Skipton sisters to play a part in shaping the future of policing in North Yorkshire
Skipton sisters Nikki, left, and Hamaiza Ul-Hassan are two of the latest recruits to North Yorkshire’s Youth Commission – the group that helps shape the way the police tackle issues affecting young people.
Nikki, aged 23, a restaurant manager, and Hamaiza, aged 14, a pupil at Skipton Girls High School, have made sure that forced marriage and honour-based abuse are key topics for discussion by the Youth Commission, which is funded by the Police and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan after a successful pilot last year.
They both want to see young people have their say on both these types of abuse when the Youth Commission carries out its planned consultation of young people aged 14 to 25 in a series of events across North Yorkshire later this year.
“I joined the Youth Commission because I want the views of young people to influence the way police do their job,” said Hamaiza.
“As members of the Youth Commission we have all come together to agree the subjects that we want to consult young people about in the year ahead.
“Abusive relationships is one of the topics and both Nikki and myself are keen that forced marriage and honour-based abuse are discussed as part of that. It’s something we both feel very strongly about.”
The Youth Commission is made up of 36 volunteers aged 14 to 25 who will carry out a major consultation exercise in events at colleges, youth clubs and other venues across the county in order to gather the views of more than 1,500 young people.
The issues they have decided to discuss are:
- Hate crime
- Abusive relationships
- Drug and alcohol abuse
- Vulnerability and mental health
- Relationships with the police
- Young people missing from home and at risk of exploitation.
Police and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire Julia Mulligan said: “I instigated the Youth Commission because it was clear from my work in drawing up the Police and Crime Plan that the views of children and young people were not being heard as they should be. The members of the Commission are all volunteers and I thank them wholeheartedly for getting behind this project with so much enthusiasm.
“This is the second year of the Commission in North Yorkshire and we are already seeing its emerging influence within North Yorkshire Police with its members giving talks about youth issues to new recruits and influencing the force’s approach in a range of ways.
“I’m thankful for their time, energy and commitment and look forward to another year of reaching out to engage with hundreds more young people on policing issues.”