Youth Commissioners present survey to senior officers at Wiltshire Police HQ
The Wiltshire and Swindon Youth Commission (WSYC) have presented the key findings of their survey about policing in the county to senior officers at Wiltshire Police Headquarters in Devizes.
The WSYC is run by Participation People on behalf of the Office of the Police Crime Commissioner, and their visit to HQ was the result of an invitation from Chief Superintendent Doug Downing after he met them at the inital presentation of the survey in Swindon earlier this year.
More than 600 young people aged 11–25 took part in the WSYC survey, with knife crime being the most prominent issue. The Youth Commissioners shared young people’s experiences and questions, and senior officers explained how they balance enforcement with prevention. Officers also stressed the importance of proportionate enforcement and responsible reporting so communities get accurate information without creating unnecessary alarm.
An important part of the day centred on how Wiltshire Police engages with young people online. Commissioners and officers discussed current use of social media platforms and explored ways of how future content and campaigns could be more relatable and useful for younger audiences through the potential use of channels such as TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube and Spotify.
Issues surrounding mental health and neurodiversity were also raised but with officers outlining how the Right Care, Right Person approach is being delivered with partners from the NHS and local authorities. The Young Commissioners also used a Freedom of Information request to look at how police officers were supported in terms of their mental health and asked questions around the number of days taken as sick leave and the effectiveness of the services available.
The group toured frontline teams at HQ, including the Crime and Communications Centre (where 999 and 101 calls are handled), the drone team and the police dog team, giving young people a direct view of operational work.
Young people across Wiltshire and Swindon made clear they want better engagement from Wiltshire Police, a more visible uniformed presence in towns and city centres, and practical steps to making public spaces safer.
Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson challenged the WYSC to continue to hold his office and Wiltshire Police to account, as well as expanding their network:
"Today we heard from seven of our Youth Commissioners who represented the views of over six hundred of their peers across Wiltshire and Swindon. I have told them we need to hear more views from a wider network of young people in Wiltshire and Swindon.
"It's also vital that we take on board the feedback they have given us today and they see positive results on behalf of the people they are representing. To build the trust and confidence of young people in Wiltshire, we have to listen, maintain a dialogue and then turn those discussions into action.
"My role is to make sure the conversations we have are meaningful, and their voices are being heard a proactive manner."
Senior leaders welcomed the feedback from the WSYC and committed to taking their insights into planning and joint work with partner agencies.
Chief Superintendent Downing said:
"The Youth Commissioners gave us a great deal of insight into the problems and challenges that young people face in the communities of Swindon and Wiltshire and some opportunities for us to further improve our service, particularly around our engagement with young people.
"It's important that we use their feedback to not only inform how we interact with young people, but also how we ensure that they are cited on relevant updates and timely information. We need to close the gap between the police service and young people, and we have the opportunity to drive forward our activity by working with the Youth Commission representing their communities, their peers, their friends and other students.
"Today also reminded us that young people are full of hope, innovation and inspiration."
