Hundreds of Youngsters Get On The Pitch This Summer As Havering Police Officers Build Stronger Communities Through Sport.

8th September 20268th September 2026 Francesca Lilleystone 0 Comments Clear Hold Build, Havering, Police, United In Football And Basketball min read

More than 600 young people have taken part in free football and basketball sessions across Havering this summer, as local police officers continue to use sport to build trust, keep youngsters engaged and help create safer communities.

United in Football and Basketball has once again proved that positive police engagement can make a real difference, with hundreds of children and young people taking part in free activities during the school holidays.

The programme is about far more than football and basketball.

It gives local officers the opportunity to meet young people away from the traditional policing environment, build relationships, listen to concerns and show youngsters that their local police are there to support them.

It also provides young people with something positive to do during the school holidays, helping them stay active, learn new skills and spend time with friends in a safe and supportive environment.

The highly successful initiative returned for Summer 2026 through a partnership involving the Metropolitan Police Service, Havering Council, The HAF Foundation, Sport England, First Touch Sports, Bad Thunder and the West Ham United Foundation.

The programme forms part of the Our Harold Hill Clear, Hold, Build Initiative, established by Inspector Charlie Routley with support from Havering Council.

Since launching in 2022, United in Football and Basketball has grown into an important part of community engagement across Havering.

And this summer, the numbers once again demonstrated its success.

A total of 626 children and young people attended nine free football and basketball sessions across the borough.

For local officers, those figures represent much more than participation numbers.

They represent hundreds of opportunities to speak to young people, develop relationships and strengthen the connection between policing and the communities officers serve.

This year also saw the introduction of free tennis sessions at three community locations following feedback and demand from local residents.

The new sessions attracted 86 participants, with families and young people responding positively to the opportunity.

It means the programme is continuing to evolve around what local communities actually want.

And behind the scenes, Havering Police Cadets, police officers and police staff also gave up their time to assist at sessions throughout the summer.

That visible police presence is an important part of the programme.

Young people get the opportunity to see officers in a completely different setting.

Instead of simply seeing a uniform at an incident or during enforcement activity, youngsters can meet officers on the pitch, talk to them, play sport with them and get to know the people behind the uniform.

That can help build trust from an early age.

For police officers, it also provides an opportunity to engage with young people who may otherwise have little contact with the police.

PC Russ Harley has been one of the driving forces behind the initiative and says the programme has gone from strength to strength.

PC Russ Harley, told the Havering Daily:

“It is fantastic to continue working alongside our brilliant coaching partners at First Touch Sports and Bad Thunder, who have supported this project since the very beginning and continue to deliver outstanding sessions for our young people. We have also developed an excellent partnership with the West Ham United Foundation, whose contribution has helped make this programme an ongoing success.

These sessions provide young people across Havering with free opportunities to play football, basketball and now tennis, helping them stay active, make new friends and enjoy positive experiences during the school holidays.

What started as a local initiative has gone from strength to strength and has become a regular fixture within our communities. Children and parents look forward to attending each school break, and it demonstrates what can be achieved when the police, local authority, sporting organisations and residents work together towards a common goal.

Since the programme began in 2022, we have provided free sporting opportunities to more than 4,000 children and young people. These sessions have given us an incredible platform to engage with youngsters, build trust, help reduce crime and anti-social behaviour, and create opportunities for young people to progress into local sports clubs and positive pathways for the future.”

The message from the programme is simple.

Positive engagement matters.

Giving young people somewhere to go, something to do and people they can trust can make a huge difference.

And for policing, prevention and early engagement can be just as important as enforcement.

The programme creates a space where officers can speak directly with young people, understand their experiences and encourage them towards positive activities and opportunities.

It also provides a pathway into grassroots sport and local clubs, potentially helping youngsters develop interests and friendships that continue long after the summer holidays have ended.

For a borough like Havering, where communities continue to face concerns around crime and anti-social behaviour, initiatives that bring young people, police and community organisations together are increasingly important.

Sport provides the common ground.

A football pitch.

A basketball court.

A tennis court.

And an opportunity for officers and young people to meet on equal terms.

The figures speak for themselves.

626 young people attended free football and basketball sessions this summer.

86 young people took part in the new tennis sessions.

Nine free sports sessions were delivered across Havering.

And since 2022, more than 4,000 children and young people have benefited from the programme.

That is thousands of opportunities for positive engagement.

Thousands of opportunities to build relationships.

And thousands of opportunities to show young people that there are positive choices and pathways available to them.

The programme also demonstrates what can happen when police officers, council staff, coaches, sporting organisations and residents work together.

It is community policing at its most positive.

Officers are not simply responding when something goes wrong.

They are getting out into communities, meeting young people and investing time in building relationships before problems arise.

Following another hugely successful summer, United in Football and Basketball will return during the October Half-Term holidays.

And the message remains clear:

Keep young people active. Keep them engaged. Give them opportunities. Build trust. Build communities.

A huge thank you also goes to the Havering Police Cadets, police officers and police staff who gave their time and helped make the summer sessions such a success.

Because sometimes the most powerful form of policing is simply being there.

On the pitch.

In the community.

And building relationships that can last for years.