Kent Police Authority has visited the Charles Dickens School in Broadstairs Road to find what students think about policing where they live.

Bill Hayton, local authority member, helped to kick start a debate alongside researchers from Kent Police. A group of students aged 12–15 years were asked a range of questions from feelings of safety to what three questions they would ask the Chief Constable.

Issues raised included better lighting and more things for young people to do. The debate also found that students liked having a named neighbourhood officer but would like more police out on the streets at night. They also felt Police Community Support Officers should have more powers and the police should respond quicker to 999 calls.

The Authority is visiting schools around the county to find out what young people think about policing. All the information from the day will be fed back to Kent Police to help shape priorities.

Ann Barnes, Chair of the Kent Police Authority said: “Young people today are so often judged and given a hard time. One of our roles is to set policing priorities and we need to find out what young people think and feel as so often they too can feel vulnerable in society. Our countywide tour is collating a pool of information on how young people feel and where they would like policing priorities to be focussed on. It’s extremely important that we speak to people face to face to ensure that we’re investing police council taxpayers money in the right areas. This session highlights how we can take away the issues raised and work with local agencies such as the council to make sure these matters are addressed.”