Trainers demonstrated elements of police drug training as part of a comprehensive drugs awareness day for year nine students at Fairfax School in Sutton Coldfield.
Sgt Stephen Frost, from Tally Ho! police training centre in Edgbaston, led a team of seven officers who are co-ordinating the drugs awareness workshops and presentations with the school.
Theatre Company ‘Class Acts’ performed their drugs awareness play ‘Rush’ to nearly 150 Year 9 pupils, telling the story of a group of young drug addicts.
The pupils were shown the video ‘Rachel’s Story’, about the circumstances surrounding the death of an 18-year-old girl who became addicted to heroin. Police dog handlers introduced pupils to one of the force’s drugs dogs, demonstrating how the crack canines are put through their paces and officers demonstrated how police trainers use drugs boxes to ensure that officers are fully aware of the drugs causing harm on the street. The Drugs Liaison Officer from Sutton Coldfield police command unit will give a presentation and will introduce pupils to a member of the public whose two sons have both been heroin addicts.
What they say
Sergeant Frost said: “The police training team at Tally Ho! is making more and more contact with the community and this is another great way of strengthening our links and improving local understanding of how the police operate. We want the pupils to understand more about how the police are trained to deal with drugs, drug crime and drug related issues. We are engaging directly with the pupils, encouraging open discussions about drugs. We want the children to understand the consequences of experimenting with drugs and the risks associated with serious drug addiction. We are showing the potential legal, social and emotional consequences to them and their families, as well as emphasising the risks to health. We will also be encouraging children to contact FRANK, the national drugs advice and information service at www.talktofrank.com and we will urge them to contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 with any information they have about drug dealing and drug related crime in their communities – emphasising that they can just tell Crimestoppers what they know and not who they are.”
DIP
Students will also learn about the national Drug Interventions Programme (DIP), which aims to reduce crime and make the streets safer by breaking the chain of drugs-crime-prison. The pupils will learn about drug testing of adult offenders for cocaine and heroin addiction and about referral into treatment programmes to help get drug misusing offenders out of crime and into treatment.”
