Oaklands Primary 999 day

On 21 July, officers Biggin Hill & Darwin Safer Neighbourhood Teams, supported by colleagues from neighbouring wards, attended a fantastic community event at Oaklands Primary School, providing pupils with a unique opportunity to meet their local police officers and learn more about policing and community safety.

The event was a huge success, with children enjoying a range of interactive activities, including trying on police uniform and equipment, exploring a police vehicle, operating the sirens, and having their photograph taken on a police motorcycle. The enthusiasm and excitement shown by the pupils throughout the day was wonderful to see and made the event enjoyable for everyone involved.

Officers also set up a road safety and traffic enforcement activity, giving pupils the opportunity to use a police speed detection device and learn first-hand about the importance of road safety. This helped provide an understanding of why speed enforcement operations are carried out, how they contribute to reducing collisions, and the role they play in keeping all road users safe.

We were delighted to be joined by our emergency service partners from the London Ambulance Service and London Fire Brigade, who helped create an engaging and educational experience for the pupils. Including CPR and using the water hose. The event enabled young people to meet emergency service personnel in a positive environment, ask questions, and gain a greater understanding of the vital work carried out by all emergency services.

We were also pleased to welcome Superintendent Priya Shome, whose attendance highlighted the importance of community engagement and building positive relationships with young people across our borough.

Adding to the warm welcome received from the school and headteacher Mr Robinson, all were kindly invited to join the pupils for lunch, giving us the opportunity to speak with children and staff in an informal setting while enjoying a school dinner together.

The event was organised by Sergeant Tony Brown and Ward Councillors Steve James and Tim Allitt, whose hard work, partnership and commitment were instrumental in organising this successful event.

Seeing so many smiling faces, hearing the excitement from the pupils, and witnessing their interest in policing, road safety and the wider emergency services made this a truly memorable day. We look forward to continuing to work with our schools and community partners to create further opportunities for engagement in the future.