Police chiefs unveil strategy to treat under-18s as 'children first'
Neil Puffett
Thursday, September 3, 2015
Police officers dealing with under-18s should treat them as "children first" rather than potential criminals, the organisation representing police chiefs has said.
A strategy document published by the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC), which replaced the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) following its closure last October, sets out "key principles" for how officers should deal with young people.
It states that in all encounters with the police "it is crucial" that under-18s "be treated as children first".
The document also calls on police to make efforts to identity the vulnerability of children and young people they deal with and respond effectively "in order to protect them from harm".
It goes on to say that police should seek a "full understanding" of the circumstances behind the young people who come to their attention.
"It is unusual for a young person to be a serious offender without being a victim of circumstance or offending themselves," the document states.
"This may not affect the way we utilise the criminal justice system but should open our eyes to alternative avenues for addressing their behaviour."
The document represents the first national police strategy for dealing with children and young people since rioting in the summer of 2011 across London and other major cities.
The most recent national strategy relating to the policing of children and young people was published by Acpo in 2010.
Olivia Pinkney, Deputy Chief Constable for Sussex Police and the NPCC's lead on children and young people, called on police to intervene early and prevent harm to children and young people.
"A core role for policing is to protect the vulnerable in our society," she said.
"All forces need to use this strategy to better serve those who are vulnerable through age. It will make a difference to all children and young people across the country.
"Children and young people are not 'mini-adults' and the better our policing for them is now, the less they may need us in the future.
"Every interaction leaves a mark and we need to think carefully about what sort of mark that is.
"In our time of increasingly prioritised policing effort, this strategy will help forces focus on what is essential and what works."
The strategy also identifies four priority work areas for the three-year period: understanding where improvements to stop and search are needed; avoiding the unnecessary criminalisation of young people; improving relationships with young people; and addressing the over-representation of looked-after children in the youth justice system.
"We need to make every effort to avoid the unnecessary criminalisation of children in care, making sure that the criminal justice system is not used for resolving issues that would ordinarily fit under the umbrella of parenting," the report states.
"We need to work with our partners to improve our understanding of the child in care to improve outcomes for them."
Anne Longfield, Children's Commissioner for England, said it is right that wherever possible, police should avoid the unnecessary criminalisation of children.
"The National Police Chiefs' Council strategy for the policing of children and young people is a step in the right direction," she said.
"I welcome this focus on children and young people, and the commitment to improving performance.
I am particularly pleased that this strategy outlines a commitment to address the over-representation of children in care in the youth justice system.
"Children in care are particularly vulnerable, and it is vital that the police are sensitive to the trauma they have experienced.
"To improve the policing of children and young people, the police must listen to their views and act upon them.
"This strategy makes it clear that this will be a priority for the police in the future, and I look forward to working with the police in its implementation".