PCC in Youth Commission hot seat

12^th August marked International Youth Day and to celebrate Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire, John Dwyer was placed in the hot seat as he was quizzed by his Youth Commission on his role.

The Youth Commission has been running since 2016 and currently has 28 members aged 14-25 from across Cheshire. Over the past 5 years, they have gathered views from over 10,600 young people from Cheshire’s diverse communities, through peer-to-peer engagement.

As part of the Youth Commission’s work, members have set up a Youth Advisory Group to provide advice and input to the Constabulary on key themes affecting young people, such as stop and search, people missing from home and online safety. 

The Youth Advisory group sessions enable young people to understand more about the approach of Cheshire Constabulary in relation to important issues but also give the Constabulary the opportunity to engage with young people and inform future practice.

John Dwyer said: “Young people are the future of our communities. Yet often their voices aren’t being heard. I’m aware that young people have their own policing needs, and although they’re not old enough to vote, being able to have a channel into their local Constabulary helps me to address the priorities that are important to them with the Chief Constable.”

On International Youth Day, the Commission became the Commissioner and were able to quiz John about his role, his experience and how he’s going to help the communities of Cheshire. 

John added: “Empowering young people to make a difference in their communities is key. It was great for me to sit in the hot seat, I can see some future detectives in the making. I’d encourage more people to get involved with the Youth Commission and help shape Cheshire’s future needs.”

One member of the Youth Commission said: “We’ve been working hard on our key priorities this year, gathering views and opinion of young people in the area, but having some time out to quiz him has been a great experience. It’s helped us to understand more about his role and given us an insight into him as a person.”

More information about the Youth Commission is available here: https://www.cheshire-pcc.gov.uk/get-involved/youth-commission/