AN innovative project that sees school students become ‘’junior detectives’ has been rolled out in Bradford this week.
The week-long Junior Detective Programme is designed to help young people make informed decisions and equip them with the knowledge to act as ‘anti knife crime champions’ in their schools and communities.
The initiative, led by specialist officers from West Yorkshire Police’s Integrated Offender Management 6th Prison Hub Team, is supported by the University of Bradford, St Giles Trust, Bradford Teaching Hospitals emergency department doctors, Law Courts, Bradford City Football Club and other partners.
This week sees 14 Year 8 students, aged 13 to 14, from Titus Salts School, Oasis Academy and Tong Leadership Academy in Bradford put through their paces in the role of detectives investigating a serious knife-related offence.
The fictional 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 group will receive input from police officers, NHS trauma surgeons and other speakers with lived experience of gang and knife crime, while they investigate the incident, including forensic examination of the crime scene.
The project has been given the use of facilities at the University of Bradford for the week and builds up to a visit to Bradford Crown Court where the case will be heard in front of His Honour Judge Jonathan Rose.
The week concludes with a celebration event at the University of Bradford stadium where the first cohort of students will be officially awarded ‘anti-knife crime champions.’
PC Peter Homer and PC Tom Golding said: “The aim of this initiative is these anti-knife crime champions will go back to their school and spread the word about the blight of knife crime with their peer groups.”
On Tuesday, the T&A attended a mock crime scene on the university grounds and the students examined evidence and watched a demonstration of a police dog at work.
Two of the students spoke to the T&A about their experience.
Ady, a pupil at Tong Leadership Academy, said: “It opened my ideas about to many ideas about how the police investigate crimes.
“They had a police dog demonstration that was a bit frightening, but I enjoyed looking for clues and evidence and interviewing people about the crimes.
“I’m glad to have been chosen to take part.”
Maizy, another pupil at Tong Leadership Academy, said: “This a is a good thing for young people to open their minds about knife crime in West Yorkshire, especially Bradford.
“I enjoyed collecting the gloves as forensic evidence.”
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