SCHOOLCHILDREN have been taking part in community safety days to raise awareness of some of the dangers in the local area.

In Scholemoor yesterday, children from Lidget Green Primary School were out raising awareness about how residents can contribute to crime prevention initiatives.

They handed out leaflets, printed in six different languages, to residents to try and tackle one of the biggest crime problems in the area - drugs.

Residents were told to report any drug dealing they had seen anonymously to Crimestoppers to help police crack down on the problem.

The children also handed out stickers for wheeled bins, to let drug dealers know they are being watched by the local community.

The hub for this work was Scholemoor Community Centre, where representatives from West Yorkshire Police, Bradford Council and local community groups were holding stands telling people how to keep their homes safe from break-ins, fire, and other crime.

Councillor Joanne Dodds (Lab, Great Horton) praised the schoolchildren and the local council wardens for their work to try and cut down on drugs-related crime.

She said: “It’s great to see all different partners in the community together, the police, the council and the schoolchildren.

“It’s wonderful to see everyone getting involved to tackle drug dealing, which is one of the main issues in the area.”

The students at Lidget Green Primary designed the leaflets themselves and also had the idea to print them in different languages to include the whole community.

Cllr Dodds also said it was fantastic to see so many local people coming to the centre to speak to her and the other representatives.

“I think events like this are essential, because its a two way process. We can go round and knock on doors and give people advice as much as we like, but it is really encouraging to see local people coming here to talk to us about serious issues.”

Elsewhere, almost 700 year six children attended a Stay Safe event at Keighley Campus, Leeds City College.

The pupils, from 17 different schools, took part in activities with the emergency services and other partners at the event, which was organised by Keighley Work Safe.

Dave Towers, from the project, said: “The commitment of these agency partners has allowed this project to flourish when many similar projects have ended in other areas.

“We had 670 children at the Stay Safe event from schools across Bradford and Keighley.

“I am particularly excited by the extension of the project to include children with special needs being able to attend.”

Tim Jickells, from Keighley Campus, Leeds City College, said: “Hosting 670 children from 17 local schools clearly demonstrates the high regard in which this event is held.”

“The variety of scenario presentations and behaviour of attending children convinced us of the value of the project in the locality and we are determined that if possible we will continue to host the project in future years.”