06 Dec Safer Neighbourhoods letter
Return from Christmas break
Islington schools are due to come back from 8th January 2024 following a two week break. It is imperative that we plan for issues that are likely to arise following the Christmas break. Some children will receive some high value gifts for Christmas presents and it is only natural for them to want to show these off to friends and despite local school rules I am sure a number of these items will be taken into school. A school child is a very attractive target for criminals, this could be from peers or from others knowing the child will be carrying high value goods with them. As the cost of living crisis is ongoing many people that would not usually turn to criminality will turn to it purely to maintain their basic survival needs; this will be exacerbated during the winter months with those not being able to heat homes or feed themselves. Even close friends may resort to theft if their guardians are struggling. It is really easy to imagine a thief or a robber hiding in a dark corner with a mask on ready to pounce on an unsuspecting victim; and of course this threat does exist, however anybody is capable of extreme acts if the opportunity and circumstances dictate.
Outside of this we have our business as usual issue that the greater hours of darkness can further amplify – anti-social behaviour to name the most relevant one.
Your safer schools policing team will be working both before and after the school holidays to ensure a safe return in the new year. Some planned activities will be:
-Input around stay safe and robbery to be promoted within schools prior to the winter break and in the new year
-An increased visible presence around the school during the working day. This will include the distribution of leaflets around robbery
-An increased visible presence outside of the school before and after the working day. This will include anti-social behaviour hotspots.
-An increase of partnership working with safer neighbourhood teams to enable weapon sweeps to be completed in parks and open spaces, especially those identified as main access and egress routes
-Working in partnership with our safer transport teams to enable greater visibility on public transport networks with schools officers to walk popular routes into schools
These are activities that schools officers complete most days however there will be a greater drive around the above points over the next two months to ensure the safest return to school possible.
As guardians I would ask you reinforce the messages that your schools officers are delivering over the winter break into the new year:
-If you don’t need it with you leave it at home. Carrying large amounts of cash, an expensive phone, watch or any other tech just to show your friends puts you at risk of losing it. If you don’t need to take it, leave it
-If you have got a new phone over Christmas, carry your old one with you also. If you are threatened give over the old one
-If somebody does threaten violence or intimate they have a weapon never call their bluff or try and fight back. Phones are replaceable – lives are not
-Don’t walk around with your phone out or looking at your phone. It can be snatched in seconds or noticed by somebody that wants to take it by force
-If using earbuds only put one in. Know your surrounding and don’t block off all senses
-Walk in groups if possible – walk home with friends or family
-Avoid dark secluded spaces. Look for lots of people and light. The dark secluded corner of a park is an attractive hiding spot for criminality. It may save two minutes to walk through instead of around – think what it may cost…
-Don’t follow strangers or engage with anybody you don’t know.
-Report anything, no matter how small you may feel it is. If something doesn’t seem right then it probably isn’t. Your information could be a small piece of a bigger puzzle.
-Stay safe online, don’t speak to people you don’t know or give any information over you wouldn’t want to world to know. This includes sending any images.
I hope you all have a lovely break and my team look forward to seeing you in the new year. If you would like to reach out to your safer schools officers please contact your school who can put you in contact with them directly.
Yours sincerely,
Christopher Greenwood
Islington Safer Schools Sergeant
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