Cheshire PCC appoints youth ambassador

A youth ambassador has been appointed by the police and crime commissioner (PCC) for Cheshire.

Dominic Rogers, 23, has previously worked as a learning support assistant at a Cheshire school, as well as a football coach and in local youth centres.

Mr Rogers will begin work in the role on July 15, earning an annual salary of £23,799, with his contract expiring shortly before the next PCC election, when the success of the position will be reviewed.

The appointment in Cheshire is the first such move since the Kent PCC Ann Barnes introduced a youth PCC in April. Her initial appointment caused controversy as Paris Brown, the 17-year-old initially chosen for the role, stood down following revelations over “offensive” social media messages discovered on her Twitter profile less than a week after taking the job. The £15,000-a-year post has yet to be re-filled.

Following his appointment, Mr Rogers said: “I feel that the experience and skills that I have developed working with young people and adults will allow me to be successful in the role.”

John Dwyer, PCC for Cheshire, admitted he had faced criticism for making the appointment, which had attracted 76 applicants, but said he had developed the role with other agencies and partner organisations to ensure it was worthwhile.

“Recent events have made me reflect on the need for the appointment and I am conscious that young people facing difficult circumstances and those at risk from harm need a way to make themselves heard,” he said.

“I feel that the money being invested in the salary of the youth ambassador is public money being used to protect our young people and involve them in developing improvements to policing that we will all benefit from.

“Young people are an often undervalued but important element of society and our future. During the last year, seven per cent of victims of crime in Cheshire were young people – that is 2,734 people from whom we can learn about their experiences with the police and make improvements in the service we offer in the future.”

Mr Dwyer said the job would involve working with young people and providing them with a range of crime prevention advice, from personal safety to online security and encouraging a responsible attitude to drugs and alcohol. Despite a similar position in Humberside being voluntary, he said the nature of the role he required in Cheshire meant it went above and beyond the duties that could be expected of a volunteer and therefore justified the salary.

“I cannot personally commit the appropriate time to doing this myself with my other public engagement activity and I believe that this requires the experience of working with young people which Dominic brings,” he said.

Mr Dwyer said the Kent controversy had not affected his recruitment process, adding “all the social media outlets were checked” and “everything came up clear” for the six candidates on the shortlist.

“Did the Kent experience put me off? No it didn’t, because we were looking for a very different candidate,” he said.

“We were looking for someone with qualifications and experience in dealing with youth work, who could address the issues of young people.”

Having been made aware of the specific need for a representative to bring forward concerns to the police during the election process last year, Mr Dwyer said the recent controversies over police responses to cases of child sexual exploitation showed the need for better communication and understanding with teenagers and children.

He said: “Young girls were making complaints to the police, but apparently at low levels officers were dismissing complaints – this position will help make a meaningful dialogue between young people and the police.”