Crucial Crew Spreads Safety Message
Friday, 27 June, 2008
Hundreds of school children in the Selby area are being taught important health and safety advice this week, thanks to the multi-agency Crucial Crew initiative.
The annual event is organised by North Yorkshire Police and brings together a number of organisations to give young people valuable advice on dealing with "life challenges" they may face as they grow up.
Selby College has provided the venue for this year's event along with student volunteers to help out with the various scenarios presented to the children.
They will get to grips with workshops hosted by North Yorkshire Police and officers from Selby District Community Safety Partnership, North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, St. Johns Ambulance, North Yorkshire County Council, HM Coast Guard, School Nurses from Selby and York Primary Care Trusts, Northern Gas Networks, York City Park and Leisure, Arriva Buses and Sainsbury's Healthy Eating.
The workshops will include a mock-up of a park with hidden dangers such as a discarded weapon and dog-dirt. Advice on what to do in emergency situations, the dangers posed by the sea and rivers, first aid, the consequences of drug and alcohol abuse, how a criminal record can affect your life, environmental safety and healthy eating.
Advice on how to stay safe on-line is provided by police officers specially trained by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre.
The event has been coordinated by North Yorkshire Police's PCs Andy Patchett and Lynne Fletcher.
Andy said: ""This is an excellent way for us to engage with young people and give them a positive experience of the police and the emergency services.
"These events give us the opportunity to get an important safety message across in a fun and interesting way.
"Our aim is to equip the children with essential safety skills which will stay with them for life, and could one day help to save a life."
This event is the third Selby District Crucial Crew, around 1,000 year six children take part every year in the Selby District alone. The initiative is part of the Government's "Every Child Matters" strategy.
