Rushcliffe officers visited St Edmund Campion School to help deliver ‘Clever Never Goes’ lessons to help teach children to be aware of their personal safety whilst out and about.
The scheme has been developed to replace the out-dated ‘stranger danger’ approach and has been used by the school for the past year.
Whilst child abduction is extremely rare, it’s important that children can recognise the potential signs of danger.
The Clever Never Goes campaign moves the focus away from strangers and instead teaches children to recognise when anyone is asking them to go with them.
Officers from West Bridgford Neighbourhood Policing Team spoke to the whole school using streaming from the main school hall last week to help reinforce the messages.
Police Sergeant Sarah Merrall said: “The term ‘stranger danger’ has been around in the UK since the 1970s and is ingrained in the way parents think about keeping their children safe.
“Fifty years on there is a real shift away from strangers being the danger, rather do not go with anyone unless pre-arranged.
“Teaching children simply to avoid strangers doesn’t work. Most strangers will help rather than harm children. Conversely, it is often people known to children that pose the greatest threat.
“As well as teaching them about general safety, it was also great to give them a little background on our roles in keeping their local community safe. They certainly had plenty of questions after the session.
“We would love to do more similar engagements in other primary schools in the area, so if anyone is interested in local officers engaging with pupils or youth groups then please do get in touch.”
Deputy Head of the school Mrs Bianca Woolley said: “It was fantastic to have the officers visit the pupils and help support us in delivering the message of ‘Clever Never Goes’ to our pupils.
“The children have been learning all about their safety within the community, and the presentation by the officer will have really helped get those key messages across.
“The officers were also able to give additional input and guidance to year 6 pupils about criminal responsibility, repercussions and inappropriate comments on social media. We’d like to thank them for visiting the school again.”
