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‘Military-style’ policing isn’t working, says Youth Council
Young politicians call on officers to adopt new approach at special meeting
POLICE stop-and-search tactics and the use of X-Ray arches to scan youngsters for weapons have been criticised by Camden’s Youth Council, who have called on officers to show their human side.
Teenage politicians, elected to the youth version of Camden’s main council for the first time earlier this year, said “military-style policing” had led to apathy.
Their comments came at a meeting at the Town Hall on Monday night and followed a request for help from guest speaker Paul Inglefield, the council’s head of communications, in tackling youth crime.
The discussion followed teenager Sharma’arke Hassan’s murder in Camden Town last month.
Mr Inglefield said: “Obviously, everybody was shocked about events in May. A young man was shot and another seriously injured. We sat down and thought ‘what can we do?’ We decided we wouldn’t take a knee-jerk reaction. My key question is what is the best way of communicating with young people? What message would resonate?”
Councillor Acai Duang-Arop, 17, a Maria Fidelis student who heads the Youth Council on crime, said: “The stop and search, it doesn’t work. The police use it for any excuse.”
Councillor Joshua Brown, 16, from University College School, described the policy as “riddled with difficulties” that “sets up an atmosphere of us and them”. He added: “We want youngsters to be in touch with police, not at war with them.”
Search arches also came under attack.
“It demonstrates we’re living in a military police state and breeds apathy,” said council co-leader Lazeez Raimi.
Police needed to show their human side, said Councillor Ozman Dahab, 17.
He added: “Really a way to tackle criminality in youth is to develop a relationship between police and young people. Get them playing sports or music or whatever young people are interested in. They could offer so much more as people and I think you’d find a lot more respect for that.”
Cllr Duang-Arop said there were plans for an open day later this year, where youngsters would be able to meet police officers and discuss their concerns.
The role of police in schools was also questioned by Cllr Dahab after a pupil at his school, William Ellis in Highgate Road, Parliament Hill, was questioned in the back of a police car three weeks ago.
“Instead of punishing him outside the school where he’s going to play up in front of his friends, police should have taken him inside school and arranged a meeting with his parents,” he said.
Malcolm Rose, acting headteacher at William Ellis, said yesterday (Wednesday): “In a recent incident, a Year 10 student was returned to the school by a routine police patrol as a suspected truant, after becoming abusive to the police officers.
“William Ellis has a clear behaviour policy that sets out the standards expected from pupils in terms of attendance and to ensure everyone associated with the school behaves in a courteous and civilised way.
“On this occasion, no arrest was made and the incident was dealt with by the school’s disciplinary policy, with the involvement of the student’s parents.” |
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