Junior NANW
Click here for a great new "How to be Safe" sheet for childrenIssue 2
JUNIOR NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH IS IN YOUR AREAA JUNIOR neighbourhood watch scheme set up in Walsall last year has been a run away success. The scheme set up by local neighbourhood watch coordinator Tony Marshall with the help of local police has been rolled out in 29 schools in Walsall over the last six months.
The project was developed late last year and to date has been delivered to six hundred children and will be delivered to another four hundred by the end of the year.
The scheme is for children aged 9 to 11 and teaches the concept of personal responsibility, how to be safe at home or when in the community and how to look after others.
The aim is to encourage respect in young people towards their peers, the older generation, personal and public property and to show them how they can make a difference. Junior Neighbourhood watch is delivered in schools over a 5-week period, each lesson is an hour long and the children learn something new each week.
Week 1 introduces them to the concept of neighbourhood watch and gives an overview of neighbourhood policing how to be safe and how to beat the burglar.
Week 2 works on ‘never assume it won’t happen to you’. It teaches the children how to property mark their belongings and they get free UV lights and marker pens.
Week 3's lesson is how to be safe on the internet.
Week 4 educates the children on how to keep their family and relatives safe, how to beat the bogus official, and a lesson all mums need to know 'teach mum to text!'.
At the end of the project, week five, all children receive a bag full of crime reduction goodies, and a junior neighbourhood watch certificate and overall valuable lessons they can take through their life. PC Julie Armstrong schools liaison officer for the area said: "Tony Marshall has worked tirelessly to introduce this junior scheme to schools in the area. I am constantly encouraged by the enthusiasm of the children who also really want to get involved.
“The project is designed to build self-esteem, give knowledge of possible consequences to their actions and instil a sense of community spirit in each and every one.”
The popularity of it has been so successful Tony Marshall is calling on any neighbourhood watch officers interested, to be trained so that the scheme can be sent out borough wide. One of the most recent schemes was held at Castlecroft School in Walsall Wood. The children dramatised a series of ‘what if’ scenarios, one of them being if your house was burgled what would you do. The children enthusiastically acted out the play, where they checked with neighbours and then phoned the police. Tony Marshall, the junior Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator, said: “This is a valuable education programme set up to teach children responsibility for themselves and for others. We are so pleased with how successful this scheme has been and how enthusiastic local schools have been.”
For any more information on this junior scheme or if you would like to set up a neighbourhood watch scheme in your area contact Julia Alcock Community partnership officer at Brownhills police station on 08451135000 ext 78846601.
Issue 1
Top marks for schools project
The
innovative schools project by North Aldridge NHW has chalked up top
marks with the judges of the UK Neighbourhood Watch Trust Group of the
Month competition. North Aldridge Neighbourhood Watch secretary
Tony Marshall is the driving force behind the 'Safety In The Community'
pilot scheme, run for nine and ten-year-olds at their local junior
school. It proved such a success that Tony and his team of Watch
volunteers and police community support officers have been invited back
to the school next year. Now Tony is working on plans to introduce his
classroom crime workshops to more schools in Walsall, Birmingham – and
hopefully across the country. Tony said: "We really had fun and
the children have loved finding out how they can reduce local crime. We
have had great support from the school, and comments from parents and
children are very positive."
During
the four weeks the children learnt how to protect their bikes, mark
mobile phones, what to do in an emergency and how important it is to be
aware of things going on around them when they are out playing. A lot
of thought went into preparing for each of the workshops with the
accent on creating a series of fun activities – to put across a serious
message. "It's been a wonderful example of team work between
Neighbourhood Watch, Neighbourhood Policing and the community," said
Tony.l as getting the thumbs up from the teachers at Leighswood School,
the efforts of North Aldridge Neighbourhood Watch have resulted in them
winning our September Group of the Month competition.
Along
with a framed certificate from the UK Neighbourhood Watch Trust, the
North Aldridge group wins a top-of-the-range, £99 paper and documents
shredder, kindly donated by ACCO Rexel.