| Schools across West Mercia are being decked out with a new card game which aims to be a tool for officers and children to engage with each other.
Top Dogs cards will be distributed by 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 snapped up, each featuring a different West Mercia Police dog with their statistics and a fun 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.
Superintendent 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.”
How to play
Starting your collection:
- Children will be given five or six cards by officers or PCSOs to get their deck started. Using their starter deck they can play a game of Top Dogs with their friends or even our officers and PCSOs.
- There are 56 cards to collect, so children can even use them to swap with their friends, officers or PCSOs if they have a duplicate.
Gameplay:
- To win a card the player will select a category from their card; e.g, speed, strength or bark. Their opponent will then reveal the same category statistic from their card, and the player with the highest value in that category will then win that card.
- The player who won the previous round can then start the next round by choosing a new category.
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