Brixton Police Station’s youth desk is up and running
The station shares news of their newly formed youth desk that they hope will positively uplift the youth.
The youth will now have a voice at Brixton Police Station, where a youth desk was recently established.
The station’s spokesperson, Jeanette Backhoff, said though there were some challenges starting this desk last year, the biggest being Covid-19, it has now kicked off.
The desk consists of youngsters between the age of 16 and 25. An age range, Backhoff explained, that knows the difference between right and wrong and knows how to interpret messages. She also said this age group best knows what affects them and how the police can best assist them.
Those who are part of this initiative are young people who are currently unemployed and can assist the station to get crime awareness campaigns and important information to their age mates. Sharing important information crime, Backhoff said, affects them most, such as human trafficking, sexual abuse, rape and bullying.
Some of the programmes this desk will conduct will be going to local pre-schools and hosting hand puppet shows that address issues of crime in a manner children could understand. “We also have a project where we will do plays, targeting high school learners. We will also use social media platforms such as TikTok to educate the young community.”
One of the station’s goals is to also put programmes in place for the unemployed youth of the community as well as those who form part of this desk. As Backhoff explained, this is all part of the effort to help empower them, “Hosting classes on how to put together a CV and how to prepare and dress for an interview.”
This youth desk, they hope, will implore more youth to get involved in their community.
Backhoff’s hope is to have this youth desk run for as long as possible, further moulding those who are part of this programme to become good citizens. “We want them to help us get more youth and more youth programmes in place that can better assist others in the community.
There are too many children getting hooked on drugs or going into prostitution, so if we can stop these negative aspects from growing, it will help make a difference.”
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