On-site Pc helps school keep conflict under control

The sight of a policeman strolling down the corridors of George Green's School on the Isle of Dogs is nothing new for its teachers and pupils.

Pc Duncan Evans is the inschool police officer, brought in after headteacher Kenny Frederick was at the centre of a racial row following fights between white and Bangladeshi gangs at the school. She eventually had to get anti-social behaviour orders banning parents, backed by the British National Party, from harassing her and her staff.

Spending most of the working day at the school, Pc Evans has seen some success. Since he arrived last year, he has made 26 arrests - mostly for offences carried out by young people - some of them pupils. But he stressed: "It's not about arresting kids. We do a lot of restorative justice. We get them to sort out their differences."

Funded by the Department for Education and Skills, Pc Evans is also on hand to deal with pupils who have been the victims of crime and to help children who face problems such as drugs, violence and alcohol. He can spot potential confrontations and work alongside staff to defuse them.

He said: "The pupils can ask me about things that are bothering them. Sometimes kids in trouble may want to know about jail and sentencing."

He can even take more radical action. Last year he took two rival gangs in the school to Belfast to see how conflict can affect a whole community.