Crucial cash for kids
Hundreds of school children across Scarborough and Ryedale have benefitted from a £1,500 donation of criminals' cash.
The 20th Crucial Crew event which took place in Scarborough over the past two weeks provides primary school children with skills to help them cope with real-life situations as they grow up.
The organisation successfully bid for a portion of £25,000 of cash seized from criminals under the Proceeds of Crime Act by North Yorkshire Police's Financial Investigation Unit.
Crucial Crew has been providing primary school age children with skills for life for the past 19 years. With strong connections to North Yorkshire Police, this annual project is set up at a local site for two weeks, providing local year-six schoolchildren with the skills and confidence to help them stay safe.
Learning how to deal with emergency situations and the consequences of crime and anti-social behaviour are just two of the subjects they get to grips with during the interactive and fun workshops.
The cash has gone towards updating and providing the equipment needed to stage the realistic role-play situations. As well as live telephone lines which are used during the scenarios to add realism to the situations.
Over the two weeks 1,500 children from the Scarborough and Ryedale area took part in Crucial Crew.
Alan Bruce who is the project coordinator, said:
"The money is very welcome especially in these financially challenging times and has helped to ensure that this year's event has gone ahead as planned.
"It's a great use of criminals' assets and helps spread the message that crime doesn't pay."
Detective Inspector Ian Wills who heads the Financial Investigation Unit, added:
"Helping children stay safe is a priority for the police and this is an ideal way to re-distribute criminals' illegal earnings.
"Criminals can be rest assured that we will continue to pursue them through the courts to hit them where it hurts the most - in their pocket."
The children also learned from various real-life scenarios provided by;
- Royal National Lifeboats Institute Lifeguards - coastal safety
- North Yorkshire Police's Roads Policing Group - dealing with a road traffic collision
- British Gas - gas safety
- 95 Alive York and North Yorkshire Road Safety Partnership - road safety
- North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service - fire safety
- North Yorkshire Police's Safer Neighbourhood Team - consequences of anti-social behaviour and crime
- Scarborough Community Safety Partnership - internet safety
- School Nurses and Health Visitors - alcohol awareness
- Cambridge Centre - drug education
Pictured are:
Children from Sherburn School near Malton pictured within the road safety scenario with PC Martin Pullan (front left) who presented the cheque to Alan Bruce, Coordinator of Crucial Crew in Scarborough and Ryedale and Traffic Constable Richard Hammond (standing) who provided the road safety sessions.
25 June 2012
