Primary 4 to 7

Question 2: If I had a general worry or problem outside of school I would…

Figure 1 shows that 33% (n=31) of pupils would not be sure what they would do if they had a general problem or worry outside of school. This is followed by 26% (n=25) who said they would go up and speak to a police officer, 24% (n=23) who would maybe phone 101 or 999 and 17% (n=16) who would not speak to the police.

Of the 16 who would not speak to the police, all thought they would either call the police straight away or maybe at some point if they were in danger and needed help, and all but one thought they would help them if they were in danger. The one who did not commented in Question 5 they would feel safe telling their parents but might involve the police if it was “something really bad”.

Question 3: If I was in danger and needed help, I would…

Figure 2 shows that the majority of pupils (74%, n=70) would call the police straight away if they were in danger and needed help. 19% (n=18) would maybe call the police at some point, 5% were not sure what they would do (n=5), and 2% (n=2) would not call the police. Of the two who would not call the police, one noted in Question 5 they would mostly handle the situation themselves unless they felt it was too dangerous.

Question 4: If I was in danger and needed help, I think the police would…

Figure 3 shows that if they were in danger and needed help, the majority of pupils thought the police would help them (97%, n=92).

Of the three (3%) who selected “Not help me”, comments in Question 5 related to feeling the police would think it was a prank call as they had seen this on television, they would tell their parents and might only involve police if it was “something really bad”, and they did not think the police would help due to witnessing a slow response to an incident reported by a family member.

Question 5: Thinking about your answers above, can you tell us why you chose these options?

For Question 5, when asked to reflect on their answers to the previous questions and comment on why they chose these options, 76 pupils left comments. These largely related to believing the police could/would help, it was the right/smart thing to do and feeling they were safe/would keep them safe.

There was a comment on how calling the police would depend on the danger level and that they would not help with small worries only emergencies. It was also noted that some pupils would speak with someone they knew or their parents before contacting the police.

One noted that the police are busy most of the time and they would not want to bother them – this respondent previously said they would not speak to the police if they had a general worry or problem, but would call straight way if they were in danger and needed help and felt the police would help them.

Question 6: What would you like to see the police focus on in Letham?

In total 79 comments were received for Question 6 which asked what they would like to see the police focus on in Letham. Many included focusing on antisocial behaviour (e.g. fighting, less noise in flats, shouting at night, and bullying etc.), keeping people safe, and road safety (e.g. recent road traffic accidents, speeding etc.). There was some mention of preventing and solving crimes (largely in relation to robbery) and helping with bad/dangerous people. There was also desire for engagement in schools (e.g. helping in schools and showing pupils how to be and keep safe). Unrelated to policing there were also comments about reducing litter in the area, the quality of flats in the area, and giving people food.