Neighbourhood team delivers important road safety message

Children who have been resettled in Northamptonshire after moving here from Afghanistan have been learning how to stay safe on our roads.

Members of the Northampton Neighbourhood Policing Team were invited to deliver the essential road safety session to the youngsters and their families, who have recently moved to the town.

PCSO Paul Hurst and PCSO Becky Evans spoke to the group of children and adults about how to use the roads safely, including information on the Green Cross Code and where is a safe place to cross.

“The rules of the road are very different in the UK compared to Afghanistan, where pedestrians have the right of way over vehicles,” said PCSO Hurst. “This visit was the perfect opportunity to share important road safety advice.

“We have several types of road crossings in the UK, such as pelican, zebra, toucan and puffin, which can be quite confusing if you’ve never used them. We explained the main differences and how each one works.

“We also talked to the adults about the legal requirements on wearing seatbelts and fitting child seats, as well as some of the dos and don’ts around driving on UK roads.

“It was also a chance for them to ask questions and for us to introduce ourselves, explain the role of the neighbourhood team and the work we do in the community to help fight crime and protect people.

“The event was a brilliant opportunity for us to engage and build relationships, and we met some amazing people who despite being through so much, still greeted us with a smile and were incredible polite and grateful.”

At the end of the session, the children received a road safety pack which included a reflective band to wear to make them more visible to traffic, sweets, a small toy, and colouring pencils to colour in policing pictures.

Detective Constable Eleri Neale and PC Christian Buckenham of Northamptonshire Police’s Community Engagement Team, and Hate Crime Officer Nick Stephens, also spoke to the group about their role within the Force.