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Youth panel advises police chief on custody issues

Kate BradbrookBBC News, Northampton
News imageBBC/ Kate Bradbrook Two young people, one male with black hair and a white T-shirt, and one female with long black hair, glasses and a dark blue jumper are stand in a corridor smiling at the cameraBBC/ Kate Bradbrook
Aliyyah and Yashneil who are members of the police watchdog (IOPC) youth panel want young people in custody to feel empowered to complain

Young people's voices are being used to drive improvements in the way under 25s are dealt with in police custody.

Members of the Independent office for police conduct (IOPC) youth panel have created a manifesto, with includes measures to empower young people to complain about their treatment when they are arrested.

Two of those involved met Ivan Balhatchet, Chief Constable of Northamptonshire, and national lead for custody on the national police chief's council (NPCC), to discuss the new protocols.

Aliyyah, 22, said it was "important that young people know what their rights are...to give a voice to the voiceless."

News imageBBC/Kate Bradbrook A young woman (left) and young man (middle) in a blue and white corridor speaking to police chief Ivan Balhatchet (right) who is wearing a black police polo shirt with epaulettes and trousersBBC/Kate Bradbrook
Aliyyah and Yashneil met Chief constable Ivan Balhatchet at the Northamptonshire criminal justice centre

A survey of nearly 6,700 young people carried out by the watchdog, suggested 35% did not know how to complain, and 59% did not trust the police.

The IOPC youth panel has recommended that custody staff inform young people of their right to complain at every step of the process.

"It is a way to receive constructive feedback which will only help the police system learn and adapt" said Aliyyah, a finance worker and panel volunteer.

"With information comes power and they can use this information to exercise their rights effectively," she added.

News imageBBC/ Kate Bradbrook 18 year old man with a white t-shirt stands in a white corridor smiling at the cameraBBC/ Kate Bradbrook
18 year old Yashneil hopes the recommendations will help to build trust and confidence in the police
News imageBBC/ Kate Bradbrook Police officer with his back to the camera searches the socks of a man who has been brought into custody. Their faces cannot be seen.BBC/ Kate Bradbrook
Staff will be expected to inform young people in police custudy of their right to complain at each stage of the process

The panel's recommendations will be rolled out at custody suites across the country.

18 year old Yashneil who recently finished his A-levels said he hoped the change would "build trust and confidence in the police, that's been missing".

"I've seen a lot of people who have fallen out with the police and have struggled to go to them because that trust isn't there."

"To hear that the police actively want to understand and build those relationships with young people is really comforting."

News imageBBC/ Kate Bradbrook Chief constable Ivan Balhatchet stands in a bright corridor with doors on either side, wearing a black polo shirt and a blue lanyard around this neck smiling at the camera.BBC/ Kate Bradbrook
Chief constable of Northamptonshire, Ivan Balhatchet, said young people in custody need to be listened to

Chief constable Ivan Balhatchet said the number of children in custody in Northamptonshire had gone down by about 30% in the last three years.

But he said those that do end up in custody often "haven't got the confidence to speak up".

"If there is something wrong they might not tell us," he said.

"We've got to try and create an environment which is fair, where we listen, we want to do everything we can so there's a two way interaction."

"I want to hear about the whole experience because we have got to continue learning," the chief constable added.

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