School holiday patrols stepped up

Police are increasing patrols over the summer in an effort to combat school holiday crime and ensure youngsters stay safe. They say they are targeting trespass and damage, robbery and street crime, road safety, and stranger danger.

Officers say the number of reports of criminal damage to schools increases over school holiday periods. Community teams and special constables along with police community support officers (PCSOs) will be stepping up their patrols around empty schools during the holidays to prevent trespassers, vandals and burglars.

In an e-mail to this site, police are also reiterating advice to prevent children being victims of robbery as research shows that most commonly both offenders and victims are aged between 13 and 24 years old. Many youngsters now carry mobile phones and these together with cash and wallets are the items most frequently taken in robberies.

And police are reminding young people not to talk to strangers when outdoors. They have issued the following guidelines for parents to pass on to their children.

If you are not with a parent, teacher, or other adult who is looking after you, don't talk to strangers and never go off with anyone you do not know, no matter how friendly they appear to be
If you are approached, walk away to somewhere you know is safe, or a busy place, and tell someone you know and trust what has happened
If you are going out alone or with friends always tell someone responsible for you where you are going and when you expect to be back
Don’t accept sweets, ice cream or anything else from anyone without asking someone such as your parent or guardian first. Just say ‘no’ and run away
If a grown-up asks for your help in looking after a puppy or minding a car, don’t. It’s not rude to say no, it’s just being safe
Parents should remind their children that if they are scared or troubled by anything that happens to them they should call the police on 999 for free and someone will come and help
Adults should also be aware that approaches to children might make them feel uneasy.

On road safety, police say that traffic is the biggest single killer of 12-16 year olds. National statistics show that teenagers are twice as likely to be knocked down as toddlers.

You can discuss this issue in this site's forum.

20 July 2004

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