The group was began in February 2025 after an incident at an area complete college
Bridgend County Borough Council has given an replace on a strategic group that was set as much as examine knife crime and security within the borough’s faculties. The group was first arrange in February to “get to the underside” of what was occurring at native faculties after an incident at Bryntirion Complete the place a knife was reportedly present in a boy’s bag after an altercation between pupils.
Following the incident members of the authority have been advised the group can be shaped to be able to assist perceive why this “worrying behaviour” was happening.
It additionally adopted a separate report earlier this 12 months which mentioned the variety of everlasting exclusions in Bridgend faculties had trebled because the 2021-22 college 12 months with information displaying “regarding traits” in pupil behaviour.
Talking to the Native Democracy Reporting Service, Councillor Martyn Jones, cupboard member for schooling and youth companies, mentioned whereas work was nonetheless at an early stage, the group was growing its personal protocols to sort out incidents involving weapons and to determine extra environment friendly methods of sharing info.
He mentioned: “Following intensive media protection of plenty of nationwide knife-related incidents involving college pupils, I proposed {that a} working occasion must be established to think about what the state of affairs is like inside Bridgend County Borough faculties, and to take a look at whether or not any additional motion must be taken on an area degree.
“Becoming a member of the council on the working group are associate companies starting from South Wales Police and Bridgend Faculty to the Bridgend Affiliation of Particular and Secondary Faculty Headteachers and Bridgend Main Federation.
“Up to now, the working occasion has met twice to debate strategic and key operational points, and has began reviewing nationwide greatest follow and present analysis to be able to develop our personal protocol which we’re modelling on Cardiff’s whole-system strategy to tackling incidents involving weapons.
“The group can also be targeted on utilizing information and analysis to tell future improvement prevention methods, set up sooner, extra environment friendly methods of sharing info, and for finishing up focused actions to scale back hurt and preserve younger individuals protected.”
The dialogue was began by Councillor Colin Davies of Bryntirion, Laleston and Merthyr Mawr at a full council assembly held on June 25, when he requested what progress had been made by the group throughout councillors questions.
Councillor Jones of the Garw Valley ward added that whereas there was an general improve in weapons-related incidents being seen throughout Wales, in Bridgend that they had solely featured in a “minority of instances”.
He added: “We have now confirmed that since September 2021 weapons-related incidents have solely featured in a minority of instances inside Bridgend county borough and don’t seem like rising disproportionately in comparison with different areas in south Wales.
“Whereas South Wales Police have recorded a 15% general improve in weapon-related incidents in Welsh faculties over the past three years, this pattern is in step with nationwide patterns, and isn’t considerably greater in Bridgend County Borough.
“Nevertheless, we’ve got additionally seen a rise in difficult behaviour and violent incidents inside faculties. In consequence, a number of multi-agency measures have been established in case any weapon-related incidents do happen inside the space, and we’re searching for to ship additional enhancements over time.
“This contains probably funding an instructional research of the state of affairs as we wish to perceive issues just like the explanation why a baby would possibly deliver a weapon into a college setting, the affect of several types of intervention, attainable hyperlinks with social media and on-line content material, how incidents are recorded and shared, the suitable use of everlasting exclusions, and the way we will higher assist instructional settings whereas prioritising the security, well being and well-being of pupils.
“Within the meantime, associate companies are persevering with to work with younger individuals with early intervention initiatives. These embrace a weapons consciousness programme delivered by Bridgend Youth Justice, or the #NotTheOne anti-knife-crime initiative which is being offered by South Wales Police and the Wales Violence Prevention Unit.
“By taking such actions now, I consider we will successfully sort out this nationwide challenge head-on collectively, and safe higher long-term optimistic outcomes in addition to enhancing the security and well-being of all our pupils.” For the newest Bridgend information signal as much as our e-newsletter right here.
