Police launch safety initiative for kids

The police have launched a major education drive aimed at promoting individual safety to young people in schools across Northern Ireland.

The initiative, the Citizenship And Safety Education (CASE) programme, is designed to establish closer links between the police and schools through the central themes of protection, education and prevention.

More than 90 police officers are receiving accredited training at Stranmillis University College to deliver course material to pupils in Key Stages 1-3 with a further 60 planned for next year.

Examples of the type of material available include: role of the police, vandalism, bullying, graffiti, people’s rights, Internet safety and solvent abuse.

At a gala launch in the Odyssey complex in Belfast on Thursday April 18, Acting Assistant Chief Constable Colin Burrows said: “The CASE programme seeks to encourage personal safety, positive citizenship and the prevention of crime - objectives which everyone in our communities should support. Special emphasis is placed on the dangers which young people between the ages of four and 14 may face. Our aim is to work in partnership with others to provide solutions to some of those problems.”

CASE is designed to complement existing school programmes and may be adapted to suit local and individual needs. It is hoped to offer the extensive programme to schools in different languages, for example Irish, if appropriate. In addition, work is underway to create a stand-alone website for CASE, which supports the Northern Ireland Curriculum and contributes to Records of Achievement in schools.

Head of PSNI Community Involvement Branch, Superintendent Bobby Hunniford, added: “CASE provides a platform for police officers to work in partnership with parents, teachers and youth leaders. Together, they provide the relevant information and promote the necessary skills, attitudes and values to encourage responsible behaviour and empower young people to live safely.” (AMcE)