Officers assist school to deliver 'Safety Week' lessons

Leicestershire officers are assisting a school deliver a week of events designed to raise awareness of how to stay safe.

Topics include cyber safety, knife and gang crime, drug and substance misuse and violent crime, among others.

Officers from North West Leicestershire Neighbourhood Police Team will join other emergency service agencies including representatives from Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust and Leicestershire Fire Service to deliver workshops to groups of young people throughout the week.

In addition, the force has supported a group of students from the school discussing each of the key topics on film as a means of delivering peer to peer advice.

The films will be shown across King Edward VII School by staff throughout this week and in future years.

Parents of pupils are also being invited into King Edward VII so that they too can assist in delivering the right advice and information to their children.

Principal Jennifer Byrne said: “We’re always looking at ways to protect our pupils but this special ‘staying safe week’ gives us the chance to address some vital topics and engage with pupils on a greater level, whether that’s ensuring they know how to keep themselves safe online or where to get further advice if they are worried about gang or knife crime. 

“We are incredibly grateful to Leicestershire Police and the other agencies for working with Ms Booth, vice principal and Ms Aylmer, families’ liaison officer, to plan and deliver this essential programme. Moreover, we are delighted that some of our own pupils have been involved in some short films which will enable us to deliver peer to peer advice on a regular basis going forward.”

“I would encourage other educational establishments to do the same.”

Sergeant Jayne Dolby, from North West Leicestershire Neighbourhood Policing team, who is helping to deliver the workshops, said: “We see this as a wonderful opportunity to talk to young people about some really important subjects while giving them the chance to ask any questions they might have. We were delighted to be asked to do this by Ms Byrne and hope that other schools follow this example.”