Trial for neighbourhoodwatch group at school

Police and Littlehampton Neighbourhood Watch held presentations with year five and six students at River Beach Primary School, in York Road, to give them a greater understanding of their community.

Mike Cullern, chairman of Littlehampton Neighbourhood Watch, said the scheme was intended to enable pupils to gain an understanding of, and practical skills to deal with, current neighbourhood issues.

The plan is for the after-school club to open in the second school term and run for six weeks for up to one hour a session.

Mr Cullern said through the sessions children could further develop their observational skills, which in many cases were already better than adults.

“The junior neighbourhood watch scheme has been created to show young people they can make a difference, encourage development of practical skills to address young people’s understanding of community issues and how they can make their community a safer place,” he said.

Mr Cullern said some of the children may already be victims of crime and without ‘proper guidance’ this could be a cause of crime in the future.

He said the aim was to guide children to grow up to become ‘responsible citizens’.

He added: “This project has been tailored to suit the age group concerned, to be fun, interesting and entertaining whilst also at the same time delivering serious messages.”