New strategy launched to tackle young people’s top policing priorities

The PSNI said it has taken the lead from those who work with young people and the concerns of young people themselves in producing the strategy.

It said more than 400,000 young people (under 18s) live locally and so they make up “a huge percentage of the community that the PSNI serves and protects”.

By virtue of their age or circumstance, they can be especially vulnerable and the PSNI has pledged to be “ambitious” in ensuring that children and young people are heard, that they have the opportunity to help shape the future of policing and that they ultimately feel safe.

Launched on Tuesday (June 13), the strategy is aligned with the National Police Chiefs’ Council guidelines and based on a number of key themes – engagement; safety and protection; victims and witnesses; offending; and stop and search

“The strategy also takes into account our responsibilities as outlined in the UN Convention on the Right of the Child, acknowledging the importance of giving our children and young people the best start in life,” said the PSNI.

“Children and young people may encounter the police for a myriad of different reasons and often at difficult times in their lives.”

In 2021/22, under-18s made up 10.35 per cent of all victims of reported crime in Northern Ireland.

Assistant Chief Constable Bobby Singleton said: “Children and young people are often the unseen victims of many crimes and their voices are not always heard, nor do they feel confident or empowered to speak out. As a police service, we want to work with our partners to change this.

“Northern Ireland and its complex cultural backdrop has meant that we have to work incredibly hard to build trust and confidence within our communities.

“We want young people to know that we are their police service, we are there for them and we take their concerns as seriously as those of adults.”

The PSNI has already taken a number of positive steps to engage vulnerable young people, including the introduction of community activities. In 2019, it embarked on a partnership with the Northern Ireland Executive to fund and facilitate local initiatives, including schemes for young people who are potentially vulnerable to paramilitary influence and harm.

Mr Singleton added: “Last year £145,000 was invested by the Executive into local engagement activities that included sporting initiatives, video gaming programmes and mentorship schemes. Approximately 700 young people took part in 2022/23.

“The last three years has been an incredibly challenging time for society as a whole, but sometimes it’s easy to forget that our young people have felt the strain just as much. The ongoing cost of living crisis means young people are at even more risk of criminal influence. We don’t want to see more young people losing their future.

“As part of each activity, our local officers have the chance to meet and connect with those taking part. They will listen to any concerns, and offer advice on some of the issues currently affecting our young people, steering them away from negative choices.

“We want to build on this; it’s important that our core service works for young people too. For this strategy we have really taken a lead from those who work with young people and young people themselves, and looked at ways we can improve based on their views and experiences.”

Welcoming publication of the strategy, Northern Ireland Policing Board chair Deirdre Toner said: “As a Board, we welcome this strategy and the commitments that have been given by the policing service for their interactions and engagement with children and young people.

“The rights of children and young people need to be respected and protected, and this is an area of work that the Board will continue to keep under close review through its oversight work and through that of its human rights adviser.”

The Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People’s chief executive Mairead McCafferty stated: “I welcome this strategy because of its focus on commitments by the PSNI to have a positive approach to policing where children and young people are concerned.

“I particularly welcome the chief constable’s commitment to the Police Service’s responsibilities as set out in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

“In all encounters with the police, children should be treated as children and their rights, welfare and wellbeing prioritised in accordance with the UNCRC. The strategy outlines areas of importance that can contribute to confidence in policing. It also highlights the importance of genuine engagement, ie, listening to children and young people and respecting their views, experiences and opinions – a prerequisite to developing positive relationships. I look forward to seeing it put into practice.”

The PSNI said it has committed to continuing to develop its engagement with young people and will be working this year to plan and put in place mechanisms for them to feed their concerns and opinions directly to local officers so they may help shape the future of the service.