Cops teach Ravenshead school pupils valuable lessons during visit

The children at Ravenshead CE School also learnt some valuable lessons, from not talking to strangers, to safe cycling on the roads as part of the positive engagement day involving members of Nottinghamshire Police’s Gedling Operation Reacher team.

Pupils in older year groups were also taught about topics like the dangers of carrying knives and staying safe online, before pupils got the chance to turn the tables on the cops by asking them some questions.

Sergeant James Carrington, of the Reacher team, said: “They asked us about how to use our kit and the cars – as well as stuff like do police officers only eat donuts.

“The younger ones just wanted to put the blue lights and sirens on and apparently our visit was all they were interested in all day.

“We were also able to give the pupils a chance to see and get into our police van and the Operation Reacher vehicle, which they really enjoyed.

“It’s great to be able to do engagement work like this within the schools – in fact it’s a key part of what we do in neighbourhood policing.”

The Swinton Rise school asked officers to come along to talk to all year groups as part of their ‘Keeping Safe Week’.

Sgt Carrington said: “Whether it’s highlighting the consequences of carrying a knife, or warning kids about not going near frozen water, the talks we do during these visits can make a real difference.

“We like to use the phrase ‘prevention is better than the cure’ and it’s true – these messages tend to hit home much better when you do it at an early stage.

“Since our visit, we’ve had some brilliant feedback from teachers and parents, who have said kids have told them they want to be police officers when they grow up and things like that, which is lovely to hear.”