Published: Friday, 3rd October, 2008 11:35am

Police tackle cyber bullying in schools

by Ruth Moulden

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A POLICE officer has been building strong links between herself and local schools.

PC Kiran Basra is a Schools Officer who works with Burnham Grammar School and Burnham Upper School to encourage students not to fear the police and to come forward with any problems.

PC Basra, 36, was at Burnham Grammar today (Friday) to give a talk to older students about the dangers of cyber bullying and how this can be classed as a crime.

She said: "Bullying has now gone to a second level. It has got to a level so awful it often comes to self harm or suicide.

"If you write something and you think that person will get some sort of harm from it that is now a criminal offence. It is an easy thing to prove because the evidence is black and white."

Just last week PC Basra had to intervene after two 11-year-old girls were fighting and older people were filming them. She seized the phones filming the fight and carried out some ‘restorative justice' with the two girls.

Since she has been working in local schools there have been successes.

PC Basra said: "I have not had any bullying in school problems for the last three weeks now. I think if you educate them it makes a big difference. This school is so fantastic they have not got a problem with bullying at all but we are trying to prevent it."

Headteacher Dr Andy Gillespie said: "We are not complacent. Any school that says they don't have bullying is either lying or they are divorced from the day to day running of the school."

PC Basra also talked about thefts and how the law has changed so there are higher penalties for handling stolen goods.

She is based out of Burnham Police Station but will soon be taking up an office in Burnham Upper School.