news release 31 October 2008
Letters asking South Derbyshire secondary schools to help raise awareness about the misuse of fireworks and patrols by private security staff are being used by the Safer South Derbyshire Partnership to help reduce anti-social behaviour (asb) associated with November 5.
The Heads of Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) at all of the district’s senior schools were contacted several weeks ago to provide them with material that could be used to highlight personal safety, asb and criminal damage issues connected with fireworks.
A copy of the legislation surrounding the sale and use of fireworks together with a poster that makes the point about injury in no uncertain terms were included in the packs sent.
The Partnership also offered to put together resources such as quiz sheets – including questions that highlight facts such as it is against the law to possess fireworks in public if you're under 18, it is against the law to throw or set off fireworks in the street and fireworks must not be sold to anyone who is under 18.
Andy Wright, Partnership Sergeant for Safer South Derbyshire said: "We are aware that schools often include firework safety messages in citizenship elements of the curriculum and we hope that by sending out our packs we have reminded them about it and provided them with some useful materials. The poster we have sent features a teenager badly injured in a firework accident.
"We will contact the schools in the next few weeks to see if they have used any of it and how we might improve what we offer in future."
The period from October half term, through November 5 and up to Christmas is often a time when calls regarding anti-social behavior increase and as a result the Partnership has also decided to fund private security patrols throughout the period until the end of December.
As in the past the patrols will cover parks in Swadlincote and surrounding communities and will also cover Swadlincote town centre.
Carried out by Security Alert UK, the patrols are reporting to Sergeant Wright on a weekly basis to ensure they are aware of any current issues. They are also working closely with South Derbyshire District Council's Wardens and the Safer Neighbourhoods police team.
View the poster (pdf, 278 kb)