A schools project to steer pupils on the right path has been given top marks by the North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner.
Winston Roddick CB QC was speaking after witnessing a classroom session conducted by a member of the North Wales Police school liaison team at Ysgol T Gwynn Jones in Old Colwyn.
The youngsters in Year 2 were addressed by PC John Wheway, one of the force’s 18 School Community Police Officers.
PC Wheway explained: “Our role is to come into the schools to talk to the children about drugs and alcohol, anti-social behaviour and safety.
“This morning’s lesson was called ‘People who help’ and it’s all about getting the children to understand there are different Emergency Services, the Police, the Fire, Mountain Rescue, Ambulance and Coastguard.
“The aim is to help the children understand how they get the emergency services to help through the 999 system.
“We go through that by talking to them, asking them about myself and what my role is and how they identify me as a police officer, because of my uniform and the other police equipment we carry.
“We go on to do a few exercises with the children to make them comfortable in the knowledge that the police aren’t just here to arrest people.
“We are here to help and the other Emergency Services are also there so should there be a situation where they feel the need to phone for some help, they know they can do it.
“It could help to save somebody’s life. There are children who’ve used the 999 system successfully so this is very, very important.”
Mr Roddick was “immensely impressed” with what he saw and heard.
He said: “I thought the communication between the police officer, PC John, as he’s known to them all affectionately, and the pupils was indescribably good. The children were all ears and eyes for whatever he was doing and saying.
“It was a fantastic platform for teaching children how important the relationship is between the people and the police and there isn’t too young an age to start learning that important lesson.
“They demonstrated today that they knew three things in particular, one is that police officers are their friends, secondly that police officers are there to help them and thirdly, when a police officer is not there but there’s something really bad happening, they know the number to call is 999.”
The message certainly got through to six-year-old Ebony Banks who said: “I learnt about what you call 999 for and what you don’t call 999 for. PC John is nice and friendly.”
Classmate Lily Warburton, seven, added: “I learnt it’s important to be safe. You don’t cross the road without being careful.”
According to Mannon Williams, the force’s School Liaison Co-ordinator, the lesson at Ysgol T Gwynn Jones was part of the All Wales School Liaison Core Programme which is a national programme.
She said: “It’s basically about crime prevention by developing a positive attitude towards police officers. The children get an insight to their world and the job they do.”
Headteacher Tania Rickard believes the initiative is a really important one.
She said: “Children understand the lessons they need to learn about right and wrong.
“They also need to understand and learn that policemen are friendly, that they’re here to help us. They’re not here as the enemy.
“The children see PC John in and out of school all the time in his uniform and they do love all that.
“He’s brilliant with them and has such good rapport with them – the children get a great deal out of it.”
