Pupils' art hits new heights as police helicopter visits school

Nov 17 2006 Daily Post

SCHOOL children in south Liverpool teamed up with Merseyside Police as part of an art competition to highlight sophisticated methods used to combat car crime.

The police helicopter dropped into Shorefields Comprehensive School, Dingle, and Parklands High School, Speke, to promote its new tracking technology.

Chief Constable Bernard Hogan-Howe was also on board to present prizes to the winners of the competition. The children were asked to design a sticker to highlight the fact that satellite navigation systems and CD players are often items most likely to be stolen from cars, and to encourage motorists to take extra care.

It needed to get the message across to potential offenders that the police now has the latest technology to combat this form of crime, such as tracking devices in cars and car equipment. These can be activated when the car is stolen.

The winning entry will be made into thousands of car stickers and distributed to motorists across Liverpool.

Chief Supt Andy Cooke, Liverpool South area commander, said: "It is important to involve young people in crime prevention, to enable them to have a real impact on the reduction of crime in their area."