YOUTH CHARTER
FOR POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONERS
IN ENGLAND AND WALES
PRODUCED BY
NCVYS AS PART OF
THE SAFER FUTURE
COMMUNITIES
PROJECT
What is this charter?
This document is a charter to encourage elected
Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to
pledge their engagement with young people
and to listen to their views in a meaningful
way. It gives principles for PCCs to work to, all
of which have come from young people.
Why this charter has
been produced
This is a response by young people to the introduction
of elected Police and Crime Commissioners.
PCCs will be elected by the public to reduce crime
and make communities safer. Young people are
members of the community but under-represented
in the electorate. We hope this Charter helps PCCs
to consider young people’s views when making
key decisions and include them in this process.
Who has produced this document?
The Charter has been written by a Youth Advisory
Group (made up of young people from NCVYS,
User Voice, Big Voice London and Kirklees Youth
Council) and through wider consultation with
young people across England and Wales.
Why should you support
this Charter?
We’re asking those who want to serve the public as
Police and Crime Commissioners to sign up
to the pledges in this charter. This is why:
• The Police and Crime Commissioner’s
role is to make the best use of public
resources, ensuring that those living
in their police force area do so in safer
communities. This includes young
people, whose voices are less heard
in public elections and therefore their
interests need to be especially highlighted.
• PCCs will have sworn an oath of office, to:
“...serve all the people of the Force Area, ...give a
voice to the public, especially victims of crime...
and take all steps within my power to ensure
transparency of my decisions, so that I may
be properly held to account by the public.”
• They will also be under the terms of
the UN Convention on the Rights of
the Child – Article 12 requires:
Young people have the right to say what they
think should happen in decisions that affect them,
and to have their opinions taken into account.
• PCCs are also required by the Police Reform
and Social Responsibility Act 2011 to:
...have arrangements for obtaining the views
of the people in the police area on their
Police and Crime Plan and their budget.
• Working with young people can help PCCs to
reduce crime; young people are interested in their
communities being safer and they are more likely
to be victims of crime than older groups. Engaging
effectively with young people can help to reduce
the number of young people committing crime.
• A visible commitment to young people will
help PCCs start on a positive footing with the
younger members of their communities.
• Young people want PCCs to engage with
them and actively seek their views on how
best to make their communities safer.
WE ARE ASKING POLICE AND
CRIME COMMISSIONERS TO
MAKE THESE PLEDGES...
COMMITMENT TO YOUNG PEOPLE...
AS A POLICE AND
CRIME COMMISSIONER,
I PLEDGE TO...
Make myself
accessible to
young people and
provide appropriate
ways for young
people to express
their concerns to
me (e.g. face-toface surgeries, social
media, e-petitions).
Treat all young
people as
citizens, valuing
their interests and
opinions as much
as any other group
in the community.
Establish a way
of meaningful
representation of
young people’s
views by creating,
for example, a Youth
PCC role or a youth
advisory panel.
Provide an equal
platform for
all members of the
community, including
minorities and those
who are marginalised.
Use my influence
as Police and
Crime Commissioner
to support the police
force to engage
positively with all
young people.
Please sign up to these pledges
and show your commitment
to young people at:
www.pccyouthcharter.wordpress.com
How was this charter developed?
In Summer 2012, nine young people formed a
Youth Advisory Group, supported by NCVYS as
part of the Safer Future Communities project. They
wanted to respond to the introduction of elected
Police and Crime Commissioners and brought
a range of experience and concerns. They all
wanted young people’s voices to heard by PCCs.
The Youth Advisory Group decided to create a Youth
Charter, developed the content and consulted with young
people throughout England on the charter’s pledges.
The Youth Advisory Group:
User Voice is led by ex-offenders
and seeks to engage those who
have experience of the criminal
justice system to bring about its reform and
reduce offending. www.uservoice.org
Kirklees Youth Council is a voice for young
people in Kirklees through which they can
influence and inform decisions that affect
their lives and be empowered to have a say, be
heard and gain recognition for their positive
contribution to society. Youth Councillors said:
“I think it will be amazing if the PCC’s sign up to the
charter. It will make us feel valued and respected.”
“It will make me respect the Police even more if
they sign up to the charter.” www.kirkleesyc.org.uk
• Robert Abraham
• Matthew Percy
• Shahida Begum
• Jessica Senior
• Emma Chadwick
• Isabella Siegertsz
Who is supporting this charter
• Candice Harper
• Tom Sinden.
At the time of its publication in October 2012, over
150 young people have endorsed this charter.
Voluntary community and social enterprise
organisations who are supporting the charter include:
• Stephanie Hughes
The Youth Advisory Group was supported by NCVYS
as part of the Safer Future Communities project.
• Big Voice London
• Clinks
The Youth Advisory Group represents
four organisations:
Big Voice London is a youth
empowerment project, closely
supported by the Supreme Court,
which explores issues of legal identity and equality
before the law. www.bigvoicelondon.org
ENVOY is NCVYS’s national youth
forum and brings together young
people from all over England,
to influence NCVYS’s work and gives access to
opportunities around the country. www.ncvys.org.uk
Safer Future Communities is funded by the Home Office
and managed by Clinks, a registered charity no 1074546 and
a company limited by guarantee, registered in England no
3562176. Registered office: 59 Carter Lane, London EC4V 5AQ
www.clinks.org/services/sfc
• CWVYS (Council for
Wales of Voluntary
Youth Services)
• Drugscope
• Kirklees Youth Council
• Nacro
• NCVYS (National
Council for Voluntary
Youth Services)
• User Voice
• WCVA (Welsh Council
for Voluntary Action)
• WRC (Women’s
Resource Centre).
• NAVCA (National
Association for Voluntary
and Community Action)
See an up-to-date list of Youth Charter supporters at:
www.pccyouthcharter.wordpress.com
NCVYS is the
independent voice of
the voluntary youth
sector in England
www.ncvys.org.uk