School crime up 500% since 2007, latest figures reveal (From Swindon Advertiser)
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School crime up 500% since 2007, latest figures reveal
8:10am Monday 23rd May 2011 in News
VIOLENCE, sexual offences and theft are just some of the crimes on the rise in schools in Swindon.
New figures released by police suggest criminal incidents reported on school grounds in the town have risen sharply by almost 500 per cent in the last four years.
The statistics, obtained by the Adver through a Freedom of Information request, show that 149 crimes were responded to by police on school premises in 2010, compared with just 30 in 2007.
Arrests have also increased from two to 28 in total last year, with the majority of those caught being under 18.
The youngest person cuffed by officers in the four year period was just 10 years old.
The police have also pointed out that none of those arrested were teachers.
Perhaps, the most high profile example of criminal activity in schools came in 2007 when 15-year-old Ridgeway School pupil Henry Webster was set upon by eight fellow pupils and left brain injured after the brutal claw hammer attack.
The Wroughton school was later found not to be negligent prior to the allegedly racist attack during a High Court case in 2010.
Back in 2003, one Swindon headteacher took reducing crime in his school into his own hands.
Peter Wells, who was head at St Joseph’s at the time, called in police and a sniffer dog after suspending four pupils for drug misuse.
He said that drugs would not be tolerated among his 1,150-pupil school after four Year 10 pupils were suspended for allegedly sharing a cannabis joint on the school playing field.
Last year, reports of theft and handling stolen goods accounted for more than half of the crimes recorded in Swindon schools but there were also six sexual offences and 48 violent assaults.
There appears to have been a spike in sexual offences reported at schools in the town in 2008 when 11 were reported, compared to four the year before and the year after.
Swindon Council has moved to reassure parents that the figures simply reveal a closer working relationship between schools and police in the town.
A spokesman for Swindon Council said: “These figures don’t reveal a big leap in crime in schools – they simply reflect the fact that three years ago, the police and schools started to work much more closely together for the benefit of pupils.
“The establishment of the Safer Schools Partnership, involving Swindon Borough Council, schools and Wiltshire Police led to good, shared understanding of each other's work.
“As a result, the police became more aware of issues that were mostly dealt with internally by school staff, and largely still are.
“However, because the police were now aware of them, they had to record them in their own crime statistics.”
Wiltshire Police were unable to say how many weapons had been recovered from school premises between 2007-2010.
Comments(26)
andynewell
says...
9:07am Mon 23 May 11
Why do the Adver have to turn this into such a negative headline? It's not even accurate. It should say, "Reported Crime" not actual crime committed.
Why not report the correct facts in the headline as well as the article and say something like, "Police Work More Closely With Schools to Tackle Crime"?
You are making a sensationalist headline out of a positive initiative by SBC, schools and the police. Shame on you.
Robfm
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9:56am Mon 23 May 11
itsamess
says...
11:16am Mon 23 May 11
Robfm
says...
12:14pm Mon 23 May 11
Try to get things right before having a pop.
itsamess
says...
12:57pm Mon 23 May 11
thus the figures are up--nothing wrong there. As the headline says-
Crime up in schools.
Para 3 does state the figures were gained from a FOI request and gives credence to the headline--so what is the problem--we know--you just prefer to argue stupid points.
andynewell
says...
2:21pm Mon 23 May 11
Robfm wrote:No, that wasn't what I was saying at all. I was making the same point as you. Reported "incidents" have gone up, not actual incidents themselves. They are being reported and responded to more because of this initiative.
Oh dear Walter, I was responding to Andy's comments, 'It should say, "Reported Crime" not actual crime committed.' It is fairly clear he was implying that some may not have been crimes after all.
Try to get things right before having a pop.
Just another number
says...
2:56pm Mon 23 May 11
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Values, manners, respect for the law and respect for authority and property should be taught at home, by parents, before the little darlings become a problem for the schools.
I Too
says...
3:07pm Mon 23 May 11
Robfm
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5:08pm Mon 23 May 11
J.A.N what have I twisted, the schools claim that the level of criminality/incident
s hasn't really gone up, they've just in effect (3 years) started to be recorded/reported. They said it no me.
I Too
says...
5:24pm Mon 23 May 11
andynewell
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5:24pm Mon 23 May 11
Just another number wrote:Why do you think it is acceptable to insult somebody else in a public forum, basically calling them "stupid", and then hark on about manners and respect? At least the man has the courage to post under his own name and identity, not a pseudonym.
Why is it that we can always count on Robfm to twist things into some failing on the part of the schools. Stupid is as stupid does I guess.
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Values, manners, respect for the law and respect for authority and property should be taught at home, by parents, before the little darlings become a problem for the schools.
There's far too much of this name calling and RFM bashing, which is why I tend to stay out of it most of the time.
On the topic of 400% vs. 500% in my previous comment which may have caused the confusion. Consider if "incidents" had stayed the same at 30 p.a. The headline would say "School Crime Up 0% ...". Similarly, if 60 incidents were reported, the figure would be 100%. And so on. 90 incidents = 200% ... 120 incidents = 300% ... 150 incidents (all but one) = 400%, not 500%.
