Back row left to right:
PCSO Joanne Jackson
Gillian Fletcher, YHS programme lead
PCSO Rebecca Fenton
Chief Constable Catherine Roper (Wiltshire)
Gordon Burcham, Head of G-Force
Peter Reaney, RHS Chair of Governors
Eric Wood OBE DL, Former Warwickshire Deputy Police and Crime commissioner
Emma Daniell, Warwickshire Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner
Joanna Grimes, Deputy Head, RHS
Front row L to R:
Iris Parsons, student team leader Project Prevent (PP)
Sarayu Kotha, student team leader PP
Karen Lynch MBE, High Sheriff of Warwickshire
Sera Deepak, student team leader PP
Grace Rankin, student team leader PP
Mervyn Kimberley, Warwickshire Crimebeat PP liaison office.

The National Crimebeat Awards celebrates and rewards youth-led projects that seek to reduce the incidence of crime and support victims of crime in the communities across England and Wales.

The 2026 Awards attracted huge interest from around England and Wales and the panel of judges were thrilled with their quality of entries. There can be no doubt that our young people are taking responsibility for combatting crime in their communities. Each entry is given careful consideration and scrutiny. Firstly, a shortlist is created which is then narrowed down to just six finalists. The final judging then takes place, and this year’s was an incredibly difficult task generating some passionate debate.

Rugby High’s students worked in partnership with the High Sheriff of Warwickshire to create their project, Project Prevent, after it was identified that crimes that most concerned them were assault, grooming and harassment. The students reached out for specialist support and sought collaborative partnerships with Warwickshire Police, Safeline, Rugby Borough Council and G-Force, a local high energy, mindset and self-defence provider. Project Prevent combines peer-to-peer education, professional expertise and practical safety tools.

The Project Prevent team of Sarayu Kotha, Sera Deepak, Grace Rankin and Iris Parsons were accompanied to the Awards by Karen Lynch MBE, High Sheriff of Warwickshire, Simon Miesegaes DL, Chair of Warwickshire Crimebeat, Peter Reaney, RHS Chair of Governors, Joanna Grimes, RHS Deputy Headteacher and Rugby Police’s Youth Engagement Team.

At the Awards the students showcased their school, the county of Warwickshire and themselves in the most positive of lights. They delivered a professional presentation to a room full of over 150 people and the audience were very impressed with their project. 

Karen Lynch MBE, High Sheriff of Warwickshire, said: “Reaching a national final with a project of this calibre is an outstanding achievement. These young women have not only excelled on a national stage, but have delivered meaningful, preventative work across Rugby Borough to tackle assault, grooming and harassment. As High Sheriff, my role is rooted in supporting law and order, and crucially in preventing crime - and this is exactly what we are seeing here: intelligent, professional action that will help make communities safer.”

Simon Miesegaes DL, Chair of Warwickshire Crimebeat, commented: “It is a delight to have the Young High Sheriff competition and workshops under the banner of Warwickshire Crimebeat - we always knew that Project Prevent and the team from Rugby High School had something special - but to come second behind Greater London in the National Crimebeat Finals is a simply wonderful achievement - Rugby High School, from its Chair of Governors Peter Reaney, its inspirationally supportive Head Mark Grady, the staff team and Sarayu, Grace and Sara, has proved that our young really can help improve their communities and make them safer places”.

Mr Mark Grady, Headteacher of Rugby High School, said: “I am tremendously proud of all the students that contributed and participated in this project. It began over 18 months ago with workshops at the school - where over a hundred students contributed to initial planning phases and workshops.  The four students that drove the project forward did so building on the efforts and ideas of their peers, and so this really is an award for the collaboration and insight of lots of our students.

We could not be prouder however of Iris, Grace, Sarayu and Sera, this project has had a transformational impact on our school, and local schools, and the fact that 4 students in our school will have impacted and supported over 4500 students across Warwickshire by the time we have finished is really quite something. Resilience, tenacity and a passion to support our community has been the cornerstone of their work, and as our school vision proudly states, we want our students to leave us knowing their actions have the potential to change the world - in this case - our students have proven it to themselves and the rest of our community already.  What an achievement!”