Parents at Ballakermeen High School have been given the opportunity to quiz police on the dangers facing today’s teenagers.

The event, held at the Douglas school, was attended by about 60 parents who discussed drugs, alcohol and social media/sexting with officers.

Ballakermeen was in the news last week after a video involving two pupils went viral and has since led to police taking action.

The deputy head at the school, Stephen Pagan, addressed the video at the start of the meeting telling parents ’we live in a dangerous world and the island is not protected from that world’.

Mr Pagan added: ’But we are at the heart of our community and that comes with responsibilities, which include working with the police to civilise our society when it can appear uncivilised.’

Mr Pagan welcomed officers Mike Griffiths and Paddy Moore to speak to parents along with PC Dave Trevethan.

Mr Griffiths and Mr Moore are well known in the island’s schools, especially at Ballakermeen, where their work with the students contributed towards them jointly receiving the Community Police Officer of the Year in 2018.

Both officers feel that their relationship with the school has led to a massive difference in the way they are approached by students.

PC Griffiths told the Examiner that he has noticed the change to the point where he feels many students ’feel comfortable with us’ and speaking to the officers about issues they perhaps wouldn’t have done in previous years.

Among the concerns discussed was teenagers’ drinking habits, the availability of drugs in the island and the dangers of sexting which has affected students in every high school in the island.

Ballakermeen head teacher, Adrienne Burnett said: ’Mike and Paddy are familiar faces in school, as they have visited many Tutor groups and delivered assemblies to year groups.

’We are pleased with how successful this initiative has been. The students know and trust Mike and Paddy, who offer straight- talking advice to students, staff and parents.

’Working together in this way to support our young people has been so successful that the approach is now being extended to all other secondary schools.’