Sir Clive Loader was in the hot seat on Friday, as local children fired questions at him about his role in the community.
PCC Question Time was organised by Catch22, a social business and charity commissioned and funded by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner. As part of Catch22’s early intervention ‘Community Action Against Crime’ project for young people at risk of offending, a group of 30 children were given the opportunity to question the PCC Sir Clive Loader on the issues that matter most to them. The children, aged nine, from Rolleston Primary School spent an hour with Sir Clive and asked him questions about police respect, how can young people help and whether or not he eats lots of doughnuts!
Pupil Norbert Malara, nine-years-old, said: “I really enjoyed today. It was nice to meet Sir Clive and ask him questions about what he does.”
Catch22 is working with children from Rolleston Primary School, and other schools in Leicester, to support young people, give them more choices in their lives, feel safe, secure and valued in their community, develop confidence to manage the practicalities of life, build positive relationships, have high levels of respect for themselves and become active citizens in their community.
Police and Crime Commissioner Sir Clive Loader said: “I thoroughly enjoyed meeting the children and being part of this project. I hope to play a key part in preventing young people entering into the criminal justice system.
“Working with services like Catch22 means that we can provide the support, to those that need it, to ensure this is achieved.
Jo Metcalfe, Catch22 Service Support Manager said: “Catch22 is committed to steering young people away from crime. We are delighted to be working with the PCC on the ‘Community Action Against Crime’ project.
“This is a great opportunity for young people to engage with their community and really understand the part they can play in developing their own future, along with the community. It’s fantastic Sir Clive Loader is supporting the project and the event today.”
Sir Clive also visited the Sir Frank Whittle Studio School in Lutterworth to talk to the students about his role and find out their views on the police. The school opened in September 2014 and is a small school with a capacity of 300 students. It encourages children to study as well as participate in work placements.
Paul Hostead, Head of the Sir Frank Whittle Studio School, said: “We were delighted to welcome Sir Clive Loader to the Sir Frank Whittle Studio School. We are extremely proud of what we do here, particularly the community spirit and ethos that our young people have. To have the opportunity to share this with Sir Clive is a privilege.
“Students speak of how enriching visits from outside speakers and visitors are, so to have someone who represents their area resonated particularly with them.”
Posted on Monday 9th May 2016