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Richmond upon Thames Liberal Democrats:Covering the constituencies of Twickenham and Richmond Park |
Teenagers speak out on crime
February 28, 2010 12:13 PM
• MORE than 140 young people have taken part in the borough's annual Youth Crime Conference, which was held at the RFU stadium in Twickenham on 24 February.
Pupils in year nine at state and private schools, including some from the German School, met to learn and discuss safety and how to protect themselves and their belongings. The day-long Unity in the Community conference, organised by Richmond Council and Richmond upon Thames Police, was attended by borough Mayor Cllr Celia Hodges.
Cllr David Williams, Richmond Council's Cabinet Member for Communities, said: "This conference has been a good chance for a number of our young people to share their feelings about crime, and to learn what is being done by the council and the police to keep the borough the safest in London. Many of the topics that were discussed, like alcohol awareness, were chosen because they will be of particular interest to young people. They have found out how to avoid becoming victims of different types of crime by making themselves less of a target, and learnt how look after themselves. Giving them that information should help to bring a bit of peace of mind to them and their families."
Chf Insp Dave Henfrey said: "I'm pleased the conference was well attended.
It was a useful opportunity for teenagers to meet their local police officers and find out how they are working to keep the borough's crime levels down. The more people recognise that the police are here to help them, the stronger relationships become, and the easier it is for us to deal with crimes when they do happen."
The conference used drama presentations, talks, quizzes and workshops to deal with issues including raising awareness of the dangers of drinking alcohol and dealing with peer pressure. Police officers also explained how and why they use stop and search powers, and about the law relating to criminal damage. The students also learnt about the work the Metropolitan Police are doing to counter terrorism and extremism, and were told how they can help by reporting any concerns they have.
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