Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

We should be in every school in the UK, PC says

We should be in every school in the UK, PC says

MPs have called for schools with a higher risk of youth violence to have dedicated PCs, but what do these officers do?

MPs have called for dedicated police officers to be placed in all schools with a higher risk of violence by April next year in a bid to tackle youth crime.

While the scheme is already happening in some areas, 10 out of 33 police forces in England told the Home Affairs Committee they had no safer schools officers.

But what do these officers do and how do they keep children and staff safe?


'Students relate to personal experience'

PC Nick Stenner is the dedicated police officer for six secondary schools, two colleges and two special educational needs schools in the district of Newark and Sherwood, in Nottinghamshire.

A police officer for 10 years, he began working in schools last September.

As a safer schools officer, PC Stenner teaches students about a range of issues that might affect them, including online and social media safety.

But it is the issue of knife crime and its far-reaching effects that often particularly resonates with students.

"We go through the legal consequences, the practical things that can go wrong, even if they don't intend to use the weapon, and the serious injuries that have been caused," PC Stenner says.

"In Nottinghamshire, we have parents of children who have been victims of knife crime - whether they have died or been badly injured - and they will come in and talk to them about it.

"What the students relate to more than anything is the personal experience.

"When they start asking you questions about the cases you've been involved in, the knife offences, the stabbings, the murders that you may have turned up to, it kind of hits home with them."

PC Stenner says he works hard to build relationships with students, making them more likely to talk to him about things they are worried about.

"The children come to me with information, usually after I give a talk or after school.

"It could be they were down the park and saw someone with a knife, or someone is threatening them, or it could be that their sister is talking to someone older online and their parents don't know about it."

PC Stenner - who is one of about 12 safer schools officers in Nottinghamshire - says the main issues he deals with relate to cyber-safety, including youngsters being asked to send inappropriate images of themselves to strangers via social media.

Some students have also been involved in cyber hacking.

A youngster at one of his schools managed to shut down its entire IT network for four months.

In this instance, the pupil did not get a criminal record and was put onto an intensive cyber-awareness course to teach them about using their abilities in a lawful way.

It is part of an approach aimed at keeping young people out of the criminal justice system - where possible - and educating them about the consequences of repeat offending.

For children at risk of anti-social behaviour or county lines drug dealing, they are offered the chance to go on summer boot camps with PC Stenner and the fire brigade, and can learn about their work through physical challenges.

'Tomorrow's victims'

PC Stenner believes that every school in the UK should have a dedicated police officer to look out for the "victims, witnesses and offenders" of the future.

"A dedicated school police officer acts as a buffer and takes the demand off the frontline police, which has been really effective.

"Having a police presence in every school at every age is so important because they are potentially tomorrow's victims, witnesses - and they might be tomorrow's criminals - but if they are the latter, we know a lot more about them before they get there.

"One thing we do hope that these children never become victims, witnesses or offenders, but some of them will do, and it's about them knowing about the risks if that does happen to them."

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
×