The Service:

For those aged over 60 or 18+ with a registered disability, one of our trained Stay Safe Online Volunteers can visit you in the comfort of your home and provide the following:

  • Improve your digital/cyber security awareness;

  • Offer cyber and scam prevention advice;

  • Signpost you to future advice and resources;

  • Provide support and reassurance; and,

  • Offer basic practical skills to enable you to check and understand privacy settings

People can refer themselves for a visit, but the team will also be taking referrals from the police for those who have already encountered problems with online crime.

Stay Safe Online

“Thank you for inviting me along to the Volunteers’ Training Day.
I found it very thought provoking, and realised that there is
a genuine need for this service in the community. This applies particularly
to the elderly, who, like me, are not conversant with computers,
and could easily be hoodwinked by some of these clever scams.”

— Jill Harvey

Community Messaging Service

See below for information about keeping up-to-date with the Wiltshire and Swindon Community Messaging service, and also the latest feed from the WBVT Twitter and Facebook accounts.

What is it?

  • FREE messages from your local Community Policing Team about policing and crime matters in your area.

  • FREE messages from Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service relevant to your local area.

  • You can receive free messages by email, text or voicemail.

  • You can choose which organisations to receive messages from and the type of information you receive.

  • Currently messages are being sent by Wiltshire Police, Wiltshire and Swindon Neighbourhood Watch, Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service and Action Fraud. Messages are also now sent from Farm Watch via Community Messaging.

  • You can reply to messages, for example from your local police officers with information to help them better police your area.

  • You can also join a neighbourhood Watch scheme in your area or request to start a new one.

  • Swindon Community Messaging aims to improve the flow of information between communities and the local police and fire service.

Advisors are also available to give talks at community events.

 If you would like to arrange an appointment with, or talk from, an Stay Safe Online Volunteers please email our Online Safety Team direct at:

BobbyVanOnlineSafety@wbvt.org or call them on: 01225 256867

Please note our number has now changed to 01225256867