Croydon schoolchildren were given a hard hitting lesson when the Brigade, other emergency services and voluntary groups teamed up with the 'Prison Me No Way' initiative.
A Crime Day run by the award-winning Prison Me No Way Trust and targeting Year 8 pupils was staged at Selsdon High School on 29 October and Haling Manor High School on 30 October.
Initial funding for the day came from the Brigade and it featured six workshops on anti-social behaviour and crime, investigating in an imaginative way the possible consequences of making hoax calls and deliberate firesetting.
A hard hitting video is used, focusing on a young offenders perception of prison life, including audio materials recorded in Hull prison.
An information pack contains prisoner testimonies, poetry, drama scripts and a range of stimulating and interactive exercises.
The aim of the day is to bring home the message to young people that making wrong choices in their behaviour could lead to imprisonment and to encourage positive citizenship.
Devised by professionals working with young people, serving prisoners, teachers, and youth workers from a wide range of agencies - the comprehensive Prison Me! No Way! package dispels many myths and misconceptions about what a prison sentence means and its effects.
It is the first time the Crime Day has been run in Croydon, although the presentation has successfully been used in other parts of London. Two more Crime Days are planned for early next year.
Croydon Borough Commander Cyril O'Brien, said: "This is a real success story in terms of the Brigade, schools, the police, and a whole host of agencies working together. It’s an engaging day for the schoolchildren and grabs their attention. If we can get across our messages to people at a young age then we can make a real impact in terms of reducing hoax calls and other behaviour which could have very serious and potentially tragic consequences."
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