Schoolchildren searched for weapons after knife incidents in Coventry

[dutchman]

Pupils at Meadow Park School and Ernesford Grange Community Academy were searched by West Midlands Police



Schoolchildren are being searched for weapons after two knife-related incidents in Coventry. Police were recently deployed at Meadow Park School and Ernesford Grange Community Academy.

Officers were reportedly searching young people in the city after a teenage boy was found in possession of a knife at Meadow Park School. He was arrested and subsequently charged to appear at Coventry Youth Court.

Parents told CoventryLive they were not informed about the stop-and-searches which took place across the city in March. One said her teenage son was searched, and had his Dr Pepper confiscated, which she slammed as 'ridiculous.'

Others praised West Midlands Police for taking action following the recent knife-related incidents in the city, with one saying: “I would rather they did this than our kids getting stabbed.”

Another said: “Searches need to be unannounced so if the kids are carrying, they do not have the opportunity to stash or temporarily dispose of the weapon and are caught and punished. We need to try to put a stop to this knife crime killing our kids.”

Police said they will be carrying out this kind of activity to tackle serious youth violence in Coventry. Headteacher of Meadow Park School Bernadette Pettman said she was 'delighted' that no weapons were found.

A spokesman for West Midlands Police said: “As part of our ongoing work to tackle serious youth violence, we regularly carry out activity in schools. It includes using Knife Arches to identify any young people carrying weapons.

“It is one part of our wider work with schools, with our Schools Intervention and Prevention Officers (SIPOs) engaging with pupils across the city. Our work also includes inputs around the dangers and consequences of knife crime.”

Headteacher at Meadow Park School Bernadette Pettman said: “I can confirm that Meadow Park School, along with several secondary schools in the city, took part in conjunction with the police in a programme including a Knife Arch. Its purpose is to raise awareness of the dangers of weapons for young people.

“Students all walked through the Knife Arch, with some students' bags searched as part of this process. I am delighted that zero weapons were found. We received very positive feedback from the police and parents regarding this.”

Ernesford Grange School failed to respond when contacted by CoventryLive.