Birmingham young persons officers return pupils to class
Pupils playing truant are among the teenagers given support by a specialist team of officers patrolling Birmingham city centre streets.
During targeted patrols during the recent Neighbourhood Policing Week the team of three Young Persons Officers were able to return children who should have been in school to classrooms or home to their families.
One pupil disclosed that they were skipping school due to being bullied, which resulted in efforts being made for the child to change schools.
The Birmingham police team - Chris Thompson, Malcolm Cooper and Richard Chant - work in partnership with the wider neighbourhood team and city centre officers as well as some of West Midlands Police student officers to engage with young people.
They also work with street wardens, retail bid enforcement officers and Bull Ring security staff to help identify young people who maybe need extra support.
Older teenagers have also been assisted with skills such as interview techniques, CV writing and confidence building, with the help of a youth worker from Birmingham-based charity Sport4Life.
The team also took part in an event featuring motivational speaker Agustus Stewart, who explained to students about the consequences of making bad choices, being fatherless, addiction, violence and the prison system.
Sergeant Tricia Turner, of West Midlands Police Birmingham Partnerships Team, said: “I’m really proud of our Young Persons Officers for all they organised and took on, on top of their usual duties. Their work matters so much and they're really making a difference to many young lives."
