Students meet the thin blue line (From Dorset Echo)
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Students meet the thin blue line
3:00pm Monday 12th December 2011 in Class Action By Ruth Meech
Students from Westfield Arts College with Steve the Police dog handler and Theo the sniffer dog
A BRUSH with the law left students at Westfield Arts College with a greater insight into how Dorset Police operates.
Youngsters from Moreton and Newton classes at the college spent a morning touring the force’s Western Division near Weymouth and came away knowing a lot more about how our streets are kept safe.
The students, aged 13 and 14, visited the site with teachers and teaching assistants as part of their independent learning class and were shown around by Community PC Ken Lightfoot. Before the visit, PC Lightfoot had visited the college and given an assembly during which he talked about the work of the police and showed the students items of equipment including riot shields and protective headgear.
Once at the Police HQ, the students learned about the day-to-day workings of the force and saw how the different sections operate.
Teaching assistant Caroline Hales said: “The children had a brilliant time at the station and learned a lot about how the police operates.
“They got to meet the dog handlers and the traffic officers, who let them sit in their police cars and play with the lights. They also saw how the ‘stingers’ operate.
“Unfortunately we were unable to get into the custody suite as it was rather busy.”
Caroline added that for many of the students, the highlight was seeing the police dogs in action, including Tango an Alsatian and Theo, a sniffer dog.
She said: “Tango was a big hit as well as a big dog! Theo the collie cross was a sniffer dog and Steve the Handler did a demonstration during which Theo had to find some drugs that were hidden in a room. He found them every time and we found that fascinating.”
