Youth Commission

The Youth Commission on Police and Crime provides a platform for young people to influence the future of policing and crime prevention in their local areas.

The Commission allows young people aged 14-25 years to work in partnership with their Police and Crime Commissioners and police forces to tackle urgent issues such as reducing youth offending, relationships with the police, and support for young victims and witnesses.

To date, we have established Youth Commissions in 18 policing regions: Cheshire; Cleveland; Cumbria; Derbyshire: Hampshire & Isle of Wight; Lancashire; Leicestershire; Lincolnshire; Norfolk; Nottinghamshire; North Wales; North Yorkshire; Merseyside; Staffordshire; Surrey: Sussex; West Yorkshire and Wiltshire and Swindon. Establishing Youth Independent Advisory Groups (YAGs) and Scrutiny Panels in the majority of Youth Commissions.

How it works

Each Youth Commission involves the following stages of work:

Recruitment: Working closely with local partners, Leaders Unlocked recruits a group of young people to join the Youth Commission and determine which policing and crime issues are most significant in their area. This group brings together a diverse cross-section of the youth population, including those with direct experience of the Criminal Justice System.

Skills training: Youth Commission members receive training to develop valuable skills for their role, including: research and interview skills, communication and public speaking, and the skills to engage other young people in workshops.

'Big Conversation': Youth Commission members are given the support and tools to carry out a ‘Big Conversation’ to engage a much wider number of young people and gather their views on agreed priority topics such as youth offending, domestic abuse, relations with the police, or hate crime.

Recommendations: Leaders Unlocked works with Youth Commission members to analyse the data, extract the key findings, and develop strong, practical recommendations for change.

Conference: At the end of each Youth Commission, the young people present their findings and recommendations to the PCC, police, partner agencies, and local media at a final conference; ensuring young voices are heard and actioned by the police and other partners.

Why

Young people aged 14-25 experience crime more than any other age group. By harnessing their experience, police forces can become fairer, more accountable organisations in their own communities. The end goal is to help PCCs and police forces improve their decision-making and increase accountability in a way that benefits everyone in the community.

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