Ms Valerie Forrester1 Miss Nicole Ramshaw1
1Mayor’s Office For Policing And Crime (MOPAC), London, United Kingdom
Recent years have posed a challenging backdrop for policing in London. The COVID-19 pandemic held far-reaching impacts for all those living and working in the city, while several high-profile incidents including the Black Lives Matter protests and the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving Metropolitan Police officer served to place policing under increasing public scrutiny. The effects of these events were felt acutely amongst the youngest generation, with latest UK Census estimates revealing that over a million of London’s citizens are currently aged between 10 to 19 years old. Importantly, this group represents the Capital’s future – the next generation to transition into adulthood – bringing with them their early views and experiences of crime and policing.
With all this in mind, the Mayor’s Office for Policing And Crime (MOPAC) launched the ‘We Are London’ Youth Survey 2021-22 to understand what matters most to young people growing up in the Capital and to give young Londoners the opportunity to have a say in how their city is policed. Gathering the views of nearly 12,000 respondents aged 11 to 16 years old, the survey provides valuable insight into the complex picture of risk and vulnerability amongst this cohort – including exposure to elements of violence, exploitation, victimisation and sexual harassment – and highlights unique challenges to relationships between police and young people. In this presentation we outline findings from MOPAC’s London youth survey and discuss implications for police and policy-makers to help make London a safer city for all.
Biography:
Valerie Forrester is a Research Analyst at the London Mayor’s Office for Police And Crime (MOPAC), where her work focusses on public perceptions of the police, crime trends, and evaluation of commissioned services and interventions. She gained her MSc in Social Research from Birkbeck, University of London.
Nicole Ramshaw is a Research and Analysis Officer at the London Mayor’s Office for Policing And Crime (MOPAC). Her role within the Evidence and Insight (E&I) Team focuses predominantly on understanding public perceptions of the police and conducting survey research to inform policies aimed at building trust and confidence across London’s communities. She has held previous research positions in the Civil Service and other UK police forces, and gained an MSc in Child Development (Psychology) from the Institute of Education, University College London.