A group of Salfordians from youth projects had the chance to quiz a panel of professionals about their role promoting local welfare.
The group of young people had the opportunity to ask Salford City Council and Greater Manchester Police (GMP) about crime and community issues.
At the event on 25 November young people from Salford Youth Council, the Fight for Change Council, Beacon Girls Group, Salford Lads and Girls Club and Salford Youth Zone put a range of questions to Salford City Councillors, professionals, and Paul McCurry, Programme Lead for Police Apprenticeship Programme with Salford University.
Formative feedback from the event, hosted by Salford University, will be used by the GMP as it carries out a consultation on resetting police priorities.
Questions ranging from “What work is being done on the rehabilitation of young criminals?” to “Can you volunteer to help prevent crime?” received direct responses from the experts.
Following the event, Kyran Wegener from Salford Youth Council said: “We really want to find out what’s happening to deal with serious issues like youth violence, knife and hate crime, rehabilitating young people and how the police deal with young people who have special needs and disabilities.
“We want to feel safe in our streets and homes and we hope that by understanding what our issues and concerns are, we can work with Salford City Council and police to find ways to improve the situation.”
Emilee Jones, a young person from Dean’s Youth Centre commented: “I think it’s a good thing that this event is talking about crime and safety and young people. It’s important we can get our opinions out and have people listen to us.
“People in power get to hear young people’s views rather than guessing what they think. It’s a good thing youth crime is being tackled and things like rehabilitation are being discussed.”
Salford has the second-highest rate of arson and criminal damage compared with the rest of the Greater Manchester Police Force area.
Councillor Barbara Bentham Lead Member for Neighbourhoods, Environment and Community Safety expressed her satisfaction seeing the event take place: “We were very pleased to take part in this event and to see young people be so involved in sharing what their concerns and issues are.
“This is very helpful in helping us, the police and other agencies shape our plans and actions to reduce crime, help communities feel safe and make Salford a great place to live.”
And these opinions were shared by Councillor Jim Cammell, Lead Member for Children’s and Young People’s Services at Salford City Council who wanted to encourage the voices of young people to be heard.
As Cllr. Cammel said: “This event is an important part of our work to listen to and champion the voices and rights of children and young people in the city. We would like to extend our thanks to Salford University for providing the food and venue for this event.”
These thoughts were echoed by Melissa Caslake, Executive Director of Children’s Services, who said: “Events such as this one help us to find out what young people are most concerned about and interested in, so we can design and build services that meet their needs and future aspirations.”
The event allowed Salford youth to have their voices heard with the intention of all educating both parties for the future and great a lasting memory.
Chief Inspector Darren Whitehead from GMP Salford district said: “Young people can come into contact with the police on a daily basis, for a variety of reasons, and we strongly believe that first impressions matter, and that any experience they have may have a lasting impact.
“For this reason, it’s important that we get it right. Our young people are the future of Salford, anything we can do to improve the relationship with them is crucial.
“Sessions like this can help us foster positive relationships with them and encourage them to get involved and share their concerns so that together, we can drive positive change across Salford.”
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