Teenagers raise concerns over drugs and knife crime in Peterborough and Cambridgeshire

Youngster have raised concerns over drugs and knife crime in Peterborough and Cambridgeshire as part of a major scheme to find the biggest issues facing teenagers in the county.

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Police and Crime Commissioner Darryl Preston funded the Youth Listening Project, involving young people aged 11 to 18 from six secondary schools across the county.

As part of the project, over 1,700 young people responded to a digital survey on safety concerns, while focus groups and interviews provided groups the opportunity to share their views about and experiences of serious violence and other associated criminality.

Key findings included that most young people said they felt safe in their communities during the day, however, feelings of safety reduced during hours of darkness.

Young people that had safety concerns in their communities were most worried about drug supply and knife crime, followed by gang activity and youth violence.

Young people often stated that they felt youth provision was ‘lacking’ or ‘poor’ in their local area. Comments such as ‘there are places to go, but they are not directly for us’ and ‘at my age everything costs money and there is nowhere to hang out’ provide context to the findings.

Mr Preston said: “Young people are the adults of tomorrow. It’s imperative we listen to their experiences and involve them in the solutions.

“This is one of the largest studies to date on young people’s perceptions of crime and safety in Cambridgeshire. It generated a huge response and I’ve been privileged to hear some of these experiences first hand during my visits to schools.

“Whilst our county is fortunate not to suffer the same levels of violence as some other areas, knife crime and gang violence clearly have a negative effect on young people’s confidence and perceptions of safety, and this is something we absolutely must address with our partners. I would like to thank all the young people who took part in this project, your feedback will help shape future preventative work in tackling these issues.”