On Wednesday 20th June 2018, 7 members of the Cambs Youth Consultation Panel visited the House of Commons for a meeting with Lucy Frazer MP to discuss knife crime and youth violence.
The group was led by Police Sergeant Phil Priestley who said, “Despite the incredibly busy schedule of the Brexit debate, Ms. Frazer found time to sit down with our young people and talk about an issue that is becoming increasingly relevant - both locally and nationally.
"Ms. Frazer welcomed us into the Palace of Westminster and it was quite an experience for us all.
“She has expressed her absolute support for our efforts to address youth violence and knife crime and has agreed to support our bid to the Home Office for additional funding to tackle the issue.”
The Cambs Youth Consultation Panel began in East Cambs in June 2016. The panel is made up of a collective of young people between 13 and 16 who live in or are educated in East Cambs. The object of the panel is to offer transparency to young people, and to empower them to hold the Police to account on decisions and policy that effect quality of life for them in their local communities.
The success of the group has led to it expanding across the region.
One member, Francesca Galelli, 15, said about the meeting, "We were very excited to present our ideas and our bid to Lucy. It makes a huge amount of difference to young people when Members of Parliament listen. We’re incredibly grateful to Lucy for her support and her encouragement.”
Now the Panel are fund raising to bring students from the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida to Cambridgeshire.
Last February, the school was the target of a tragic shooting which claimed the lives of 14 students and 3 teachers.
The Panel hope to arrange an exchange visit to enable both sets of students to swap ideas on school life, gun control and policing and to understand what further support can be offered to help the US students recover from the tragedy. The mission is to make schools and communities safer by learning from one another.
Both private individuals and commercial organisations are being approached for sponsorship and anyone wishing to offer their support can contact the group by emailing [email protected]