The School Crime Beat Protocol
We have prepared the following guide to help you, as a parent, understand how the Police and your school encourage and support good behaviour at school.
It aims:
- To explain how the School Crime Beat Protocol which is an agreement between school and police avoids criminalising young people and can support your child.
- Tell you what happens if your child is involved in an incident at school and the School Community Police Officer (SCPO) is involved.
- To explain how the school and police can help stop your child entering the Criminal Justice System.
More about the School Crime Beat Protocol
Since the introduction of the All Wales School Liaison Core Programme (AWSLCP) police officers are familiar faces in schools and are often requested to assist or support with incidents. The School Crime Beat Protocol has been written to clarify understanding of their roles and the relationship between schools and police when dealing with incidents. It clearly explains the procedure for dealing with incidents in schools ensuring a consistent response by police officers across Wales.
It outlines the partnership working arrangements between the four Welsh police forces and schools describing how professionals should respond to incidents and how positive working arrangements can be best facilitated between schools and police services.
The protocol explains the duty placed on police officers once involved in an incident on school premises. However, there is a large degree of flexibility and discretion as to when or if the Head Teacher involves the Police but this document clearly outlines the boundaries within which police officers should operate and also makes recommendations to provide assistance to schools.
The main aim of the School Crime Beat Protocol is to avoid the criminalisation of young people whenever possible.
To achieve this aim the protocol provides clear guidance on how:
- officers should deal with criminal (or alleged criminal) occurrences on school premises
- the boundaries in which police officers should operate
- schools and Police can adopt approaches which help de-criminalise young people by offering them support and guidance e.g. the use of restorative approaches.
This protocol was introduced in 2005 and is a working document being updated whenever new legislation is introduced.
We also have guidelines for schools in the teacher’s section.
School Beat Protocol
This protocol has been agreed between the Welsh Police forces and the Directors of Education in Wales and provides guidance on the procedures for dealing with incidents in school.
School Beat Crime Protocol
WPSP_School_Crime_Beat_Protocol_ENG_wpsp_scbp_20230222.pdf- Rydym yn gweithio i gyhoeddi’r protocol Cymraeg cyn gynted â phosibl.