Neighbourhood Watch supporters across Herts have been challenged to spread the word this week about the best way to thwart phone scams as part of a national campaign.

During National Neighbourhood Watch Week, which began on Monday, volunteers will be playing their part in a drive to get the message across to two million people across the country.

Volunteers will be asking their neighbours to pass on advice to three of their friends to spread awareness of the dangers of phone scams and the measures that people can take to protect themselves.

Herts police community safety manager Julie Lloyd said: “I am delighted that we are working with Neighbourhood Watch to help to raise awareness about fraud in all its forms in order to enable people to recognise it and protect their money.”

Across Hertfordshire 87,430 people are signed up to Neighbourhood Watch and people are joining every day, with more than 15,000 people recruited in the past year.

There are more than 6.200 members in North Herts, but Stevenage – with less than 3.500 – lags behind and has the lowest take-up of any district in the county. The Three Rivers area boasts more than 16,000 members.

The county’s neighbourhood watch scheme is bolstered by the award-winning OWL (Online Watch Link) set-up which provides members with updates and alerts from their local policing team via email or phone. Throughout the week crime prevention messages will be shared with members via OWL, as well as through police social media channels.