Putting young people front and centre
When it comes to effectively tackling youth violence, early intervention is key. Dealing with the issues before they present as violence is vital and it takes much more than enforcement – it needs understanding and compassion from a variety of partners, and most of all we need to be listening to our young people and hearing what they tell us.
My Office’s Violence Reduction and Prevention Team have been working intensely on a Youth Participation Strategy, which not only puts young people at the heart of their work but looks at the ways and services which are best placed to work with young people. As part of this strategy, we have committed to providing a twice-yearly participation pack to capture young people’s views and opinions. I want to better understand children and young people’s experiences of serious violence and knife crime in Dorset and hear their ideas on how to improve safety for all our communities. Our focus brings together key data and lived experience to form a clearer picture and help us invest in initiatives to ensure Dorset remains one of the safest places to live, work and visit.
Earlier this year, the team shared the first survey and activity pack with partners across Dorset aimed at 10-25-year-olds on the theme of violence and knife crime. Promoted through school and club visits, the survey was also shared by local partners and on social media platforms in order to capture a range of views. With questions asking about perceptions of serious violence to suggestions as to what would make people feel safer, the results have been collated and will now lead to focus groups with young people to consider the next steps.
It is important to say that engagement is at the heart of this strategy. We need to bring young people closer to organisations such as the police and local authorities to foster trust and transparency, and young people need to know they are being listened to and their voices matter. I will be meeting with young people from both the BCP and Dorset county areas so they can question me directly on the issues they want answers to as part of this engagement. I also want to make clear that the findings of these surveys will not be seen in a vacuum; my team will continue to work alongside our partners and community organisations, investigating and analysing these findings against evidence and other feedback.
The results of the survey presented some interesting findings. Overall, the most popular response selected by those who completed the survey, was that serious violence and knife crime was not a problem where they live. This obviously varies in urban areas, particularly Bournemouth and of course this must be interpreted alongside the data we have as part of our evidence-led approach to serious violence. We must also ensure that we are listening to voices in the community and from other sectors to ensure we have a rounded picture. Nearly three quarters said they would tell a parent or family member if they knew their friend was carrying a knife, with the next most popular response being that they would tell the police – this accounted for nearly half of the answers. The respondents also thought peer pressure and drugs and alcohol were possibly reasons young people commit violent crime.
When it comes to how we go about making young people feel safer, the top three answers the respondents gave included more CCTV, better street lighting and more police in the community. When it came to the places most of the respondents said they felt unsafe, these were on the street, town centre and on public transport. I am pleased to say that as part of the Safer Streets funding received in the past two years, CCTV coverage in key areas has improved, with local authorities investing these funds into more cameras and better coverage. Communicating this is key, so young people can feel safer in public places. Also, following extra funding, even more officers will soon be out in our communities, providing even more of a visible presence where it’s needed, to build even more confidence. This is alongside the successful hotspot policing initiative Dorset Police have been running for the past two years, which has expanded into more areas across Dorset this year.
This work, seeking and listening to the views of young people is just the beginning but is a vital part of the work my Violence Reduction and Prevention team are undertaking. Building a positive relationship with young people in our county, ensuring we’re listening, and communicating in a way which works for them is crucial to improving confidence and trust for many years to come, which will ultimately make our county safer, not just now but for future generations.
David Sidwick
Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner