SCHOOLS across the policing district are being decked out with a new card game which aims to be used as a tool for officers and children to engage with each other.
Top Dogs cards will be distributed by West Mercia’s Safer Neighbourhood Teams (SNT) to primary school aged children across all three counties in the force area – Herefordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire.
There are 56 different trump cards to be collected, each featuring a different West Mercia Police dog with their statistics and a fact about the canine.
The aim is for children to collect all 56 cards – whether they approach an officer for a game of Top Dogs, or swap cards with their friends, but ultimately the aim is to have fun.
Spt Edward Hancox, head of prevention, said: “This is a fun tool for us to use within our communities, encouraging children to engage with officers and build positive relationships. Previous schemes have proven very popular.
“We are hoping these cards will be snapped up by primary schools or at community events; basically anywhere there may be children.
“Each SNT will have cards they can distribute amongst the area they serve. If you see our officers out and about please don’t be afraid to approach us and ask if we have any Top Dogs.”
To play, children will be given five or six cards by officers to start off with. Using their deck they can play a game with friends of officers and PCSOs.
Children can even use them to swap with their friends, officers or PCSOs if they have duplicates.
To win a card, the player will select a category from their card which could be speed, strength or bark.
Their opponent will then reveal the same category from their top card, and the player with the highest value in that category will win the card.
The player who won the previous round can then start the next round by choosing a new category.
