Misuse of the internet in Brent

Our safer schools police officer has always been on hand to advise and speak to staff, parents and pupils. He has become an integral part of our school community and is hugely respected by all stakeholders. There are many examples for his practice.

An example of one is when we had a mass issue with misuse of the Internet. Many teachers' pictures and profiles were shared, and used inappropriately by anonymous pupils. We asked our SSO to support with assemblies and investigations. He was great outlining consequences but also spoke to pupils about being a good citizen.

After the assembly we had several pupils request to speak to him, disclosing the names of pupils who had created some of these profiles. We were able to successfully minimise the spread of the online saga with his help. After a few suspensions, our SSO went the extra mile with supporting during reintegration meetings. A real success.

Author

Steven Sweeney BSc (Hons), MSc

Metropolitan Police Service, Frontline Policing Delivery Unit, Youth Policy Team