‘Kiddie Cops’ Teach Road Safety Lesson to Parents in Gloucester
26 February 2008
Children at a Gloucester school became ‘kiddie cops’ for the day as part of a police initiative to improve road safety.
Police community support officers and staff at Hempsted CofE Primary introduced the idea as a result of concerns that illegal parking in St Swithuns Road at dropping-off and picking-up times posed a danger.
The youngsters were challenged to enter a competition to design a parking ticket alerting parents that pupils’ lives could be put at risk by ignoring double yellow lines and other road markings. Yesterday afternoon, the three winners handed them out outside their school, under the supervision of PCSOs Jordan White and Debbie Brimfield and PC Elenor Lakin.
PCSO White said: “While we conduct patrols outside this and other schools, drivers take the message to heart much more if it comes from a child so hopefully this event will have had a lasting impact.
“The children really enjoyed taking part and it should have raised all the pupils’ awareness of road safety issues.”
PCSO Brimfield added: “The parents were all on best behaviour but the children gave out the tickets to remind them to be as responsible whether we’re there or not.
“The event was very well received with lots of positive feedback and several people asked if they could display the tickets in their cars as a warning to others.”
The three winners are girls in years five and six and their designs urged parents to heed road safety messages in eye-catching colours.
The ‘kiddie cop’ scheme will be run at the school again to remind people of the road safety message and PCSOs will also continue to conduct patrols outside this and other schools during busy times.
The printing of the winning designs into parking tickets was paid for by the Gloucester Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership and representative Pat Dabbs was also present yesterday to see them being distributed.