Teenagers snared in truancy sweep

POLICEMAN Dave Pickles stops one youngster found in Uppermill without an excuse during school hours

A CRACKDOWN on truancy was launched by police in Saddleworth.

The operation, run in partnership with Oldham Council, saw two teams of officers, Police Community Support Officers and representatives from Saddleworth School take to the village streets to find those skipping lessons and take them back to the classroom.

A total of 17 pupils were involved, with nine being caught out of school without an excuse and three attending school after police visited their homes during the morning.

One officer even caught the same pupil twice in Uppermill.

PC John Taylor, from the Challenge and Support Team, said: “Any unauthorised absences mean children are not only missing out on vital schooling, but could also get into inappropriate company and be influenced by older people who may lure them into crime, violent gangs and drugs.

“Parents should be aware that they are committing a criminal offence if they allow their child to be absent from school without permission or a legitimate reason.”

Youngsters were caught sneaking out at lunch and break without permission, while others were discouraged from leaving the grounds by police standing at the secluded rear entrances.

The school’s attendance officer, Stuart Askew, said: “It has acted like an alarm clock for them and we have been discussing it with the pupils once they came into school and all parents have been notified.

“Although we do not have problems with 98 per cent of the children, the initiative is a good advert and it passes on the message that the police can be involved.

“Pupils are disturbed when others come into lessons late so punctuality is also something we will be clamping down on drastically.

“But all in all it has been a successful day and we will look into doing something similar more regularly.”

The measures add to the method used at the school in which all parents get a text at 11am if their child has failed to arrive.

A similar truancy sweep in March, carried out in Oldham Town Centre, found 23 children absent from school without a valid reason.