School pupils on the case during police visit

Pupils at Our Lady of the Rosary Roman Catholic School, in Peterlee, contacted Durham Constabulary’s Detective Constable Richard Blamires to ask if he would visit them to talk about the role of a police officer.

Det Con Blamires, of the force’s Public Protection Unit, was happy to oblige and popped in to see the Year 1 and Year 2 pupils for a special talk about his role protecting the community.

He said: “I had a great time explaining our role. It is much more than just catching criminals – we are here to help and support people in the community.

“The children were amazed at the variety of roles within the police and were fascinated that dogs can follow the scent of people and that the helicopter can be used to help find lost people.”

He added: “The children had prepared a number of really impressive questions about when to call the police, what different roles entail, as well as how fast our cars go. They even had a try of the uniform, which they all described as really heavy.”

Crime prevention prizes were also handed out following a quiz about when to call 999.

Det Con Blamires said he was really impressed with the children and especially with the lovely thank you card they made him.

He added: “We thank Our Lady of the Rosary RC School for having us. Hopefully there are some new recruits in the making.”