After four months of negotiations, Hope in Tottenham’s Police Engagement Program has facilitated its first major session between Grieg City Academy and TSG officers.
By Omar Alleyne-Lawler, Communications Officer
Consistent with our pledge to improve community relations between the public and police, this session took place with the Academy’s Year 10 students and Territorial Support Group Officers from The Metropolitan Police’s Central Command. Led by the North Area’s Safer Schools Officer PC Ahmed, students had an opportunity to have a look at the TSG’s riot gear and field questions to the officers on the day.
This event is the first in a series of events, titled ‘carrier in the car park’, where TSG officers visit secondary schools around Tottenham and Haringey in order to host sessions with 14 and 15-year olds. Students who have concerns and questions around aspects of policing in their area are able to do so personally and without judgement.
The success of this first event has already left an impact at Grieg City Academy. Having heard from their fellow students about what the event was like, many more have petitioned to teachers to get involved with the next session – even if it just means getting a chance to play with the equipment.
Reflecting on the event, Ms. Downey of Grieg City Academy said “[The Year 10’s] loved it! I’ve already had other Year 10’s asking when they get a turn and younger pupils asking if they can do it too. We are looking forward to the next session with the new recruits.”
Speaking to TSG officers after the workshop, Inspector Steve Wilson and his team commented on how much they enjoyed meeting the students and looked forward to doing it again.
The ‘carrier in the car park’ police engagement program is a continuation of successful police engagement programmes hosted by Hope in Tottenham.
With a track record of removing elements of public fear around policing and humanising the Police to the local community, HiT aims to continue vital work in improving community relationships.