Call to keep looked-after children out of justice system

Olivia Pinkney, the Association of Chief Police Officers' lead for children and young people, told delegates at the annual Youth Justice Convention in Telford that the aim should be to keep looked-after children out of the criminal justice process altogether.

"Young people should be young people first and foremost," she said.

"When a young person is pushing boundaries in a school environment it is understood that it is not crime with a big 'C'.

"I'm really pushing nationally for that to be the same thing when it happens in a home, be that in my home with my child or in a carer's home for a looked-after child.

"Police need to have the tools and the confidence to do that."

Pinkney said some areas are already taking the lead on the issue. She gave the example of the South East of England where there is a protocol in place between the police, the courts, and the Crown Prosecution Service, that keeping looked-after children out of the criminal justice system is "right for the young person and it's right for society as a whole".

"Spreading that more widely would be fantastic," Pinkney added.

Pinkney said she is also pushing for officers to receive additional training for working with under-18s. She said she is in discussions with the College of Policing, which was established in February 2013, about providing early training for police officers, special constables, police community support officers (PCSOs), and even people who answer the phone.

"We do need to enhance training around engaging with young people. We need to improve that because too often officers are called by distressed members of the public talking about young people doing things in public places that are just young people being young people.

"The call is to something that is a negative thing, so they start with that mindset when they arrive in their car."