YOUNG people in Tilbury were given the chance to air their views in a “Stay Safe” operation organised by the Youth Offending Service and funded by the Thurrock Community Safety Partnership.
Officers who work on a daily basis with young people across Thurrock visited Tilbury on Friday (April 16th) to meet with the youngsters who were out and about. The operation was aimed at engaging with young people, asking if they had any issues, why they were out and in particular whether more activities should be organised for them.
During the evening the teams engaged with 57 young people in the Tilbury area. Young people of various ages spoke to those involved about the local centre and the kinds of facilities and activities they would like to see in the area.
The Tilbury Stay Safe took place during the school holidays and followed on from the first successful operation of its kind in Ockendon and Purfleet in March.
Teams from the Youth Offending Service, Thurrock Council’s Youth Services and Community Protection Team, Essex Police and Network (targeting drugs and alcohol issues for young people) were out from 7pm to midnight.
As well as talking to the young people, information was distributed and many volunteered their details to allow them to be involved in specific youth focussed campaigns in the future.
Teresa Goulding, Thurrock Youth Offending Service Operation Manager said: “We are often all too quick to blame young people for a whole host of problems and issues we have in our communities particularly when it comes to Anti-social Behaviour. But young people are part of Thurrock like any other member of society. It is vital for us to find out how they feel about the area they live in and what they believe the problems are and how they can be solved.
