Young people in Nottinghamshire are being asked their views to help part of a drive to build trust and confidence in the police.
Police and Crime Commissioner Caroline Henry funds the Youth Commission to help gather the views of people aged 14-25 and give them a voice in shaping the best possible police service.
It has delivered campaigns on topics such as knife crime, rights surrounding stop and search and trust and confidence in the police.
The first meeting of this cohort, made up of 33 members from across Nottinghamshire, was held at the YMCA in the City on Saturday.
Gabrielle Jones, from Leaders Unlocked who run the workshops, said: “It is really important to give young people an opportunity to get their voices heard.
“Quite a lot of our young people are from underrepresented groups, who sometimes may get overlooked by the community.
“Getting a group of like-minded young people together to share ideas is incredibly powerful, they are the next generation so we need to listen to them.”
Youth Commission member Claudia, 17, said: “What I want to do is help police understand the different perspectives of young people.
“They’re more welcoming here than other forces I’ve heard about on the news which stereotypes them, but what they can improve on is their communication with the younger generation.”
Commissioner Henry attended the initial meeting on Saturday to explain her role as Police and Crime Commissioner and to engage with the young people.
She said: “One of my main aims is to increase trust and confidence in the police and young people’s views can help us with how we work with the public.
“Just because I was young once, it doesn’t mean I understand how young people feel about the police today.
“As a force, we want to be the best service possible and the Youth Commission will help us do exactly that as it will work collaboratively to allow us to understand and serve the needs of our young people in Nottinghamshire.”
Posted on Tuesday 17th January 2023