POLICE
Fixing the future - an open letter from David Sidwick, Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner
All too often, many of the problems in society are attributed to young people. Young people are seen by some as having nothing better to do and are regularly vilified as being responsible for causing nuisance and disorder, as well as other issues. I know this perception is Excluded kids get a breath of incorrect, and young people fresh air should never be lumped Future Roots is an organisation together as a group to be feared. that uses one of Dorset’s Indeed, teenagers are more greatest resources – the rural likely to be victims of crime than environment – to offer young perpetrators. people the chance to boost When it comes to youth, it’s their wellbeing and reach their incredibly important we get it potential. right. It’s vital we tap into the I visited the service at their enormous potential our young farm near Sherborne earlier people have and steer them in the summer to see how the towards making better choices. hands-on farm-based activities Thankfully, there are several they provide, help young people organisations across Dorset become more comfortable which are already with who they are, “teenagers are build confidence doing an incredible more likely job of providing them and identify their with this guidance. to be victims strengths. It’s led by Julie of crime than Dragon’s Den Plumley, a farmers’ perpetrators” daughter who went I’d been invited to sit on the judging panel on to have a long for a Dragon’s Den style event, career in social work and decided in which police cadets were to create an organisation that asked to deal with an anti-social combined the best of both behaviour scenario, very similar worlds. She stresses that young to those ones which police people don’t go there because officers and council staff have to they are ‘naughty’ or ‘bad’ but respond to on a regular basis. because they need a safe and It was fascinating to hear their secure learning environment. suggestions and to see them bounce ideas around as they School’s not always the answer attempted to come up with The traditional school setting solutions. doesn’t work for every child, The teenagers I met were and Julie told me about many fulfilling useful roles in their examples of families and young communities, as well as people who have found the developing confidence and life solution they were looking for skills such as communication at Future Roots. This includes and team building. teenagers who had been But good as the police cadets is excluded from school, who had as a youth organisation, it will become known to the police, never be for everyone. as well as those who were just
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unable to cope with lockdown. Their lives had been transformed simply by working among animals in the fresh air. I also visited the Dorset Youth Association in Dorchester recently. It enabled me to connect with a wide range of people in the voluntary and community sector, to find out more about some of the challenges they face. Equipping our young people I am making commitments not only to cutting crime and antisocial behaviour, but to putting our community first. That means making sure young people are not left behind, and that by working with a wide range of partners we provide proper support for those who are struggling. Fixing the future by addressing the problems our young people face is a big challenge which goes far beyond policing. But it’s important we do what we can to give them the right tools to make the right decisions. PCC David Sidwick Always free - subscribe here
