Wiltshire and Swindon's Youth Commission have met officers from Wiltshire Police and the Police and Crime Commissioner for the first time to answer their questions about policing.

The newest formation of the group, which was set up in 2021, got together to ask about subjects including speeding enforcement, anti-social behaviour, cyber-bullying, the court process, preventing re-offending and how the police are trained to support people with complex needs.

The young commissioners were shown the equipment used by officers and had the opportunity to see what's stored in a police response car and how devices such as stingers are used.

Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson was part of a panel which took questions from the Youth Commission and he was impressed by their attention to detail:

"This was the first time our new crop of young commissioners have been together to find out more about how policing in Wiltshire and Swindon works.

"Their role will be to take the information they find out to their peers so that they can have informative and positive discussions about how my office and Wiltshire Police can provide a better service and proactively engage with young people in the county.

"I was impressed with how the young commissioners came across, and I am confident that their work over the next three years will give Wiltshire Police and my office qualitative insights to tailor our approach in order to create a service which best meets the needs of young people"

The Youth Commission, which is run by Participation People on behalf of the OPCC, will meet with young people across the county and write reports to ensure that young people’s views and experiences are reflected in the work done by the OPCC and Wiltshire Police.

Annabel Hughes is leading the project for Participation People:

“The event was a fantastic opportunity for our young volunteers to direct the conversation and gather an understanding of police systems and processes in order to strengthen communication and promote transparency.

"The feedback we have received from the young people has been overwhelmingly positive and they thoroughly enjoyed connecting with the officers in attendance. It was a total success and we are excited for the onward project”. 

Superintendent Guy Elkins, Swindon Hub Commander said:

“Working with the Youth Commission is one of the methods we are using to improve our communication with our younger communities.

“The young people I met at the myth busting session were engaging and interactive, and we talked about some of the things they’ve highlighted as being important such as crime, mental health and our diversionary measures that look to divert people away from a life of criminality. 

“We have been making good progress in a number of areas in Swindon, including reducing knife crime by 18.1% over the past 12 months and taking the views of the Youth Commission on board will serve us well in the future to make further positive strides in the work we’re doing”