SOME 700 old police laptops are to be donated to help young people in the region without access to a computer.
The move, approved by Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson, is designed to make sure all children can catch up at home on missed work as schools reopen.
Over the coming months the laptops will be given to youngsters to help them with their education and to allow them to catch up on the schooling they may have missed.
All of the laptops being donated have reached the end of their usable life for West Midlands Police, but are suitable for educational purposes.
Now, all of the devices will undergo a thorough process of wiping all data from them and ensuring that they are ‘clean’ before they are delivered to schools.
PCC Jamieson said: “I’m delighted we have been able to donate these laptops to those in the region who desperately need them to complete or catch up with their education.
“I know only too well, having been a head teacher in inner-city schools, the difficulties that young people can face.
“The pandemic has presented a new level of challenge for pupils and teachers and for those without access to technology this may have had a severe impact on their learning.
“Even when schools reopen, this issue of digital poverty will remain.
“It is good that we have been able to take advantage of our links with schools because of our cadet programme. That’s helping us roll out the laptops quicker than it ordinarily would.”
