Many families will have seen the media story about a violent crime taking place on Conybere Street on Friday afternoon. This was the fourth violent incident in the area of Conybere Street and Horton Square in recent months.
Statistics published by West Midlands Police show Highgate, and in particular Horton Square and the area immediately around it as a crime hot spot. The most frequently recorded crimes are violence and sexual offences.
Both before and after school, a large number of children spend time and socialise in the local area and in Horton Square. Unfortunately, this is hugely unsafe. It is also troubling to see many young pupils in Horton Square unsupervised in the early evening.
Our school will continue to be visible in the local area in the morning and afternoons, visiting the square and encouraging pupils to leave and to go home as soon as possible. Our school will also continue to work with the police and the local council to take steps to reduce crime rates and to make the area as safe as possible.
However, in the meantime, it is strongly recommended that parents make sure that their children avoid the square at all times and do not spend time in the evenings in Horton Square or on Conybere Street. There are routes from the dual carriage way to the school that can avoid the square and it is recommended that pupils take them. If for any reason the square cannot be avoided, then please advise children to move through it as quickly as possible.