Dummy demo steers pupils away from knife crime

“ONLY dummies carry knives” – that’s the message youngsters from a Birminghamschool heard during an innovative presentation using a lifelike mannequin to illustrate the dangers.

Year nine students from Colmers School in Rednal were introduced to star of the show ‘Stan’ – a realistic dummy which has a heartbeat and can breathe, talk, sweat, blink and bleed!

Stan – who is linked up to equipment monitoring vital signs like blood pressure and pulse rate – is used to demonstrate how rapidly someone deteriorates after being stabbed.

It’s a hands-on presentation which is designed to deter teenagers away from gang culture and carrying knives.

Sergeant Karl Pierpoint is from the Longbridge Neighbourhood Police that organised the event. He said: “Using Stan is a great way to get across the dangers and our messages – it’s much more stimulating and hard-hitting than traditional classroom sessions.

[pullquote_right]“Using Stan is a great way to get across the dangers and our messages.”[/pullquote_right]

“These are hard-hitting demonstrations because we have to show the real consequences of carrying knives – and the arrest figures show our joint work with schools is driving home important messages with students.

“We’ve had terrific feedback from the pupils who have taken part in the discussions; they seem to be genuinely affected by the project and are taking on board our safety advice.”