Crime Days
2007-10-15
Secondary school students will be asked to think about making the right choices next week as a series of Crime Days run by the organisation Prison! Me! No Way! (Jersey) get underway in local secondary schools with a large input from States of Jersey Police.
Making a special appearance at all of the ‘Crime Days’ - where students are given a taste of prison life - will be specially trained Police dogs who work with States of Jersey Police officers Pc Richard Blake and Pc Dave Bisson to help detect drugs and criminals. The dogs and their handlers will be used in a variety of scenarios at Le Rocquier, Grainville, Haute Vallee and Les Quennevais schools between 15 and 18 October, with Police trainer Fraser Bentley lending a hand as a ‘stooge.’
The sessions will also include an input from trained Firearms Officers from States of Jersey Police, with Sgt Dean Machin and Pc Tommy Hayden called ‘Split Second’ which explains to students how officers only have a split second to decide whether a firearm they are confronted with is real or a replica.
Throughout the week, various visitors will also attend the day long sessions in order to see the work of Prison! Me! No Way! (Jersey) first hand. They include the Home Affairs Minister, the Deputy Minister for Home Affairs, the Magistrate, senior States of Jersey Police officers, a delegation from Guernsey and also members of the Jersey Youth Panel.
The co-ordionator of Prison! Me! No Way is Pc Karen Houston who has been seconded full time to the project. She said: ‘It costs around £81,000 a year to maintain one adult prisoner inside Jersey’s prison. We hope that the workshops we give help youngsters think differently about a life of crime. Prison is not only expensive to fund, it can be a lonely, frightening and isolating experience with harsh rules to follow. We hope that the students who complete our workshops think about the choices they have. If they choose not to offend, then that has a positive impact on the whole of our society.’
Chairperson of Prison! Me! No Way! Lesley Harrison explained: ‘The programme is a joint venture between the Police and HMP La Moye. The Crime Days are fun and exciting and we really feel the students get a lot out of them. The scenarios are interesting and give students an idea of real situations that Police Officers face.’
Last year, Prison! Me! No Way unveiled a new weapon in the fight against crime in the shape of a new resource vehicle. The specially converted Fiat Ducato van enabled the anti-crime message to be spread more widely around the Island and in Jersey’s schools. The van was funded by the Rotary Club of Jersey. The dedicated van can be easily driven around the Island to wherever it is needed and has become a valuable tool in the work in which the Prison! Me! No Way! programme is trying to achieve.
The school dates for the latest ‘Crime Days’ are:
- 15th Oct Le Rocquier
- 16th Oct Grainville
- 17th Oct Haute Vallee
- 18th Oct Les Quennevais
Background:
The Prison! Me! No Way! scheme was launched in Hull in 1993, and in 2001, it was introduced to Jersey and registered as a Jersey charity in July 2005.
The scheme is a joint initiative led by Police and Prison officers who use a multi agency approach with many other organisations to show young people about the consequences of their actions and what could happen to them if they decide on a life of crime, such as ending up in prison. The message behind the scheme is that everyone has a choice which can affect the direction their life takes.
The Jersey scheme was founded by officers from HMP La Moye and States of Jersey Police. The Scheme now employs Police Constable Karen Houston who is seconded to the charity as a dedicated co-ordinator, funded by the charity. The scheme is also heavily supported by volunteers from both the prison and police service.
The Prison! Me! No Way! scheme is fully self funded. The scheme, which is volunteer based, relies on local firms taking an interest in the project and providing sponsorship. The charity currently has a partnership with the States of Jersey Home Affairs, Housing and Education Sport and Culture Departments.
The Scheme has developed over the past six years and has various projects in place. The main project to date are the crime and safety awareness days during which officers go into all eight Island secondary schools and deliver a multi agency all day programme.
During 2005 the scheme introduced a programme entitled ‘Your Choice Day’ into the primary schools, again using a multi approach delivering an all day programme, now reaching thirty two of the Island primary Schools. These are the main areas that the resource vehicle will be used in.
During the workshops at local schools, students learn to challenge the images they may have about prisons. They also investigate subjects such as drug and alcohol use, bullying, anti-social behaviour, fire safety, water safety, first aid and road safety and learn about making choices and the consequences of making the wrong ones.
Prison! Me! No Way! (Jersey) works with Housing, Education, Home Affairs and the Lloyds TSB Foundation.
Media information:
All the secondary schools involved in Prison! Me! No Way have been informed that the media may be attending their sessions.
It would be helpful out of courtesy, if when you have chosen the school and date you wish to use, if you could ring the school and let them know you will be attending. Please also let Prison! Me! No Way co-ordinator Pc Karen Houston know by calling 612342.
The contact names and numbers for the schools are:
Le Rocquier Nicole Walls 855876
Grainville Di Blampied 822900
Haute Vallee Frances Courtness 736524
Les Quennevais John Renouf 743171
