Youth Education Services (YES)
The Police Youth Education Service (YES) aims to enhance community safety by the delivery and promotion of police education programmes and services to youth in partnership with schools.
YES works with schools to proactively prevent crime, victimisation and road trauma, enhance the safety of schools and their communities, and maintain law and order.
YES has four themes:
Education programmes and resources have been developed with four strategic themes.
Effective partnership
Teachers and Police Education Officers (PEOs) work in partnership to deliver these YES programmes to students.
Positive and effective partnerships between teachers and Police Education Officers:
- show a mutual concern for the safety and well-being of children and young people
- involve working together to plan lessons and programmes that meet the needs of a specific class
- are co-operative and show mutual respect
- jointly seek the support and assistance from parents and the community
- involve team teaching, joint evaluation and forward planning
- pool expertise, knowledge and resources.
Police Education Officers
Police Education Officers(PEO) are experienced uniformed police officers who specialise in education delivery to schools and their communties.
Each PEO has a certain number of primary and secondary schools to which they offer YES programmes.
Police Education Officers:
- relate positively to children and young persons,
- make educational programmes available to schools,
- work with teachers to plan, implement and evaluate classroom lessons,
- use a variety of teaching methods and resources for a range of school levels,
- support schools when they consult with parents and the community,
- establish links between the school and the local Police,
- provide a positive role model for students.
The whole-school approach
Many YES programmes are based on a whole-school approach. This means that the whole school and its community has a common understanding of the issues and are committed to the programme. Material is included for parents and caregivers, staff members and students, and any relevant policies and procedures are written and reviewed.
A good example of a whole school approach is the Kia Kaha anti-bullying programme.
History of YES
You can download a chronological history of Police Involvement in New Zealand Primary and Secondary Education.
This document is based on the work of Ruth Waldron.
