Officer opens e-mail link with pupils

PC Johnston hopes pupils will chat with him via e-mail

A community beat officer and school governor in Northamptonshire plans to swap e-mail messages with pupils at his local junior school.

PC Chris Johnston is hoping the new e-mail link with students at Denfield Park Junior School in Rushden, will improve communication between youngsters and law enforcement.

He will send pupils information on road safety, Neighbourhood Watch and crime prevention, which also tie in to their national curriculum studies.

He said he expects the children, aged 10 and 11, to use the link to tell him about their concerns, or "just to chat".

PC Johnston is a governor at the school

PC Johnston said the children might even be enlisted to help fight crime.

"If I am on the lookout for a stolen car or a stolen bike for example, I will also e-mail the pupils details of the crime or the stolen item in case they see or hear anything.

"Using the computer also helps with their IT studies."

PC Johnston recently returned from the US, where he spoke to pupils at Woodbridge Middle School in Virginia about his role as a community beat officer.