None of this changes the spin the Adver chose to put on the story as so negative. It could so easily have made a positive news story showing how much more effective the cooperation between the agencies involved was helping to clamp down on unruly behaviour in schools.
Just another number
says...
6:30pm Mon 23 May 11
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Robfm, I've asked you repeatedly to refer to me by my user name and nothing else. I have also told you in no uncertain terms to stop referring to me by anything other than my user name. Now, would you explain to everyone here why you choose not to respect the wishes of others?
The comment Robfm made - "I suppose we should be thankful that schools have finally decided to carry out one of their basic functions, and that is a duty of care to the children.” reflects a clear lack of understanding of the issue, as usual.
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Three years ago if the police had been called to a school then the school would have been accused of overreacting. It took a student being seriously injured before anyone started to believe that behaviour was as bad as it is and what Robfm fails to acknowledge is that in the majority of those incidents there is a staff member who has to take abuse from a student, often it's physical abuse. Schools also have a duty of care for their staff, not just the children. Somehow teachers still manage to teach those students who want to learn despite the disruption and abuse from those who do not choose appropriate behaviour.
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You keep making critical comments about schools, but you don't realise that teachers have to do a lot more than just teach when they have students who do not know how to behave in school. Perhaps it's time to include in your scathing comments those parents who have failed to teach their children manners and values, and the community and Council for failing to provide structured activities so children can learn to cooperate and get along, and the students themselves for failing to choose appropriate behaviour when they have every opportunity to do so.
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Time to consider the whole picture.
Punctured bicycle on a hillside
says...
9:05pm Mon 23 May 11
I think you'll find that Robfm's only courageous act is to make sure that everyone knows exactly who he is in order to raise the profile of himself and his business - cheap, free publicity.
It's about Robfm - nothing more, nothing less.
Robfm
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8:03am Tue 24 May 11
I was intrigued by the comment about schools providing 'structured activities so children can learn to cooperate and get along, ', certainly didn't happen when I went to school, we all just went to the play ground or sports field and just got on with each other, but I guess it was the possibility of the cane or the slipper that made most not even think about misbehaving.
Not the wonderful, 'you'll be excluded if you don't behave'. That really works with the kid that, well, wants to be excluded.
itsamess
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10:21am Tue 24 May 11
Clearly it is your firm belief that anyone who challenges any of your claims is a liar. If someone has a skill or profession--you claim to have those skills. Sadly for you-you choose to give out personal details which show every aspect of your deceit and the impossibility of the greater majority of your claims. You have the mentality of a child. You cannot post without spelling or grammatical errors
unless you reproduce others words. Now you claim teaching skills in everything from law to adult and kids teaching. Shame you never studied
basic maths as you gave your birth year and month--it takes just a moment to work out how from your claims just here and your famous photo the figures do not work out.
Oh what a tangled web you you weave-when you try to deceive.
Robfm
says...
10:34am Tue 24 May 11
By repeating verbatim the same old lies, don't make them true Walter. Everything I have posted about myself is true, so please feel free to set up your website that was to reveal all, or the revelations that were to appear on Talk Swindon or the court case, with my imminent arrest, now I know the police are slow but 6 months is stretching it even for them, and how is Chief Inspector Mike Thomas, seems my sources tell there is no such person.
My sources also tell me there is no such investigation either, hey but Walter key up the fantasy if it helps to overcome your inferiority complex.
But please for the sake of the sanity of all try changing the tune, the records become a bit scratched.
itsamess
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11:13am Tue 24 May 11
on the net.
Your sources are not very good bobby.
Robfm
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11:18am Tue 24 May 11
itsamess
says...
11:21am Tue 24 May 11
Robfm
says...
11:44am Tue 24 May 11
Punctured bicycle on a hillside
says...
5:05pm Tue 24 May 11
Robfm
says...
5:30pm Tue 24 May 11
Punctured bicycle on a hillside
says...
8:49pm Tue 24 May 11
You both used to tap away endlessly on the keyboard like you had nothing better to do. Messy would always defend you when it was pointed out that you were thick, and you would always jump to his defence when he started to believe he was the internet police and people told him where to go.
Such great memories - from your "pier to pier net work" to the "google spy in the sky" taking live pictures of you picking your nose and scratching your nuts then allowing the whole world to see. Such marvellous paranoia.
But you couldn't let it lie could you, you had to try to prove you were clever against overwhelming evidence to the contrary. And now look at the pair of you, nothing but bitter and twisted altercations at every opportunity.
So sad - and all just to promote your business.
andynewell
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10:44pm Tue 24 May 11
Robfm
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6:36am Wed 25 May 11
Robfm says...
8:18am Mon 23 May 11
So these sorts of crimes have been taking place but the police not told.
I suppose we should be thankful that schools have finally decided to carry out one of their basic functions, and that is a duty of care to the children.