On school patrol

Community officer PC Derek Bone has held an informal police surgery at Westfield Junior and Infants Schools to offer advice and help on crime matters to parents collecting their children.

As well as bringing pupils into contact with the police on positive terms, it is hoped the surgeries will build strong relations between officers and the communities they serve.

A similar scheme, known as Bobby Lobbies, is to start in July at Asda at Monks Cross.

PC Dave Witts, the community officer for the area around the shopping centre, hopes that his scheme will encourage the victims of domestic violence to come forward.

Westfield Junior School head teacher Mark Barnett, who is also chairman of York Safer Schools, said PC Bone would be available to speak to parents and advise them on crime issues, no matter how large or small. "This will be an opportunity for them to do so informally and in confidence," he said.

"Whether a parent has a complaint about children causing a nuisance in the street outside their house or wants to discuss something more serious, the officer will be there to listen."

An area of the school will be put aside for parents to speak to PC Bone in private.

Mr Barnett said the experience of having PC Bone in the playground would also be beneficial for the children.

"It will let them know that the police are an important part of the community who help the community and who should be respected," he said.

Coun Sue Galloway, who came up with the idea for the police surgery, said she hoped it would be taken up by other schools.

"I feel the police need to get closer to the community," she said. It's not necessarily easy for members of the public to know who their community officer is or to know how easy it is to get in contact with him."

Coun Galloway hopes a surgery will be held every two months.

picture- THE LONG AND THE SHORT OF IT: Reece Rushworth, aged three, with PC Derek Bone at Westfield Infants School, Acomb, during a police surgery at the school