A supermarket in Leicester will have a police presence 24/7 thanks to the efforts of local school children. 

Pupils at Hope Hamilton Primary School, Kestrels’ Field Primary School and Humberstone Junior School have created life-size cardboard cut outs of their favourite neighbourhood officers.

The cut outs of PC Katy Burnham, PC Martin Peberdy and PC Alex Catlow are being displayed in the Tesco store at Hamilton for the community to enjoy. 

PC Katy Burnham, neighbourhood officer for Humberstone and Hamilton, said: “We were really impressed by the quality of the cardboard cut outs and the efforts that the school children have made. 

“It's a great community initiative and a fun way of reminding the community who their neighbourhood officers are. The whole point of neighbourhood policing is ensuring that residents and businesses get to know their local officers and the ways in which they can contact them, so that we can work together to resolve any policing issues in the community." 

Jo Higgins, headteacher at Kestrels’ Field Primary School in Hamilton, said: “The police officers regularly visit the school and talk to the children about issues like ‘stranger danger’. The children have also interviewed them as part of a project called ‘People Who Help Us’. 

“The children have loved getting to know their local police officers and creating the collages. They really have got lots out of this initiative.” 

Fiona Baby, deputy headteacher and Foundation Stage leader at Hope Hamilton Primary School, said: “The police have made a massive effort to get to know the children and they have really become friendly faces around the school. I think it’s really good for the children to develop a positive relationship with the police at an early age and they have had so much fun creating the cut out.” 

The Humberstone and Hamilton neighbourhood team can be contacted by calling Leicestershire Constabulary on (0116) 222 2222.