Visiting Fellow Dr Chris Pósch and Head of the Department Professor Jonathan Jackson have published a new report that evaluates a three-wave cluster-randomised controlled trial on Police presence within the classroom.
This report is titled 'Police in the classroom' and tests the impact of police officers helping to deliver Personal, Social, Health, and Economic Education (PSHE) lessons in schools. Findings of the report include a suggestion that Police-led lessons on drugs in schools can boost engagement and trust among pupils. The report does not, however, recommend that police officers go into schools in an enforcement, surveillance or protective capacity.
Report co-author Professor Jonathan Jackson said: “This first-of-its-kind trial found robust and long-lasting effects on young people’s attitudes.
“Interactions with police officers are teachable moments, where individuals learn about the nature of society and its institutions, as well as their role and position within society.
“Because ‘good contact’ helps to engender trust and legitimacy, and ‘bad contact’ helps to damage people’s relationship with the law, it is important to get these encounters right.
“Police officers engaging with education in schools may help engineer the type of positive experiences that foster a sense of trust and legitimacy, particularly because they are on young people’s own turf.”
This report has been presented as part of the Child Centred Policing launch event taking place today. Other contributors to this launch include Children’s Commissioner Anne Longfield who speaks on Children’s Rights and Policing and Pavan Dhaliwal, CEO of Revolving Doors, who speaks on Young Adults and their Perception of Policing.
In conjunction with this report, a video that summarises the project has been released.