NEW PROJECT AIMS TO BEAT BAD BEHAVIOUR KIDDIES’ POLICE HELPING BULLIES COP IT
SCHOOL children are teaming up with their local bobbies to stamp out bullying.
Plucky pupils have been hired as “Mini Police” to help keep things in order under a new scheme.
They are being mentored by officers and even get to wear an official uniform.
And it is already helping to cut bad behaviour in schools.
Inspector Andy Morrice at Lincolnshire Police has seen the effects of the project.
He said: “The children all vote for which of their fellow pupils will join the Mini Police. It’s not decided by us or the teachers.
“And that really encourages good behaviour.
“Before there was peer pressure among kids to be naughty.
“But now they encourage each other to behave.
“They say, ‘Pack that in because I want us to be Mini Police officers next year when we’re old enough’.
“So the peer pressure is going the other way. They want to be good kids.”
Bullying is one of the key areas covered by the Mini Police.
There are dedicated lessons to highlight the dangers of not treating each other equally.
Inspector Morrice, 48, said: “We show the kids videos and talk about everyone being equal.
“We also cover the effects bullying can have. It’s about the kids knowing the responsibilities they have. Hopefully from this they’ll grow up knowing the impact bullying can have.”
The Mini Police launched a year ago but kids across the country are now involved. There are more than 1,000 youngsters involved in Lincolnshire alone.
Inspector Morrice, who is based in Boston, said: “We have Mini Police officers at 119 schools.
“We have focused on those that are in disadvantaged areas because we’re keen to help them.
“They get some great experience because they have engagements both in the class and in their communities.
“For one project we talked to the kids about the causes of road collision accidents.
“Then the following week we stopped cars outside the school that were speeding. We offered the drivers the option of taking a speeding ticket or being interviewed by the children.
“Most drivers think, ‘I’ll go for the easy option and be interviewed by the children’.
“But invariably the kids will ask, ‘How would you have felt if you had killed me?’.
“You can see the colour drain from the driver’s face. It has a massive impact.
“If officers go to the town centre and hand out leaflets they often end up in the bin. But when the kids are there people really engage with them.”
The Mini Police scheme is not just benefiting the children – it is helping officers do their job too.
Inspector Morrice added: “The kids talk in a way that people can understand. It helps get the message across on crime prevention issues. We have had such a fantastic response.”