Wiltshire policing first as Officers meet Youth Commission
The commission quizzed officers on a variety of policing topics
In a policing first in Wiltshire - Police officers have been answering questions from the county's youth commission.
They met the group who quizzed them on several topics - including the court process, speeding enforcement and how police support people with complex needs.
Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire and Swindon, Philip Wilkinson, who help set up the group in 2021, was also on the panel.
The young commissioners were shown the equipment used by officers and had the opportunity to see what is stored in a police response car and how devices such as stingers are used.
Mr Wilkinson said: "This was the first time our new crop of young commissioners have been together to find out more about how policing in Wiltshire and Swindon works.
"Their role will be to take the information they find out to their peers so that they can have informative and positive discussions about how my office and Wiltshire Police can provide a better service and proactively engage with young people in the county.
"I was impressed with how the young commissioners came across, and I am confident that their work over the next three years will give Wiltshire Police and my office qualitative insights to tailor our approach in order to create a service which best meets the needs of young people."
The Youth Commission meet with young people across the county to ensure the views of young people are heard and reflected in the work carried out by the OPCC (Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner) and Wiltshire Police.
Annabel Hughes is leading the project for Participation People, who run the commission on the OPCC's behalf:
She said: “The event was a fantastic opportunity for our young volunteers to direct the conversation and gather an understanding of police systems and processes in order to strengthen communication and promote transparency.
"The feedback we have received from the young people has been overwhelmingly positive and they thoroughly enjoyed connecting with the officers in attendance. It was a total success and we are excited for the onward project”.
Superintendent Guy Elkins, Swindon Hub Commander said: “Working with the Youth Commission is one of the methods we are using to improve our communication with our younger communities.
“The young people I met at the myth busting session were engaging and interactive, and we talked about some of the things they’ve highlighted as being important such as crime, mental health and our diversionary measures that look to divert people away from a life of criminality.
“We have been making good progress in a number of areas in Swindon, including reducing knife crime by 18.1% over the past 12 months and taking the views of the Youth Commission on board will serve us well in the future to make further positive strides in the work we’re doing.”