Age 16-18
In conjunction with the Havering borough-wide police initiative Operation Riverside, New City College had enhanced visible patrols at the Ardleigh Green campus on Friday.
Operation Riverside will see more police officers at school gates and along popular school routes at the start and end of the day, in order to prevent youngsters from getting involved with gangs.
At the college on Friday, knife arches were put up and a large number of students were searched at random. No students were found in possession of any weapons, drugs, alcohol, stolen property or any other prohibited items.
Sgt Lisa Ryan, Safer Schools Supervisor for Havering, said: “The fact that we didn’t find anything on anyone should provide some reassurance to the college community.
“We will continue to keep up the high visibility patrols and ad-hoc weapons sweeps across Havering with a view to disrupting and preventing youth violence.”
Ian Budge, Assistant Principal, said: “This is something we do from time to time in conjunction with the Police to make sure we remain one of the safest colleges in London. The safety of our students – whether they are on site or travelling to and from the college – is our prime concern. Carrying any prohibited items will not be tolerated. Some colleges have problems with these issues but in comparison, we do very well.
“On the day, students co-operated in a very mature way and the fact that nothing was found is a tribute to the incredibly impressive body of students we have in the college.”
