Metropolitan Police Children’s Strategy
Summary
The Metropolitan Police has launched its new children’s strategy which aims to keep children in London safe, build their trust and bring those who abuse and exploit them to justice.
Details
The five-year strategy aims to make a meaningful difference to how the Met police and safeguard children and is designed to rebuild trust, reduce crime and ensure high standards across the force. Positively, in developing the strategy, the Met Police considered the views of children across London.
The strategy will see the introduction of the ‘Child First’ framework within the Met which will require officers, in all of their encounters with children, to see them as children first. Officers will receive new training in childhood vulnerability and adultification bias to ensure that the Child First framework is effectively implemented across the force. The Met will be also be working with experts to improve their existing training and understanding of neurodiversity and how poor mental health can manifest itself in children with an acknowledgement of the trauma that can be caused by keeping children overnight in police cells. There is a clear focus on tackling discrimination, regaining the trust of children and officers developing the necessary skills to communicate effectively with children.
There is also a strong focus on reducing serious youth violence, knife crime, tackling online abuse and child criminal exploitation, with more officers being deployed to Child Criminal Exploitation teams across the Met and a focus on evidence-led prosecutions against perpetrators.
The Met has also pledged to ensure that children who have committed criminal offences have access to appropriate and effective interventions, with a focus on safeguarding children, diversion and reducing the criminalisation of care experienced children.
Commentary
In his forward, Sir Mark Rowley acknowledged that in policing the line between vulnerability and criminality, the Met Police have sometimes focused too hard on the criminality rather than the vulnerability that lies behind it. For those who work with children in contact with the criminal justice system, that has been clear for some time. However, it is really positive to see a clear shift towards a child-first approach and a focus on the real issues impacting children and young people. This strategy, alongside the current pilot schemes at Wood Green and Brixton Police Station, has the potential to create real and meaningful change within the Metropolitan Police which will in turn have a positive impact on children and young people. The Metropolitan Police has committed to providing annual progress reports and their first one will be eagerly awaited.
Written by
Sabrina Neves, Solicitor at GT Stewart Solicitors