Police Officers stationed at school gates to deter knife crime?

If it saves one life thats worth the cost.
That being said,why not put detectors in the entrance to the school building.
If my memory serves me right,they do that in the USA,shock horror.

The police would have had a field day in the 60s. All boys and some girls had a penknife, for sharpening pencils, usually for whittling wood in woodwork, or twigs for catapults. Not going into school and thinking who can I stab today.

I think there have been security officers at some schools for some time now... an appalling indictment of the state of our country but it appears to be necessary in some areas. We really do need more police altogether... I also agree TTG about detectors

In inner city areas some schools do have detectors and attached police officers. They have had for some time.

All state secondary schools, or just some? If the former the cost implications would be enormous, if the latter how would the decision be made as to which schools needed it?

And as a parent, would it influence you if you knew that your child’s school was deemed in need of police protection?

Would school security become another juicy contract for private firms, and if so, what powers would they have?

Sounds more like the US than the UK. Frightening.

When I was teaching, we had what was called The Campus Cop.

He worked with the local primaries and two local secondary schools, being based in one of the high schools.
He was an invaluable resource.

The emphasis was on educating pupils on good citizenship, not dealing with violence.

I don't understand how one or two policemen at a school gate will deter knife crime. Unless they propose to search every child they suspect of carrying a knife (which I don't think is legal). They may deter one or two children from carrying a knife, but the ones who do so because they are afraid, the ones who do so because they feel the need for protection and the ones who do so to keep some sense of power in gang culture, will continue to do so. They'll just make sure it is well hidden as they go through the gate.

It is a good idea at some schools, however, there are not enough police officers.

I don’t think it would make any difference to be honest. Respect for the police, especially with younger people, is diminishing fast. A walk-through metal detector might help I guess. In many schools there’s security guards and panic buttons. The answer as I see it is in education, great social media controls and harsh penalties. A lot of the problem stems from bad parenting so that needs addressing too.

What Gillycats says👏🏻

I think they have a brilliant idea at my granddaughters school.
The pupils never know when it’s coming.
The head will choose about 3/4 classes, they will all assemble in the hall where they will all empty their pockets and take their coats off.
They don’t know what time it’s coming. It could be in the middle of a lesson, just after registration.
It’s not just for knives. It’s for phones and vapes.

This is my “two penn’orth” - Because women are having fewer children ie one or two generally, the children they do have are being brought up to be very precious (not their fault or doing)

The child centred upbringing has a downside in that some children do not develop resilience, which leaves them at the mercy of what others in their peer group think of them.

Lacking positive contact and interaction with adults in their lives ( parents not there often due to long hours at work for example, geographical distance from other family ) children grow to believe that only those who are their age know or understand them.
So they often don’t trust adults and confide in others kids unwisely revealing their vulnerabilities.

Their behaviour often goes unchallenged by parents wanting to give them a nice childhood ( perhaps to compensate for their own childhood deprivations…?

They possibly know more about their teachers/schools opinion and values than they do of their parents’ because they rarely if ever get to hear them.

They are infantilised for far longer than was the case in the recent past,

They lack confidence because parents are afraid to let them do anything or go anywhere without them either arranging it or ferrying them to and fro.

Public transport, walking alone, crossing busy roads are a mystery for some.
They don’t want to grow up- why would they want to become adults when they can already garner all the benefits of adulthood with none of the responsibilities?

Cue addiction to video games and social media.
They become humourless -because life is so very serious fro age 4 to 19, they must get ahead whatever the cost and above all they must be respected

Granmarderby10 I couldn't have put it better. As someone said to me recently, "Every generation is less resilient than the one before".

And I believe childhood is being ruined by the internet.

Why do parents send their children to school carrying knives, mine certainly didn’t, sharpening pencils I’d rubbish.

Don't see how the already seriously under-resourced and understaffed Police Forces could possibly support this. Knife crime is certainly a problem, so perhaps a metal detection gate at school entrances manned by school security officers would be a more feasible and workable solution. Thank God we don't have the same disastrous gun laws as the U.S.A., otherwise things would be even worse.

I retired ten years ago at which time it was common for comprehensive schools in areas of high deprivation to have a police officer based on site. The aim was to help pupils avoid getting caught up in criminal activity. It enabled constructive work between teachers, social care and police. It positively helped boys I was involved with. It also enabled pupils to get to know their Bobby, so hopefully reducing natural fear and suspicion.
I see it as part of the traditional protect and serve role, something we need to see in action. And yes it was a Tory nonsense to get rid of 20,000experienced officers.

Police station here not open for fifteen years so it won’t happen here.

NanaDana

Don't see how the already seriously under-resourced and understaffed Police Forces could possibly support this. Knife crime is certainly a problem, so perhaps a metal detection gate at school entrances manned by school security officers would be a more feasible and workable solution. Thank God we don't have the same disastrous gun laws as the U.S.A., otherwise things would be even worse.

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Don't see how the already seriously under-resourced and understaffed Police Forces could possibly support this.

Exactly. I have police officers in the family and they’re on their knees. Before the then Home Secretary Theresa May’s campaign to hollow out the police force my SIL was in charge of a local initiative working pro-actively with youths on a deprived estate to steer them away from crime, gangs and knives before they got sucked in. Results were very promising, but owing to swingeing government cutbacks (and the public demand to see more officers walking up and down the town centre) the team was disbanded. We get what we vote for.

I was a supporter, and went to many events for this charity.
Kids Company.
I truly believe that many thousands of children would not be in the place they are now if they had received support.

tfn.scot/opinion/kids-company-is-being-hung-out-to-dry-and-its-closure-will-be-catastrophic

I don't think the police have the resources to do this. Arches and security guards might work better.

I'm in a London suburb, and Boris Johnson (as mayor), closed many, many local police stations, and the police have no real links to the local communities.🙁

That wouldn’t be necessary all school gates could have a metal detector arch like they do for the young people raves my grandkids go to the big cities to festivals and things and they have arches to go though which detect any knives or metal objects etc They ve never seen any stabbings at them thankfully

I had an old small pearl-handled penknife belonging to my father while at grammar school which I used to sharpen pencils and crayons for art. It was stolen from my locked desk about ten years later during a break -in at the primary school where I was teaching. Still miss it; sharpeners are not nearly so effective.