East Cambs Youth Consultation Panel meets the team at Police HQ

Rory Dingley and Ed Ouzman both Year 10 students at Witchford Village College have been part of an exciting new initiative in conjunction with East Cambs Police and other local secondary College’s. They meet one evening a month with Sergeant Phil Priestley and his team at Ely Police station to discuss some of issues Young People and the Police face in our region.
Recently the group, created to try and improve the relationship between teenagers and the police, took a trip to Huntington Police Headquarters to meet Police and Crime Commissioner, Councillor Jason Ablewhite and have a tour of the force’s base. The students visited the Custody Suite at Huntingdon police station, before watching a training display from the dog unit and handling genuine and replica guns, including Glock 9mm pistols, a colt revolver and a G36 rifle. The boys then toured the Force Control Room and took part in some interactive learning exercises, before finishing off the day by meeting Chief Constable, Alec Wood.
The group have recently been instrumental in gaining £1,754 funding from the Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Commissioner’s Youth Fund. The plan is to use the money to set up a social media project to help police reach out to the Young people in our local community.
The boy’s along with their group were invited to receive the award at an evening ceremony at Police HQ on Wednesday 1 March 2017. Other local community groups who work alongside Young People in our region were also rewarded on the evening. It was positive to see just how much good work goes into supporting young people and that they are rewarded for their efforts in this way with a ceremony.
The boys shook hands with Police and Crime Commissioner, Councillor Jason Ablewhite and also the other attending dignitaries and thanked them for their contribution to their project. The next Youth Panel will be convening to plan how best to use the funds so they can begin to put their project into practice.
Photo: Rory Dingley and Ed Ouzman collect the award alongside Police and Crime Commissioner Jason Ablewhite, Sergeant Phil Priestley and Lynsey Brown Restorative Justice Delivery Manager.