCSO Piercy said: “We’ve put together this We Care scheme to enable people to feel safer when they’re out and about on the streets of York.

“With the information we’re gathering on the people with learning difficulties and disabilities and communication issues, we’ll be holding some extra information we can gather, so that when people need help, we can help them a lot quicker and a lot easier.”

YPF said about 17.5 per cent of North Yorkshire's population has a disability or learning difficulty, and this can make it difficult for them to speak to strangers or figures of authority .

The application form has been designed to be as accessible as possible, with simple pictures and words to help people understand the questions. This information is added to a police database, and will be immediately available to the force control room or police officers when their name or phone number is searched, giving authorities a head start to work out where a lost or vulnerable person may be, and how best to approach or speak to them when found.

Becca Cooper, a member of York People First, said: “It’s really important to know you can go to the police yourself with the form and report things. It makes you feel safe and feel like you can go shopping or if you get lost you can speak to someone.”

To find out more go to northyorkshire.police.uk/what-we-do/tackling-crime/we-care/