The VRU is to embed the youth workers – called custody intervention coaches – in Met Police basic command units (BCU) in Kingston, Hackney, Hillingdon, Newham or Waltham Forest, and west London as part of its Engage programme.
The coaches engage young people aged 10-18 when they first enter custody and provide ongoing, long-term support and guidance that can lead to education and training, as well as apprenticeship and employment opportunities.
The move is being funded through a £2.1m investment by the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and comes a year after the Engage programme was extended from an initial three BCUs to seven (Camden, Croydon Enfield, Harrow, Lambeth, Lewisham and Redbridge). The latest funding means that coaches will be available in all 12 BCUs in the capital from this summer.
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