Strathclyde Police held a Youth Engagement Forum for Minority Ethnic communities on 26 June this year in a bid to give young people from those communities a say in what is happening in their areas. The forum, the first of its kind, was organised to allow youngsters to air their views and advise police officers and partners of any concerns they may have.

The event was held in Central and West Division at the Multicultural Halls in Garnethill in partnership with Glasgow Community Planning and Culture and Sport Glasgow. The Glasgow Equalities Partnership and Glasgow Young Scot also had displays at the event.
Sergeant Des Fik from the Force Diversity Unit said: “We wanted to find out how youngsters from the BME communities felt about the areas in which they live, the police and what type of problems they experienced day to day. We used the National Standards for community engagement as a benchmark for planning and running the forum.”

“Jamie O’Neil, Member of Scottish Youth Parliament (MSYP) was also on hand to describe growing up in Drumchapel and how his experiences as an MSYP had enabled him to understand and be supportive of the positive work done by the police in local communities”

Constable Shad Scott added; “Glasgow Young Scot explained the benefits of having a Young Scot Card and several of the attendees signed up for a card on the night. Marion Dunbar was on hand to supply refreshments and encourage healthy eating by providing fresh fruit ‘smoothies’ that went down a treat with the youngsters. The event ended with a drugs awareness quiz run by Constable Douglas McClounie that ‘bust’ several myths about drugs and generated lively debate.”

The findings from the consultation on the evening showed that the main concerns ranged from racial abuse, territorial issues and drugs and alcohol to lack of facilities for young people. Suggestions for improvement from the young people included the wish for a stronger police presence on the streets and better facilities for youth activities.
Sergeant Des Fik and Constable Shad Scott welcome enquiries from any Community Police Officers or Partner agencies regarding youth forums or any aspect of engagement with Minority Ethnic and Faith Communities. They can be contacted on 0141 435 1134 or 0141 532 2271.