Police-led lessons on drugs in schools can boost trust among pupils
Police-led lessons on drugs in schools can boost engagement and trust among pupils, a report suggests.
Classes led by police officers who are trained in delivering personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) lessons are more effective than sessions led by teachers alone, according to research.
A report by the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), based on data from more than 7,000 students, found that the sessions significantly increased young people’s trust in police fairness.
After being taught by police on drugs and the law, officers were “more likely to be perceived to treat students with respect” among the 13 to 15-year-olds whose attitudes were evaluated for the study.
Students were also more likely to correctly identify what criminal justice phrases about drugs – such as “intent to supply”– meant (91 per cent), compared to students where no lessons took place (74 per cent).
After the lessons, which were conducted between September 2019 and March 2020 in 81 schools across England and Wales, students’ perception of police procedural fairness significantly increased.
This remained the case even ten weeks after the lessons had taken place, the report says.
It adds: “Rather than young people largely having interactions with police officers out in the street, where the officers are acting in a regulatory capacity, they would therefore have more humanised interactions in their early teenage years that can help foster a sense of trust between police and young people.”
The researchers suggest that police-led lessons may have been more successful as officers encountered the students in class on their “own turf,” reducing the power-differential between the police and pupils.
Other reasons could be that enthusiastic officers were those who volunteered to teach children, or because they received well-designed training.
Report co-author Professor Jonathan Jackson, from the LSE Department of Methodology, said: “This first-of-its-kind trial found robust and long-lasting effects on young people’s attitudes.
“Interactions with police officers are teachable moments, where individuals learn about the nature of society and its institutions, as well as their role and position within society.
“Because ‘good contact’ helps to engender trust and legitimacy, and ‘bad contact’ helps to damage people’s relationship with the law, it is important to get these encounters right.
“Police officers engaging with education in schools may help engineer the type of positive experiences that foster a sense of trust and legitimacy, particularly because they are on young people’s own turf.”
Report co-author Dr Krisztián Pósch, visiting fellow at the LSE Department of Methodology, said: “We are certainly not recommending that police officers go into schools in an enforcement, surveillance or protective capacity.
“Instead, we encourage the police to provide educational training to volunteering police officers and collaborate with schools to deliver lessons where they have expertise.”
But he added that more research was needed to provide clarity on how many times a police officer should visit a school for maximum impact and the ideal age of pupils to be visited.
Mazoezi ya polisi juu ya dawa za kulevya katika shule yanaweza kuongeza uaminifu kati ya wanafunzi "Mafundisho yanayoongozwa na maafisa wa polisi ambao wamefundishwa kutoa masomo ya kibinafsi, kijamii, afya na kiuchumi (PSHE) ni yenye ufanisi zaidi kuliko vikao vinavyoongozwa na walimu peke yao, kulingana na utafiti.""" Ripoti ya Shule ya Uchumi na Sayansi ya Siasa ya London (LSE) iligundua kuwa vijana wanaamini zaidi katika haki ya polisi. Baada ya kufundishwa na polisi juu ya dawa za kulevya na sheria, maafisa walikuwa na uwezekano mkubwa wa kuonekana kuwa wanaheshimu wanafunzi kati ya vijana wa miaka 13 hadi 15 ambao mitazamo yao ilitathminiwa kwa utafiti. Wanafunzi pia walikuwa na uwezekano mkubwa wa kutambua kwa usahihi maana ya maneno ya haki ya jinai kuhusu madawa ya kulevya - kama vile "kutaka kutoa" (91%) ikilinganishwa na wanafunzi ambao hawakufanya masomo (74%). Baada ya masomo hayo, yaliyofanyika kati ya Septemba 2019 na Machi 2020 katika shule 81 kote Uingereza na Wales, maoni ya wanafunzi juu ya haki ya utaratibu wa polisi yaliongezeka kwa kiasi kikubwa. Ripoti hiyo inasema kwamba hali hiyo iliendelea hata majuma kumi baada ya masomo hayo kufanywa. "Kama ilivyoelezwa hapo juu, ""Badala ya vijana kuwa na mwingiliano na maafisa wa polisi barabarani, ambapo maafisa wanafanya kazi katika uwezo wa udhibiti, kwa hivyo watakuwa na mwingiliano wa kibinadamu zaidi katika miaka yao ya mapema ya ujana ambayo inaweza kusaidia kukuza hisia ya uaminifu kati ya polisi na vijana,"" watafiti wanadokeza kuwa masomo yaliyoongozwa na polisi yanaweza kuwa na mafanikio zaidi wakati maafisa wanakutana na wanafunzi darasani." Sababu nyingine inaweza kuwa kwamba maafisa wenye shauku walikuwa wale waliojitolea kufundisha watoto, au kwa sababu walipokea mafunzo yaliyopangwa vizuri. Profesa Jonathan Jackson, mwandishi mwenza wa ripoti hiyo, kutoka Idara ya Mazoezi ya LSE, alisema: "Mtihani huu wa kwanza wa aina yake uligundua athari thabiti na za muda mrefu kwenye mitazamo ya vijana. <unk>Mazungumzo na maafisa wa polisi ni wakati wa kufundisha, ambapo watu hujifunza juu ya asili ya jamii na taasisi zake, pamoja na jukumu lao na nafasi ndani ya jamii. <unk>Kwa sababu <unk>mawasiliano mazuri<unk> husaidia kuzalisha uaminifu na uhalali, na <unk>mawasiliano mabaya<unk> husaidia kuharibu uhusiano wa watu na sheria, ni muhimu kupata mikutano hii haki. "Maafisa wa polisi wanaohusika na elimu katika shule wanaweza kusaidia kubuni aina ya uzoefu mzuri ambao huendeleza hisia ya uaminifu na uhalali, haswa kwa sababu wako kwenye uwanja wa vijana. ""Mwandishi mwenza wa ripoti Dr. Kristian Posh, mwanachama wa wageni katika Idara ya Mazoezi ya LSE, alisema: ""Hatupendekezi kabisa kwamba maafisa wa polisi waende shule katika uwezo wa kutekeleza, ufuatiliaji au ulinzi." "Badala yake, tunawatia moyo polisi kutoa mafunzo ya elimu kwa maafisa wa polisi wa kujitolea na kushirikiana na shule kutoa masomo ambapo wana utaalam. ""Lakini aliongeza kuwa utafiti zaidi unahitajika kutoa uwazi juu ya mara ngapi afisa wa polisi anapaswa kutembelea shule kwa athari ya juu na umri bora wa wanafunzi kutembelewa."