In readiness for their criminology unit next term, our Year 12 Sociology students joined up with Sheffield, Sutton and Portsmouth High for a really stimulating day with the London Metropolitan Police at New Scotland Yard.

The police put together a series of interesting workshops and after meeting PD Dexter the well-being dog, were immediately immersed into a Cyber Escape room, cracking codes and discovering just how insidious cyber crime can be. Participation in a few stop and search role play situations invoked some challenging questions to the officer in charge regarding the success rates of this technique.

Equally interesting was the discussion with a panel of female police officers; these were officers of varied ranks and responsibilities, from a young police constable to a detective inspector and a superintendent, specialising in murder investigations, cyber-crime, and running a borough, to name but a few.  The officers were frank about their experiences and challenges as women in this male dominant world, but optimistic about the emerging positive cultural shifts in their workplace.

The day ended with a discussion with Commander Nick John, about young people, trust and policing. This was a lively debate, with students and teachers posing probing questions which were dealt with openly and honestly. The entire day was thought provoking and it was wonderful to be able to spend time with sociologists from across the GDST.