Over 2,000 young people have been boosting their awareness of personal and community safety.

Police officers from the North Worcestershire Local Policing Area (LPA) have got students involved in the annual Young Citizens Challenge (YCC) to foster personal and community safety awareness.

The YCC, which is ran by the LPA's Youth Engagement Team and partner agencies, invites all year six students from Wyre Forest, Redditch, and Bromsgrove, adding up to approximately 2,300 pupils, including those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), to engage in a variety of interactive learning situations.

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This year, the challenges took place at the Wyre Forest Police and Fire Station and the Bromsgrove Police and Fire Station the week before half-term.

A host of partners including police, Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service (HWFRS), Severn Area Rescue Association, West Mercia Police Road Safety Team, and National Grid supported the event, presenting on pressing issues such as online safety, knife crime and hate crime, alongside lessons in substation safety, fire, and open water safety.

Police Constable Neil Sharpe, youth engagement officer for North Worcestershire LPA, said: "This year’s event has been another successful one, empowering young people to make positive choices for their personal and community safety.

"Partners delivered key messages around anti-social behaviour, hate crime, stranger danger, and knife crime as well as fire, road, water, and electrical safety.

"It was a great opportunity for the Year 6 students to work as a team and explore situations in a safe and organised environment."