Hundreds of Stevenage school children join Crucial Crew

More than 900 children from 15 Stevenage primary schools, took part in the Crucial Crew initiative, which ran from Monday 10 June to Tuesday 18 June.

Hosted by Stevenage Football Club at the Lamex Stadium, the multi-agency scheme involved police, Herts Fire and Rescue Service, the ambulance service and NHS nurses.

Topics covered included personal safety, wellbeing and crime prevention advice, all geared towards year 6 pupils, aged 10 to 11 years. 

Herts Fire and Rescue created a mock bedroom to show fire hazards in the home, while officers from the Stevenage Neighbourhood Policing Team and the Crime Prevention Officer discussed cyber awareness, online safety and they also did a session on water safety, discussing the dangers surrounding inland water.

The Ambulance Service covered CPR training and basic emergency first aid, while NHS Nurses spoke about the dangers of vaping and e-cigarettes.

Stevenage Football Club also hosted a fitness base for the children.

PCSO Mark Howard from the Stevenage Neighbourhood Policing team said: “This type of scheme is extremely valuable for young students in our community, as it provides them with the opportunity to learn personal safety skills in a fun way, which may not always be available to them within the national curriculum.

“They were also taught how to keep themselves safe at home and online, and how to be safe around water, especially as we are approaching the summer holidays. The children got really involved in the scenarios and many wanted to do it all again!”