Pupils given safety workshop about gangs and drugs

Crucial Crew is celebrating 30 years of teaching children valuable safety messages

Schoolchildren have shared their views after being given a workshop about the dangers of domestic abuse, grooming and gangs.

Pupils aged 10 and 11 in Ipswich took part in Crucial Crew - a yearly scheme that has seen 43,500 children attend since 1994.

On Wednesday, during the scheme's 30th anniversary, they took part in scenarios to learn valuable safety messages.

The group were also taught about everyday safety risks at home.

Grace said she learnt more about "stranger danger"

Grace, 10, said she enjoyed learning about fire safety and would be cautious around charging her own phone.

"I also learnt about stranger danger - if someone offers you any sweets just don't take it in case it's bad drugs or bad medicine that isn't right for your body," she added.

"I was surprised how people can manipulate you."

Nashea, 11, said she had learnt she should never take anything from anyone.

"That could be something illegal and you don't want to get caught with that," she said.

"It's shocking that children are doing this in the world and at such a young age."

Nashea, 11, said she had learnt a lot during the scheme

Crucial Crew is led by Ipswich Borough Council's community safety team and runs for a fortnight in June every year.

Eddie King, 75, from the team, said they had received positive feedback.

"We have spoken to one or two children since the start of the project and they do remember the important things like smoke alarm[s], drug awareness and in particular picking up things like syringes that can be particularly dangerous," he said.

Tonia Wilson helps teach the children who take part in Crucial Crew

Over the 30 years the scheme has been altered to include new dangers including around online safety in recent years.

Mr King said when it first started topics included farmyard safety.

"It's tweaked all the time so we're constantly changing it," Tonia Wilson said, who is a project manager at Volunteering Matters that helps run the scheme.

"Last year we added online safety and how you could be groomed via some of the social platforms."