Hundreds of North Yorkshire youngsters get ‘Crucial’ advice to help keep them safe

Around 1,600 Year Six youngsters from 60 primary schools in Scarborough and Ryedale are currently taking part in a Crucial Crew event in Scarborough, which runs until Thursday (June 13).

They’ll be followed by schools from Harrogate (June 25 to July 4) and York and Selby (July 9 to 18).

Youngsters in Craven attended an event in the spring.

The Scarborough and Ryedale Crucial Crew event is being run by PC Ryan Lyth, PCSO James Broadbent and PCSO Jessica Nortcliff. Participants are also being asked to design a poster highlighting a safety message they have learnt.

First prize is a £50 voucher to spend in the Brunswick Shopping Centre, and the best posters will appear in the centre for everyone to see from June 24.

Sgt Neil Northend, of North Yorkshire Police, said: “The two-week Crucial Crew programmes are an important way for partner agencies to get together and help raise awareness around keeping young people safe.

“This includes looking after themselves, their friends and their family – plus advice and support on who to contact if something’s not right.

“The feedback we get from both pupils and teachers is really positive - and we could not do this without the great support and dedication from our colleagues and partners agencies.”

With the support and assistance of key partners, North Yorkshire Police has been delivering Crucial Crew safety workshops to Year Six pupils across the region for more than 25 years.

Since the first session, more than 200,000 children have taken part in the fun, interactive sessions and learnt some vital, life-saving skills to take forward into their adult life.

The many groups involved with Crucial Crew all give their time to educate our young people on how to stay safe, as they make the transition to secondary school and the wider world.

The workshop sessions run over the course of a day and cover vital personal safety and behaviour topics such as road safety, internet safety, water safety and how to make an emergency call, and more.

Schools and young people can click here for access to an interactive game.