Say Hello To A PCSO!
A campaign aimed at encouraging young people to approach local PCs and PCSOs if they need help has been launched by North Wales Police.
(CS Sacha Hatchett, Pcso Laura Vaughan, Sgt Mark Jones, Pcso Kevin Casey, Pcso Sabrina Illman, Children: John-Rhys Jones, aged 9, Ffion Jones, aged 8.)
The campaign has been launched in response to PCSOs that work closely with the communities, hearing parents on a daily basis telling their children to ’behave or I’ll get the police officer to take you away.’
Sgt Mark Jones of the safer neighbourhood team in Prestatyn said “For me, it matters that our younger members of the community feel comfortable in approaching and talking to the police. This campaign will promote the relationship between the police and young people and encourage them to know that we are always there to help when needed. We are fortunate to have an amazing team of PCSOs who work in the heart of our communities so I support any way for us to be more involved with our young citizens.”
The local Safer Neighbourhood Teams will be distributing posters, which are aimed at parents, asking them not to teach their children to be scared of us, but instead to come to us if they need help.
PCSO Sabrina Illman from the Safer Neighbourhood Team based at Rhyl Police Station and who thought of the idea said: “This is something we hear all the time, parents using us as a threat to their children that we will take them away if they misbehave. We don’t want children to be scared of us, we want them to feel that they can approach us if they feel threatened or are in need of our help, we would urge people not to teach their children to fear us, instead to encourage them to come and say hello to us.”
Specially-designed posters are being distributed around the local communities and PCSOs will be handing out stickers as an incentive to children who come over to say hello.
Chief Supt Sacha Hatchett, Head of Local Policing Services said: “We don’t want children to fear the police. I am always saddened when I hear people tell their children that police will take them away if they misbehave. We are the ones they should be running to, not from. We would much rather for children to be encouraged to wave or give us the thumbs-up – we will wave back!”
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