Young people share their views on violence against women and girls and have their say on policing.

Officers from East Area Command met with members of the East Area Youth Independent Advisory Group, Leyton Orient Trust and Forever 21 at Havering Town Hall on Tuesday, 24 January. 

These meetings are a chance for young people to have their say and gain an insight on what the police do and give some feedback of what is working and what isn’t as well as an input about Violence against women.

Officers from East Area Command, covering Havering, Barking, Dagenham and Redbridge, give the young adults the opportunity to question policing tactics and practices and to discuss any major incidents that have occurred in their area that impact the local community. 

The group are aged between 15 and 21. They are encouraged to scrutinise police interactions and to questions officers on their actions and decision making. 

On this occasion the group was joined by Met Police Assistant Commissioner Louisa Rolfe who leads the Met’s Frontline Policing Command. Assistant Commissioner Rolfe spoke with the group and joined in discussions.

Superintendent Lisa Butterfield said: “Engagement with young people is vital for us to learn how we can encourage two-way communication between police and the communities we serve.

“The members of our youth YIAG are the adults of tomorrow. We want to know their opinions on policing while also giving them an insight into why we do the things that we do. With their input and advice we can improve our processes and enhance our relationships with the communities we serve.”

One of the youths attending the event said “ We went to the programme in Romford and got to know the police officers around here and got to talk about what they can do to make our experiences with police officers even better. It was really great to see young people speaking with police officers on the day and speaking of their experiences and what policing looks like”.  

Independent Advisory Groups are a valued voice and can make a real difference in decisions around policing at a local level. Through their community contacts they can distribute information concerning local high profile incidents and the more routine local news.

If you would like more information about joining an YIAG please contact Harinder.Sanghera@met.police.uk.

Superintendent Lisa Butterfield with Assistant Commissioner Louisa Rolfe speaking to the East Area Youth Independent Advisory Group.

Stay up to date with all of our latest updates and content by following us on our social media accounts!

We have created community pages where we will share our up-to-date stories happening in the area. Add the area closest to where you live.

Support Local Journalism
We at The Havering Daily appreciate your support of quality journalism. Your generous donation, no matter the size, allows us to continue bringing unbiased and informative news to the community. Your contribution helps us maintain our independence and allows us to continue providing high-quality journalism. Thank you for valuing the work we do and for supporting our mission

Thank you