Your Choice Days
These days are targeted at year 6 of primary school and though the format and main content of the programme is very similar to the Crime Days at the senior schools, the content is toned down and tailored for the age group concerned.
The primary school programme also has a softer element attached to it and covers basic first aid, fire and road safety and of course living on an island – rip tides.
I am delighted to say that in 2007 we achieved our goal of taking this programme into 32 out of 36 of the island primary schools. The remaining 4 schools are ‘special needs’ schools and we are presently addressing our programme and training abilities accordingly in order to include these schools during 2008.
Measuring the success of Crime Prevention is complex, however long term success may be deduced from a set of inter-dependant measures, namely reducing overall crime, sustained or increased detection rates and a reduction in the proportion of offences known to have been committed by youths.
There is also anecdotal evidence from young people to demonstrate that the PMNW scheme does produce results. We have also have some extremely positive feedback from both the students and the schools who have participated in the Crime and Safety Awareness Days which demonstrate that the scheme does have a positive impact on the morals and values of these young people that we hope they will take with them throughout whatever walk of life they chose to take.
By giving these young people an opportunity to experience the PMNW scheme and to feel and smell prison conditions, we believe that they think differently about a life of crime. It cost’s the Island over £81,000 a year to maintain a child and £41,000 a year to keep an adult prisoner in prison at HMP La Moye – twice the UK equivalent, so if the scheme manages to deter even one young person from a life of crime it has had an impact on our community.
Since its founding in 2001 PMNW Jersey has touched the lives of many of our Islands young people and through creating awareness to the scheme and attracting funding through strategic alliances, it will enable the branch to continue to develop new and exciting initiatives as it evolves.
