West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson went back to school to take part in a Stop and Search workshop that will be rolled out to more than 10,000 youngsters across the West Midlands.
Mr Jamieson attended the workshop at Kingsbury School in Erdington along with newly-appointed Assistant PCC, Ashley Bertie.
Inspector Iftekhar Ahmed from West Midlands Police and Sulaimaan Samuel led the session, which is entitled Behind the Headlines and will travel around the region. It aims to teach young people about the process of Stop and Search, their rights and the law.
West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson said: “Stop and Search is an essential policing tool that we need to build confidence in.
“These workshops break the whole process down for the students: letting them know the law, their rights and all the ins and outs of Stop and Search.
“West Midlands Police and my office have made great strides in improving this process and these workshops are a part of that.
“The children of Kingsbury were wonderful and asked really insightful questions. They were a credit to themselves, their school and the community.”
Assistant PCC Ashley Bertie said: “It was great to visit Kingsbury and meet the students, who are of an age group disproportionally affected by Stop and Search.
“It is an essential policing power when used correctly and this workshop is all about educating the students about Stop and Search, explaining their rights and debunking any myths.
“I’ve worked hard to improve Stop and Search for the past two years and I’m pleased to see real improvements. I will continue to work hard to build confidence in the work of West Midlands Police.”
In the space of two years, the number of Stop and Searches in the West Midlands has fallen from 64,000 to 14,500 thanks to the retraining of officers and a new process cutting down the number of unnecessary searches. However, the number of positive outcomes has actually risen from just four per cent to 23 per cent.
Kingsbury School headteacher Mark Rhatigan said: “We are delighted to be part of this initiative.
“We want to empower our students and teach them about their rights and responsibilities and exercising those rights in a productive way.
“We were delighted to welcome the Commissioner and Assistant PCC to our school.”
Kingsbury pastoral manager Jo Cook added: “The session was very informative and the students learned a lot from it. It is important our students know the law and help support the police.”
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