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Random knife searches on all pupils in Waltham Forest
Tim Ross29.04.09
Every secondary school pupil in a London borough will be searched for weapons in a pioneering drive to stop teenagers carrying knives.
Waltham Forest claims to be the first council in Britain to have random police screening in all secondary schools.
More than 12,000 pupils in 15 schools have already been through the portable metal detectors. No weapons have been found so far, which authorities say signals the scheme is working.
The initiative, jointly run by the council and the police, aims to reduce teenagers' fears over crime.
Schools have the power to search pupils they suspect of carrying weapons but this is believed to the first borough-wide screening policy.
Police visit schools on random dates, with no warning given to children. Pupils entering school then pass through the portable search arches.
All 19 secondary schools in Waltham Forest will be screened at least once a term and the scheme aims to cover all state pupils in secondary education. Chris Robbins, Waltham Forest's cabinet member for children, said youth crime was no more of a problem in the borough than elsewhere in London.
"But if you ask a young person what their main concern is, they will say personal safety," he said.
"It is that fear of crime that this scheme addresses. Our schools are a place of safety where pupils can concentrate on learning and developing, not worry about their personal welfare."
Under the scheme, police officers also visit schools to speak about the dangers and consequences of carrying knives.
Shona Ramsay, head of Lammas School and Sports College in Leyton, where the initiative was launched, said: "Ten years ago, educating young people about the dangers of violent crime was perhaps not as vital as it is today. However, times change and so must we."
Police said the initiative would discourage the "small minority" of pupils who feel they need to carry weapons.
Detective Superintendent Sue Williams said: "The reason young people cite for carrying a weapon is that they feel unsafe. Our aim is to keep young people safe and discourage knives."
Reader views (10)
After living in Walthamstow all my life in the last 40 years there has been a constantly accelerating growth in all sorts of ethnic peoples and when you have all these different cultures, the whole system will start to break down and implode.Rome was great until all different cultures wanted to settle there, it then imploded due to lack of cohesion, multiculturalism is a weak excuse for this open door, anyone can come, settle and put their hands out for benefits policy. what we are now seeing with this knife search policy is just a reaction to this racist cowardly youth of today who are delusionally full of thrir own selfish importance to the detriment of all others, i.e. they are small minded and cannot see further spacially or consequently than their own noses
- Sean O'Leary, Walthamstow London
Notice that when objects are banned, criminals continue to have those objects. Hmm.
Most of these kids are terrified of their own sick and broken society and are looking for someone to clean it up. In such a breach the radicals amongst us thrive and gain strength. Oh well, at least someone will be in charge. Allahu Akbar!
- Trunk, US
I used to go to that school!! yes I remember it been very rough and a lot of bullying going on but the teachers are great.
- Riz, London, Leyton
i wanted to be in the paper it's not fair, i go to lammas school
- J.D, london
I personally think the random knife search will go a long way to help achieve the every matters agenda on the issue of safety, and should be introduced in Haringey council as
- Doris Abokyi, Tottenham, London
Walthamstow is a hell hole,in keeping with the rest of this miserable lawless capital.Knife searches are now sadly,essential.
- Steve, London
The murder rate in Waltham Forest doubled last year. Something has to be done, letting school pupils know that efforts are being taken to disarm the thugs, and also to reasure them that in fact the knife carriers are in the minority.
- Jules, Walthamstow
I'm not from France, I was born and raised in Waltham Forest, and I think it's deeply shaming. We have to rebuild trust in our society, particularly trust in young people, and knee-jerk reactions only take us further in the wrong direction.
- Johnny English, London, UK
I love the way that people who live in France are commenting on a part of inner city London they have no clue about!
- Peter Guinness, London
Is it not digraceful that in the 21st Century we have to resort to searching school goers for knives? What has happened to parental control, bobbies on the beat, allowing teachers to be tough with pupils etc. 12 years of Labour and it's obsession with political correctness, targets, light or no sentences for offenders, cost cutting other than in the jobsworth sector hasled to a demise in fundamnetal human decency, integrety ansd knwing what is right from wrong
, the ability
- Strongbow Sullivan, Paris,France
