Kids hit back against crime with help from boxing club
Youngsters have given high praise to a new boxing club which aims to deter them from getting involved with crime.
Students from Ormiston Sandwell Academy have been selected by their teachers to take part in the eight week course in a bid to boost their confidence and self-worth.
Sam Dutton, aged 12, said: “This is the first time I’ve done anything like this and I’ve loved it, I can’t wait for the next eight weeks.
“It’s a new experience for me which gets me out of the house and away from playing computer games, it’s an opportunity I wouldn’t have had before.
“I’m so excited to be chosen by the school to take part in this new activity, hopefully I can carry this on afterwards.”
Classes have been set up using funding secured by West Midlands Police to work alongside Boxing England coaches at Warley Boxing Club in Oldbury.
The sessions aim to teach the basic techniques of the sport while also improving their focus and resilience.
John Nash, Head Coach at the club, said: “I was approached by Sergeant Gary Capwell, a local officer, who I’ve worked with over the years to help out with this project to try and fight knife crime, I said yes straight away because I hate knife crime with a passion.
“There’s a lot of things these kids need to learn, we want to educate them to do something different and something positive with their life rather than be in a gang and pick up a knife.
“Some of these kids are short of confidence, and if we can help them with that through boxing then we’re helping the wider community.”
The boxing club welcomed the young people and the neighbourhood policing team who work closely with children in local schools throughout the year.
Pc Thomas Wills-Gwilliam, said: “A lot of people think these are naughty kids, but they’re not, they just lack a bit of confidence, we want to boost their confidence and also teach them discipline too.
“I worked with a group of them just and they can’t wait to come back every week. Hopefully if we get good feedback from the kids and their parents and teachers we can keep funding this for different levels.
“We work hard to build a positive relationship with them, if the only time they see us at school is when we’re dragging someone into a police car they won’t trust us, so we spend time with them so they’ll trust us and can approach us when they need help.”
