Police

Research to establish what youth resources have been invested in by Police Forces throughout England and Wales

Background

Young people make up a significant section of the community, Police Forces across England and Wales invest in a high level of resources in terms of; education, youth justice and Police personnel time and energy, to ensure that young people are aware of the consequences of crime and disorder.

To establish what youth resources have been invested in by Police Forces throughout England and Wales, Merseyside Police sponsored by the Association of Chief Police Officers Youth Issues Group, wanted to undertake research with all 43 Police Forces to collate examples of successful youth engagement activities.

Aim

The research asked Police Forces to provide examples of their most successful youth engagement activities in their Force area. The research aimed to gather examples of best practice in School Programmes, Youth Engagement Programmes and Youth Justice Programmes.

What did we do?

We developed a semi-structured questionnaire to generate examples of successful police engagement activities with young people, which was then distributed to all 43 Police Forces in England and Wales. Following questionnaire completion, in-depth interviews were conducted with the relevant contacts for youth engagement matters to provide a deeper insight into youth engagement activities.

Results

The research was conducted over a period of eight weeks, collecting and collating the relevant information from each of the Police Forces. This information was then presented as a ‘What Works Guide’ formally in a specially designed folder. The research report was distributed to the key youth engagement contacts of each Police Force at a national conference for the Association of Chief Police Officers Youth Issues Group.

This initial research demonstrated the vast array of youth engagement activities, which have had the greatest impact on young people. The findings provided a snap shot of youth engagement activities across England and Wales, with a view to developing a national best practice toolkit to support Police Officers and Police staff, and those who work with young people in crime reduction and prevention activity.