The National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) states that ‘A core role for policing is to protect the vulnerable in our society’. It also states that ‘Every interaction leaves a mark, and we need to think carefully about what sort of mark that is.’ I think these statements are something we can all agree with, in principle, but how they play out in practice varies. We need to think about the mark that is left after the interactions that many young people have with the police.
In a community engagement workshop that we delivered earlier this year, a community member shared a comment that really stuck with me; ‘sometimes we need to be careful that we leave a mark and not a scar’. I think that is a powerful statement for us to keep at the forefront of our minds when we are working with the community and especially young people.
Getting young people to engage with the police, or any public service for that matter, is a challenge that has become more prominent and spotlighted throughout the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement. When discussing how to work with young people, or involve them in consultation, we often presume we need to be more up to date with social media or do targeted events that would be ‘fun’ for young people – but the truth is, the key is to engage with young people is to treat them like equals, not kids that need to be entertained in a way that makes the adult feel ‘cool’.
The one thing that we all demand is respect, and that is no different for young people; what they need to be engaged are mutual respect and a positive listening experience. At MutualGain, we use a formula for all our engagement: give communities an incentive and a positive listening experience to create active citizenship and new social norms. I feel that this applies to young people, not just the older generations within communities – what we need to build trusting relationships is to ensure that the mark we leave is a positive one, they enjoy themselves when taking part in an engagement exercise, and that action is taken where possible; showing that we don’t just ‘hear’ them, but we are listening. Fun activities are fine and have their place – but where are we engaging young people in dialogue and deliberation about the issues that they are interested in – violence, crime, equality, power, politics, employment etc? That debate needs time and space, which a ‘coffee with a copper’ won’t create; a fun day looking at their cars and gadgets won’t deliver, and rocking up at a youth club won’t win them over.
It is no secret that the levels of trust young people have for the police in the UK are very low – they feel stereotyped, judged, and as though the way they are seen by the police is out of their control. These are the things that need to be tackled for police forces to build trusting relationships with the young people in their communities. The type of music a person listens to, the colour of their skin, what clothes they feel comfortable in, the area they live in, or their age does not and should not define the way society looks at them. Although this is something we claim to believe, the need to confront these issues and change the way the police culture is viewed is something we all need to understand and get active in changing.
In light of this, my top tips would have to be:
- Empower young people to influence decisions and have their say on what’s happening in their community – ongoing deliberations that are heard by senior and front line officers and inform the way policing happens in communities.
- Include them in wider conversations – not just conversations about ‘what young people want’ – they are interested in health, mental health, climate change, as well as the immediate threats of violence and crime.
- Don’t just make consultation interesting for young people; make it interesting for everyone – and get the balance right between separate conversations with young people and collective conversations with the whole community.
- Convert what you hear from young people and the wider community into actions that everyone can play a part in, where appropriate
- Welcome change, and start from a place of respect – recognising that before being a public servant, you are a person trying to do good in the world (something that is only possible when we break down the barriers and listen without ulterior motives).
Biography
Antigua is a Juniour Associate for MutualGain, currently completing an apprenticeship and training to be a fully qualified consultant. Her interest is being a voice for those that are ‘unheard’ and being able to make a difference for future generations.
She is passionate about the work she carries out with MutualGain, and enjoys working with communities, unlocking opportunities and empowering ‘hard to reach’ groups.
