Pupils help Gwent Police reflect on their practices

Pupils from John Frost School, Newport have come together with officers from Gwent Police and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner to form the first Gwent Police Youth Scrutiny Panel.

 

The panel is made up of volunteers from years 10 and 11 and will be working with Gwent Police to provide honest and open feedback on the performance of officers in a variety of situations.

 

The group will meet throughout the year, providing a safe, confidential space for young people to scrutinise the work of Gwent Police.

 

During the sessions, which will take place at the school, young people will be encouraged to use their personal instinct to question the work of officers in a range of situations that have been captured on body-worn cameras, including stop and search and use of force during arrest. Use of force is used when officers need to physically handle individuals to aid an arrest, to minimise risk to themselves the individual and others with for example the use of handcuffs.

 

The Youth Scrutiny panel will complement the work of the Gwent Police Independent Advisory Group which is made up of adults from a range of diverse backgrounds and underrepresented groups, who provide personal perspectives on the policies, procedures and practices within the force to protect both the reputation of the force and safeguards against adverse impact on any section of the community.

 

Police and Crime Commissioner, Jeff Cuthbert said:

 

“My role is to hold Gwent Police to account and scrutinise the work of the force and officers.

 

“I am keen to gain the insight of young people from the Youth Panel. Their feedback will provide another level of scrutiny which will help my team to reflect on how effective the force is.

 

“The voice of young people is extremely important. It is vital that we listen to young people and act on their thoughts to help understand how officers are dealing with communities in Gwent.”

 

For more information into the work of the Independent Advisory Group: https://www.gwent.police.uk/police-forces/gwent-police/areas/about-us/about-us/independent-advisory-group/