Agenda item

YOUTH LED POLICING

Minutes:

Inspector Hussain from Greater Manchester Police attended to explain about the work of the Police since the last Youth Cabinet meeting on the 01st April 2025.

 

Inspector Hussain gave members an overview of Collabor8 which is a Community Celebration that started in 2016 with input from young people. It was held at Tottington High School on 30th July with over 60 stalls representing:

  • Police, fire service, and other emergency services
  • Local schools, youth groups, and community organisations
  • Cultural and faith groups
  • Health and wellbeing services (e.g. CPR demos, baby groups)
  • Fun and interactive elements like:
    • Police cars and dogs
    • Fire engine with VR goggles
    • Cricket, sports, and music
    • Women’s centre and prosperity groups

 

Youth Cabinet members were asked to consider the following during a break out session:

  • What are the barriers? Why might young people feel uncomfortable sharing information with the police? Is it fear, mistrust, past experiences, or lack of understanding?
  • What role does media play? Are there films, shows, or social media narratives that shape how young people view law enforcement?
  • What kind of information is valuable? Are we talking about reporting crimes, sharing community concerns, or helping with investigations?

 

A Member fed back “I feel like on social media, the police are often seen as a target. People don’t really know what they’re doing day to day, and a lot of it is based on stereotypes. I think the best way to change that is to have police come into schools, not just to talk, but to actually do activities with us. That way, we’re not afraid of them, and we can see them as real people.”

 

Another member highlighted that “Young people don’t want to be policed, they want to be part of the solution. We’ve seen that when officers genuinely want to work with young people, not just monitor them, it changes everything.

Initiatives like child-centred policing weren’t created by adults they were shaped by children themselves. That’s the kind of thinking we need more of.

The issue isn’t always with local officers many of them are doing great work. The challenge is often at the top, with how senior leadership sees and values youth voices. We don’t need more instructions, we need more listening. We spoke to people, we ran events, we created space. That’s where the real change starts.”

 

It was also fed back that “It’s not just about looking like you’re doing something; it’s about actually being there. People need to see police officers and leaders come down, meet people, and really listen. You can’t build trust from a distance. You have to show up, not just in uniform, but as a person. That’s how you break down barriers, not with policies, but with presence.”

 

Members were asked if it would it be more effective to have one big GMCA-led taskforce, or multiple smaller, localised youth forums that feed into a central network?”

 

In response members agreed they are “not looking for top-down solutions anymore. The real change happens when district commanders and local officers work directly with young people, not through layers of policy, but through presence, conversation, and action. We’ve seen it work. We’ve had inspectors sit with students, listen to their concerns, and take away real actions. But we need more of that, not just one-off visits, but consistent, embedded relationships.”

 

It was agreed:

 

That Inspector Hussain be thanked for the update.