Public Servant Lifestyle

Youngsters have been quick on the draw in helping Northumbria Police brighten up a section of their headquarters site.

The teenagers - all from the Alnwick area - used their artistic skills to help paint a mural in the public order training section after teaming up with their Neighbourhood Beat Manager and a local artist.

The youngsters are all members of the Gallery Youth Project, which was set up to provide advice, information and activities to teenagers across the Alnwick area. Their interest in art was sparked two years ago after the organisation carried out some research into what young people wanted to do in the town.

Community Event

A community event was set up during which the youngsters painted an 80 foot mural in the town with help from local community artist John Craggs. The event was also attended by Alnwick Neighbourhood Beat Manager PC Andy Welsh who began working with the youth project to help improve relationships with young people in the town.

PC Welsh said: "We're always looking at different ways of developing community relations, and teenagers can be a difficult audience to reach. Some of these youngsters have had contact with police and some haven't, but there can be a negative perception of what we do.

"Once you engage with them you find they're interested about our work, why we do it and are quite honest about their feelings and they want to play a part in the community. It also gives us a chance to talk to them about how some of their activities may be perceived by others, such as hanging around in large groups.

Neighbourhood Policing Teams

"Bringing them to headquarters, letting them see a bit of the work they do and getting them involved in some artwork all helps break down barriers and build relations and this will continue back in Alnwick."

The visit was just one of the many initiatives carried out by Neighbourhood Policing teams, currently being promoted nationally under the 'A Name for every Neighbourhood' campaign, where community officers work in partnership with residents and other organisations to tackle local issues.

Ian McRae, project manager at the Gallery Youth Project, said: "We've been working with Andy for some time and it's excellent for the youngsters to see police in a positive light. Some of the people who come to the project may not have positive views of the police but by doing projects like this it benefits everyone."

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