Young people feel police don’t take them seriously – report
The fear of crime affects young people as much as other sectors of society – more so when it comes to violence and intimidation.
That’s according to the report, Raising Lincoln’s Young Voices (RLYV), which asked 17-29-year-old about their experiences of living, working and studying in the city.
As reported on Hello Lincoln earlier this week RLYV is also a movement calling on young people to get involved in improving their chances of finding work, homes and the space to thrive.
Their work is based on the findings of the report and this article specifically looks young people’s attitude towards crime.
In summary the report found the fear of crime is creating mental stress for Lincoln’s young people and they often avoid walking alone and being in specific areas at certain times such as the city centre to protect themselves.
Anti-social behaviour, online content, knife and sexual crime all caused anxiety with the established methods taken to deal with these issues sometimes having the opposite effect.
The report found that ‘knives are now carried for personal protection, not to use as a weapon’.
“Attempts so far by services to raise awareness of what happens when you carry a knife and the dangers, are having the opposite effect and only seem to be re-affirming the safety narrative.”
Young men and women spoke about their fears of sexualised crime with the former experiencing a lack of support and the latter fearful of older men in social places.
An increase in misogynistic behaviour was driven by harmful online content, with cruel messages numbing some young people about the impact of their behaviour while on social media platforms.
A lack of confidence in the police and the justice system among the young was highlighted as they have experienced their reports of crime not taken seriously and laws now enforced. The result has been that calling the police is seen as the ‘last option’ for many even when they were the victim of crime.
Lincoln’s young people hope for:
- improved visibility, support and accessibility for support for sexualised crimes for males and females:
- more investment in affordable activities to allow young people to find community and purpose – especially post 16.
- more street lighting to kept on overnight.
Over the coming weeks Hello Lincoln will be looking other areas of concern for young people and the progress the RLYV group is making in its mission to achieve improvements.
To be involved contact Wilf at