Cops' classroom lessons in crime
3:20pm Wednesday 23rd January 2002
THE fight against crime is going into the classroom in a twin-pronged operation aimed at preventing kids being victims or perpetrators of crime.
More than 1,000 schoolchildren are to be advised on how to avoid being a victim of robbery in a new police initiative but they will also be warned of the consequences of being convicted of such an offence.
Recent reports have highlighted rocketing street crime levels in Harrow, and while these figures have settled down from a massive 161 per cent year-on-year change in October 2001, to under 50 per cent year-on-year in December 2001, police plan to bring it down even further.
Eleven-year-old pupils at 17 schools will be visited during the initiative, launched on Wednesday this week, by police officers and staff from London Buses.
PC Peter Rogers said that children must be made aware of how crime can be stopped, especially in the light of reports that a substantial proportion of street robberies in Harrow are committed by young people on their own peer group for mobile phones.
"The message we are trying to get across is that young people make phone calls from their mobile phones in very public places. These phones are very valuable you wouldn't flash £200 around in your hand in public but that's precisely what is happening. We aim to teach these youngsters, who are the right age at 11, just about to go to high school next year, that they can avoid being victims.
"But another part of this, which is just as important, would be to reach those children thinking of committing this sort of crime and tell them of the consequences it would have on them and their families. They will get a criminal record if caught, which will affect them for the rest of their lives.
"There is a cult of young people who believe it is acceptable to commit street robberies but we aim to impress upon these children that this is a very serious matter."
Tomorrow (Jan 25), officers will be at Longfield Middle School in Dukes Avenue, North Harrow, where 69 pupils will be talked to about mugging, laws on carrying knives and other weapons, and anti-social behaviour on buses.
Headteacher Nicola Arundell said: "This will help the children develop a greater understanding of how to avoid being a victim. It is quite exciting that they have the opportunity to benefit in this way and are spoken to like adults about the consequences.
"They already know that crime takes place and they could be a victim of it, especially in the case of mobile phones which are aimed at young people."