Police Officers Praise New City College Students As They Graduate from MetzGirlz programme.

Breaking down the stereotypes – exciting initiative inspires females to consider a career in policing 

A group of dedicated students from New City College Havering Sixth Form have successfully graduated from the 10-week MetGirlz programme – receiving certificates and glowing tributes for their work at a presentation at New Scotland Yard.

The MetGirlz is an initiative run by the Metropolitan Police to empower young women and inspire them to consider a career in policing. It is also part of the Met’s action plan to combat Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), build trust between the police and young females and promote safety in the community.

Throughout the course, which was run at the sixth form in Wingletye Lane, Hornchurch, the group of 18 students, worked closely with Met officers, gaining valuable insights into law enforcement and learning about the various careers available to them within the police service.

There were visits by officers from different areas of the Met, such as TSG Special Forces, the Firearms Unit and the Dog Unit. These officers explained their roles and ran sessions to give the students some unique experiences, such as investigating a crime scene, firearm demonstrations, trying on riot gear, physical training, introducing them to the police dogs and puppies, and stop and search scenarios.

In small groups, the girls then had to come up with innovative solutions to combat violence against women and girls and make society a safer place. As part of their final challenge, they had to present these ‘Big Ideas’ to some of the Met’s senior leaders, including CI Mel Jenkins, CI Sharon Brind, PC Claire Argyle, PC Jo McCarthy, PS Lisa Ryan and Acting Inspector Jayshree Patel.

One ‘Big Idea’ was an app called SHOP (Safety, Help, Option and Protect), where vulnerable women in distress could ask for help and talk to others in similar situations. Features included an Emergency SOS function that would send a live location to family and trigger a loud alarm. The app would have a disguised interface to reduce the risk of it being seen or found on a phone.  

Other ‘Big Ideas’ included an outreach programme to schools to help regain teenagers’ trust; creating an interactive game called Blue Insight about policing and creating a Chai Chat space for young people to speak openly with officers in a relaxed setting.

The 10-week initiative culminated in the graduation at New Scotland Yard, where students spoke about their experience of the programme and received certificates of recognition.

Student Daisy Cunningham said: “Being involved with the MetGirlz programme has been an amazing opportunity. It has given me an insight into the different roles within the police and I now realise how much the police do to protect us. It was comforting to see how passionately officers care about trying to eliminateviolence against women and how they are actively coming up with new ways to keep us safe. I am now certain that I want a future role as a police officer.”

PC Jo McCarthy, who led and delivered the programme at Havering Sixth Form, said: “I’ve been really impressed by the students and their commitment to the programme. Their ideas about building trust were excellent and I have seen them grow in confidence throughout the 10 weeks.”

NCC Senior Lead Pastoral Tutor Becky Konstandinou said: “What an unforgettable evening we had celebrating our MetGirlz at the graduation at New Scotland Yard. Over the past 10 weeks, these inspiring young women have shared powerful ideas and confidently presented their solutions to senior officers. Having family and friends join us to honour their achievements made the night even more special. I am incredibly proud of them all!”

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