Crucial funding helping to teach children about how to stay safe

Youngsters across Greater Manchester are benefiting from safety sessions funded by cash clawed back from criminals.

The Crucial Crew sessions have been funded from GMP’s Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme (ARIS), where money is recovered from criminals and redistributed to community projects.

Over the past 12 months, Child Safety Media have been awarded £45,000 to co-ordinate the sessions attended by around 16,000 children.

GMP officers help present the workshops in venues including schools across the force area that look at issues like personal safety, crime prevention, Internet safety, cyber-crime, knife crime, rail safety, anti-social behaviour, crime and its consequences and road safety.

Chief Inspector Ian Partington and Inspector Kat Murray attended the event for the Oldham district that was attended by pupils from Holy Family RC Primary School and Roundthorn Primary Academy.

The Oldham session at the Mahdlo Youth Zone was also attended by British Transport Police, Positive Steps, and the TravelSafe Partnership.

Insp Murray said: “I attended some of the inputs from school nurses, British Transport Police, and a fantastic session with our PCSOs Rachel Pressdee and Martin Taylor talking about anti-social behaviour and warning of the dangers of knife crime.

“It was such an enjoyable day watching the young people of Oldham engaging with all these fantastic services and learning vital life lessons, which really will benefit them as they grow and develop in years to come.”

The Crucial Crew scheme is co-ordinated by Child Safety Media, which runs events across the UK to raise a child's ‘awareness of threats and dangers in a fun, interactive and enjoyable way’.

The GMP funding covers transporting children to and from the venues, the costs of hiring the venues and those associated with all matters of event planning - preparation and delivery.

Child Safety Media’ s director, Dan Lowrie, said: “Crucial Crew is a multi-agency project that provides an interactive method of teaching Year 6 children - 10 to 11-year-olds - to become more aware of their personal safety, learn how to react to dangerous situations, practice safety skills within a controlled environment and gain knowledge that can be carried into the wider community and used in their everyday lives. 

“It is generally accepted that children start to become more independent at this age and are often expected to cope increasingly on their own and deal with changes in their lives - such as a move to Secondary school. 

“The aim of the Crucial Crew event is to raise their awareness of threats and danger to their personal safety and that of others in a fun and interactive way.

“The focus of our activities is on the provision of child safety events and resources that focus on prevention rather than cure, in recognition that far too many children die or are injured through lack of knowledge, information and understanding.”

Our Economic Crime Unit successfully claimed back more than £17m from criminals in 2024.

The funds have been handed to organisations who support local communities across Greater Manchester with the aim of helping and supporting our plans to reduce, tackle and prevent crime.

Detective Inspector Sarah Langley, from our Economic Crime Unit, said: “The money claimed back from criminal proceeds is being used for good in the communities we serve.

"It was good to see first-hand how the money we seize is being put to good use and helping to keep our youngsters safe.

“It is fitting that the money we seize from proceeds of crime is being used to help fight, prevent and reduce crime, keep people safe, and care for victims, which ultimately makes Greater Manchester a better place to live, work and visit."

• To find out more about to apply for ARIS funding, there is information on our website.