Wiltshire teenagers at risk of criminality complete police course
Young people have spent two weeks working with different services
Teenagers from across Wiltshire have been working with Police dogs, tackling Army assault courses, learning emergency first aid with the Street Doctors charity and practice rescues with Dorset & Wiltshire firefighters.
It's been part of a two week course aimed at breaking down barriers between young people and figures in authority.
The Synergy project was piloted in Swindon, and has now been rolled out across the rest of Wiltshire.
It's offered to young people identified as being at risk of being involved in serious violence or to criminal exploitation, to help them find out what agencies can do to safeguard the community.
One of the participants was sceptical before day one of the Wiltshire course at Warminster Garrison, but soon changed his mind:
“I thought it was going to be a waste of time, but I quite liked it when I started getting into it.
“Synergy has made me think differently about the mates I’ve been chilling with and the people I hang around with.
“Now, I definitely want to try and get recruited to join the army, definitely going to try my hardest, and definitely going to stay out of trouble.”
Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson says it has a positive effect:
“You can see these young people being enthused by what they are doing, and of course, what we want to do in all these engagements is give them alternative routes and pull them back from criminality.
“What we are trying to do is maximise the potential of young people so that they can have a future and have a proper chance in life in a safer Wiltshire.”
PCSO Jonathan Akehurst led the course in Wiltshire with PC Lucy Wileman, and was pleased with the results:
“If we look at the first day, we had seven very individual young people standing outside of Warminster police station at nine o’clock in the morning.
“By the end of our five days together, we now have a team of seven young people.
“It’s been incredible to see them grow. The communication, the teamwork, the resilience, the relationship building with the police. It’s been incredible to see.
“I think it’s important for them to understand that they can do things and can be encouraged to step out of their comfort zone and work through any issues or barriers they have.”