The Police and Crime Commissioner, Festus Akinbusoye reached a key milestone this week as he visited his 100th school in Bedfordshire.
Mr Akinbusoye attended Bedford Academy to mark the occasion and spoke with year 10 students at an assembly.
This is as part of his commitment to engaging with and listening to young people in the county.
Since being elected as Police and Crime Commissioner in May 2021, the PCC has visited at least one school a week and believes positive engagement with young people at the earliest opportunity is crucial for their safety, self-esteem, and future prospects.
One of the students that met with the Commissioner said “The visit from the Commissioner was inspiring and made me want to work even harder to achieve my goals.
“He gave great advice and guidance to help us with our future career aspirations.”
Mr Deller, Headteacher at Bedford Academy gave the Commissioner a tour of the school, he said: “It was wonderful to welcome Festus back to Bedford Academy. The year 10 students listened intently to his key messages and it was a pleasure to show him around our community school”.
The PCC said “Without question, among the highlights of my job as Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner is my weekly engagement with our amazing young people.
“And today was no exception. It’s an absolute privilege to be given the opportunity to speak with these bright young people and the teachers.
“I see my role as extending beyond police officer numbers alone. I choose to do the extra yards in directly giving back to our pupils, inspire and encourage them to aim high.
“I have been incredibly pleased to see the culture of discipline and collaboration at the schools.
“I was really impressed with the standard of this at Bedford Academy on my visit today.
“If I have been able have a positive influence on the life of one young person who goes on to fulfil their potential, then I am satisfied in what I have achieved as PCC.
“I look forward to being able to do more work with all our schools. They need all the positive support we can provide.”
The event coincided with the launch of PCC-funded theatre sessions for young people.
Schools across the county have welcomed ‘Performance in Education’ into assemblies this month to speak to Year 7 and Year 8 students about abusive behaviour towards women and girls and what individuals can do to be a safe and effective active bystander.
If you’d like to find out more about the PCC’s school visits or Performance in Education, please contact the OPCC by emailing pcc@beds.police.uk