In the southern suburbs of London, the police of "Operation Nogi" avoid scams and loneliness to the elderly people they visit regularly, now also bringing them basic necessities during the epidemic of new coronavirus.
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Gloved and in uniform, Simon Hardwick and Liam Hack have been talking for ten minutes, three good meters away, with Gwendalyn Iles, outside the door of his red brick house. The 94 year old lady is "not really disturbed" by the epidemic, goes out from time to time to do her shopping and "apart from that, talk to her cat".
For several weeks, these two local police officers have been roaming the streets of Croydon, in south London, in a vehicle specially chartered for "Operation Nogi", traveling to vulnerable elderly people.
"Some people we went to see told us that we were the first with whom they had interacted since the appearance of the coronavirus," said Liam Hack to AFP. Like Gwendalyn, many isolated seniors can no longer count on their home help.
Initially, the purpose of this operation launched a few months before the pandemic was to keep the elderly company and especially to practice prevention at home, because most of those that the police regularly visit have already been the target of burglaries or scams .
"It often saves them from being victims again or becoming victims, and it reassures them a bit," says Hack. Because some scammers do not hesitate to take advantage of the health crisis and the containment established on March 23.
The same morning, the tandem met in his flower garden Sidney Alder, 91, who was robbed 300 euros after giving his credit card to a "good samaritan" who offered to go buy him his medicine to not have to go out.
The virus has changed this community policing initiative. Now, visits last a maximum of 15 minutes, compared to an hour earlier, and are carried out in strict compliance with the rules established by the government, two meters away and wearing gloves or even masks.
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In addition to their usual missions, the police are now questioning the seniors about their level of isolation and how they can be helped to get supplies, putting them in contact if necessary with social partners.
They are also now supplying kits of basic necessities, donated by some local supermarkets who have joined the initiative. According to Liam Hack, "it is extremely important, now more than ever, that we go out into the field and meet these people".
