Academics and pupils have expressed their fears over plans by the Metropolitan Police to take away greater than 300 specialist officers from long-held posts in London colleges.
Headteachers have warned that pupils can be put at larger danger of violence and exploitation by gangs if the drive presses forward with its determination to withdraw 371 safer colleges officers (SSOs) from their posts, ranging from subsequent month.
One pupil expressed fears that “there can be extra knives” and “medication coming into college with no one to truly cease it” if the plans to switch SSOs into neighbourhood policing groups goes forward.
Scotland Yard has written to headteachers saying the choice was “not made calmly”, after warning it had been pressured into “robust decisions” amid a £260m price range shortfall, which is predicted to end in 1,700 layoffs.
The drive argued that, of their new posts, the transferred officers “will retain sturdy relationships with colleges to make sure that any studies of knife crime will be handled rapidly”.
Arguing that the “main danger” to younger folks “exists exterior the varsity grounds, for instance, within the journey hall between college and residential,” the drive added: “That’s the reason we’re altering our strategy to make sure our efforts are centered on the broader neighborhood.”
However in a joint letter, seen by The Impartial, 15 headteachers from colleges in northeast London have warned the Met that, “with out the help of safer college officers, susceptible college students might turn out to be prey to exploitation and, in flip, perpetrators of crime”.
The headteachers warned that such officers “play a vital position in guaranteeing the protection and well-being of scholars”, including: “They’re extremely efficient at addressing potential issues earlier than they spiral uncontrolled.”
Knife crime rose 18 per cent in London to hit a document excessive of 16,521 offences through the 12 months to September 2024, based on the Workplace for Nationwide Statistics.
Figures obtained by The Impartial final 12 months confirmed that police obtained 37 studies of assaults involving blades or sharp devices throughout time period time in London colleges in 2023, and 173 concerning incidents of weapon possession, which may additionally embody damaged glass.
SSOs had been first launched to colleges in 2009 and – by 2023 – there had been near 1,000 working throughout the UK, information obtained by the Runnymede Belief confirmed – with the charity warning on the time of a “deeply regarding” and “normalised” police presence.
Pointing to the Little one Q scandal, by which a Black schoolgirl was strip-searched by police whereas on her interval and with out one other grownup current, after being wrongly suspected of carrying hashish, the charity criticised “the extremely racialised and damaging influence extreme drive can have inside a college setting”, and referred to as for the elimination of SSOs.
However with such a transfer now set to occur en masse in London, Chris Corridor, headteacher of Footsteps Belief in Haringey, informed Sky Information that SSOs had been “very, very, helpful belongings” who had helped familiarise “younger folks with the police in probably the most optimistic approach”.
One 14-year-old pupil on the Footsteps Belief informed the broadcaster that “if something occurs exterior of college you’ll be able to inform them [SSOs] and allow them to know”, warning: “There can be extra knives. There can be preventing, there can be medication coming into college and nobody can be there to truly cease it.”
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson informed the Night Commonplace: “Youngsters ought to be capable to journey to and from college and examine with out the worry of violence.
“That is the place we all know younger persons are most susceptible to violence and gangs, and it’s the place our officers will proceed to be, guaranteeing that they’re able to rapidly reply to any incidents or issues in the neighborhood.
“Though officers will not be based mostly in colleges, they may be part of native policing groups the place they may retain sturdy relationships with colleges to make sure that any studies of knife crime will be handled rapidly.
“Officers can even work with native organisations and different youth based mostly institutions to safeguard younger folks, forestall victimisation and scale back crime and anti-social behaviour past colleges.”