Commissioner's 'hair raising' trip to Nyabing PS

It was a big day for Nyabing Primary School students last Friday.

Not only were they allowed to decorate their hair in support of the Leukaemia Foundation, WA Police Commissioner Karl O’Callaghan also paid them a visit.

Mr O’Callaghan spoke to two groups of students about different issues relating to them specifically.

To the kindergarten and students in Years 1 to 3, he spoke of the role of the police force and when to contact emergency services.

With students in Years 4 to 7 the commissioner discussed the issue of drugs and alcohol and the effect these have on the wider community. Nyabing Primary School teacher Natasha Ramage said it was important for students to learn about these issues.

“They are topics the students are really interested in and it’s not often we have police available to talk about them, let alone the police commissioner,” she said.

Speaking about his visit, Mr O’Callaghan said it was important to visit towns where there was a smaller police presence.

He also mentioned his concern about a growing lack of respect for authority shown by younger people.

“It’s good to build relationships with children so they can identify the role of the police in society,” he said.

“I want to encourage other police forces in nearby towns to stop by schools to say hello, not just come down in emergency situations.”