Staffordshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Ellis took part in a lively debate with young people in Stoke-on-Trent last night.
Mr Ellis was on the panel at the North Staffordshire YMCA Question Time event, which was attended by around 50 young people.
He was part of a panel that responded to various questions about themes including community safety, youth employment and mental health.
The Commissioner spoke about how important it is for young people to have positive relationships with the police, and how the Police Cadet scheme is helping to build those relationships across the county.
He said: “It was fantastic to be asked to take part in some lively debate with so many brilliant and confident youngsters.
“It’s crucial to develop a good relationship with young people so we can understand their point of view of what a sense of being safer and having an effective criminal justice system is like.
“The police Cadets scheme has already made a difference to the lives of many teenagers in the 18 months since we launched it, with many of them from challenging backgrounds.
“We are working to build a much greater connection between police and local people – including youngsters – across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.”
Also on the panel was Councillors Gwen Hassell, Jack Brereton and Paul Breeze, and Martin McGowan, First Group, and Rebecca Elliott, Healthwatch.
