Hospitality staff in Watford and Three Rivers are being trained to help protect vulnerable people from abuse.

Hertfordshire Police’s Community Safety Unit delivered awareness training to hospitality staff, on Thursday August 10, covering topics such as violence against women and girls and hate crime.

It covered how to spot indicators of exploitation, hate crime and domestic violence as well as how to support customers who may have fallen victim to this.

Sergeant Karl Diggins, from the Watford Community Safety Unit, said: “The training was really well-received and we are pleased that the hotels involved are embracing the training available to them, as it shows their commitment to helping us tackle these types of crimes.

Staff were also taught how to report issues and how to gather information about incidents and how to pass information over to police.

They listened to presentations about Ask for Angela, a scheme to help support people get help from bar staff when they feel unsafe, Ask for Clive which is similar to Ask for Angela but is tailored towards the LGBTQ+ community and the Hollie Guard app, a personal safety app.

There were staff from Premier Inn, Holiday Inn, The Grove, Hunton Park Hotel and Travelodge in attendance.