Essex: police in schools will help cut crime - claim

1:30pm Saturday 2nd August 2008

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PLACING police officers in schools is reducing youth crime in Essex, police claim.

The announcement comes as the Government announced it is looking to expand the Safer Schools Partnership Scheme, with the hope of eventually seeing a dedicated officer based permanently on site in every school.

The county currently has 35 schools officers, spread across five police divisions.

Some are based in schools working as part of a partnership with the school, while others take on a liaison role from local police stations.

An Essex Police spokesman said that any decision on installing officers in all schools would come from the Association of Chief Police Officers, but insisted that the use of them in Essex had so far been a success.

“Essex Police has seen a significant reduction in crime over the last three years,” he explained, “and we recognise the importance of ensuring that young people are not unnecessarily criminalised.

“There has been a significant change in the last 12 months in how crime is recorded in schools, which quite properly emphasises a more structured and tiered approach, working together with our youth offending teams in Essex, Southend and Thurrock.

“There has been a reduction in first-time entrants to the criminal justice system, and along with reducing repeat offending this remains a top priority.

Essex Police recognises that the vast majority of young people are law-abiding citizens. It is a minority who commit offences that gives a disproportionate impression of the youth in our society.

“We are not complacent and work tirelessly with our partners to prevent crime from taking place, and when it does, deal with it robustly.”