Students take part in Junior Detectives Programme
Pupils from schools across Wakefield District are being given the opportunity to step into the shoes of a police detective as part of an initiative aimed at reducing knife crime. The Junior Detectives programme involves 16 pupils from Outwood Grange Academy, Outwood Academy Hemsworth, Ossett Academy and Horbury Academy.
During the week, from Monday, 31 March, to Friday, 4 April, the Year 8 students follow a fictional scenario from the first report to the police through to conclusion at court. The scenario has been created by experienced detectives and aims to raise the students’ awareness of the consequences of serious youth violence and criminal exploitation linked to gangs.
The Year 8 pupils will receive inputs from police officers, NHS trauma surgeons, lived experience speakers and will have the opportunity to meet and question His Honour Judge Christopher Batty at Leeds Crown Court.
They are also getting the chance to get more ‘hands on’ with facilities at the University of Leeds being utilised to create a mock crime scene, an A&E ward in the Medical School's simulation suite and a police interview room. The university’s HELIX 'Makerspace' will also be used by the group to develop ideas with the pupils getting the chance to try out the state-of-the-art VR equipment.
The programme is due to culminate in a celebration event hosted by Wakefield Trinity RLFC at their Belle Vue stadium where the pupils will be awarded the status of ‘anti-knife crime champions’.
Junior Detective was developed by West Yorkshire Police working with partners including the University of Leeds, the NHS, Leeds Crown Court, and Notre Dame sixth form college in Leeds. The Wakefield programme follows the success of the project in Leeds and Bradford last year.
Wakefield District Commander Chief Superintendent Stuart Bainbridge said:
“I’m delighted that I’ll get the opportunity to meet the pupils involved in this innovative project and present them with their anti-knife crime champion certificates.
“Knife crime is not an easy subject to talk about, but it is something that we must have honest and frank conversations about if we are going to educate and deter young people from carrying a knife.
“During the week, the school pupils get to experience what it is like in an A&E ward, a police interview room and at court. Our hope is that through this programme, they will not find themselves in any of these places in real life as a result of knife crime.
“This programme is not just about educating a select group of young people though, but about giving them the knowledge and skills to be advocates of the anti-knife crime message among their peers and wider society."
Dr Steve Montagu-Cairns, Deputy Pro-Dean: Student Education, Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Leeds, said:
"By opening up our state-of-the-art facilities, we want to play our part in raising awareness among young people of knife crime and criminal exploitation, whilst at the same time providing an opportunity for those young people to experience time on campus, raising their aspirations of applying to university.
"Our staff and students will support the school pupils as mentors and event organisers, providing them with valuable experience of how our police and court system approach this critical societal issue.
"We are extremely proud of this crucial partnership with West Yorkshire Police and hope to extend it in the future to enable more of our University of Leeds students to be involved through their degree programmes."
Jessica Power, Associate Assistant Principal, Outwood Grange Academy said:
“We are so pleased to have the opportunity to be part of this fantastic programme. It will give our students the knowledge to become knife crime ambassadors and share what they have learnt with other students at our school.”
