On Thursday 29 June 2017, Wood Green Police Station was visited by ten students from St Thomas More Catholic School’s Student Council. Here they met with Superintendent Helen Millichap, the Haringey Police Borough Commander Chief, to discuss the safety of the community.
The students were allowed the opportunity to explore the police station and even try out some of the uniform of the first response staff, as well as learning about police officer rankings and the use of handcuffs and batons. Emmanuelle Mayisa-Daniel, a Year 9 pupil, stated that 'hearing the opinions of the people who save our lives every day is reliable and it was eye-opening to see this'.
The Superintendent expressed her astonishment at the level of intelligent questions asked by the pupils; these included, ‘What would a student do to protect themselves to prevent being a victim of knife crime?’ and ‘What are the police force doing to proactively reduce or control the crime rate in London?’. She credited the school for their maturity and good behaviour and recommended a more regular meeting with the school council.
This initiative demonstrates that the Metropolitan Police and local schools take their roles seriously in developing and maintaining a close-knit community in Wood Green.
