The summer holidays are well under way and it can be tempting for teens to get up to things they shouldn't, so Staffordshire Police has launched a new campaign to stop teenagers from doing something they could regret.
Police have found children aged between 11 and 16 are more likely to commit offences during the summer break, such as anti-social behaviour, possession of drugs and sexual offences, such as sexting or having sex without consent.
Now officers have created four videos to highlight the importance of staying safe this summer, focusing on topics such as sexting, underage sex, criminal damage and drug-taking. Officers are hoping the campaign will educate young people about the effects of their actions and teach them one silly mistake this summer could affect them for the rest of their lives.
Staffordshire Police says that a lot of these crimes are committed when teens are pressured into them by their friends, and so offices have also issued advice on how to ignore peer pressure.
One of the videos tells the story of a teenage boy who vandalised a community hall along with his friends. He thought nothing of it, until his grandmother saw a police campaign with his photo in it, ruining the family relationship.
Another follows a girl who sent a nude photo of herself to a boy she had been talking to online, who then shared it with his friends and thousands of people saw the photo - including her mum.
The videos are purely fictitious, but have been based on common events seen by the police, said a spokesman.
Superintendent Carl Ratcliffe from Staffordshire Police said: "Whilst we don't want to be the 'fun police' or ruin anyone's summer, we want to make sure that young people in Staffordshire stay safe and do not succumb to peer pressure.
"Unfortunately a rising number of young people experiment sexually or with drugs during the summer. We also see an increase in anti-social behaviour like criminal damage due to children being bored or being pressured by their peers.
"These videos show how what can start off as a seemingly innocent experiment can go horribly wrong and leave you regretting it for years to come."
