School children quizzed top police officials with their cartoon pictures of police life in Northumbria this week when Northumbria Police Authority took its regular meeting out into the community of South Tyneside.

Pupils from the school councils at Harton Juniors and St Josephs Comprehensive in South Tyneside left the classroom to put Chair of Northumbria Police Authority, Mick Henry and Chief Constable of Northumbria Police, Mike Craik, in the hot seat before their meeting.

Northumbria Police Authority meets ten times a year to discuss policing issues, agree future policing priorities and set and monitor an annual police budget of more than £270 million. 

Chair, Mick Henry, said, “We are responsible for ensuring our local police services are of a high standard and meet what local people want.  We visit each area of Northumbria regularly to find out what people’s concerns are but this was an opportunity for residents to be involved.”

Pupils were preparing for the meeting weeks in advance working with artist Graham Ogilvie and the local neighbourhood beat manager to produce cartoons and a presentation depicting what they think the Police do now and how their jobs could change in the future.

They presented the cartoons and their thoughts about policing before Chief Superintendent Mark Dennett shared specific details about policing in South Tyneside.

Chief Constable Mike Craik, said: "It's a really good idea to take these meetings out of their usual location to get a fresh perspective on policing issues.

"Pupils who came along from local schools certainly helped us appreciate how they view crime and disorder. I hope they found it a useful experience and will continue to take an interest in these important community issues as they grow older."

Last year total crime in South Tyneside was down 8.5 percent. Just 14,041 crimes were recorded compared with 15,350 in 2005 to 06.  The number of crimes detected increased from 30 percent to 35.2 percent.  Criminal Damage down was 8.9 percent from 5047 crimes in 2005/06 to 4599 in 2006/07.  Household Burglary decreased by 6.3% from 647 burglaries in 2005/06 to 606 in 2006/07. 

Chief Superintendent, Mark Dennett, said: "I was pleased that so many young people came along to the meeting.  Their cartoons were very good and showed they had really thought about what policing means to them.

"Successful policing in South Tyneside continues year on year to make the borough a 'Safer South Tyneside'.  To achieve this we work closely in partnership with the council and the community to deliver sustainable solutions to local problems of crime and disorder.  I will seek every opportunity to promote this good work in order to inform and reassure the community of South Tyneside."

Ten year old Ieuan Rees from Harton Junior school wants to be the Chief Constable when he’s older.  He said, “We learned today that the police have a lot to cover – 2000 square miles and that there are 4,000 police officers.  We told them that they should not be as harsh when arresting people but that they shouldn’t be too nice either.”

Hi classmate, also ten, Lewis Jamieson, said, “We told the police people all the things that they should think about making to make their job better, like jet packs to help them jump over fences, lightweight armour, a dog mask that helps sniffer dogs smell for miles, a hover car and a radio microphone implanted in their officers’ thumbs.”

The Police Authority regularly consults with local people to find out exactly what people think of the way their area is policed.  For information about public forums, contact Tel: 0191 433 2145.

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