We take youth crime prevention work online

We are promoting our national youth service Fearless in Carmarthenshire with a new digital crime prevention campaign for young people.

For the past year, the youth outreach service has visited schools and youth clubs in a bid to educate and empower young people to speak out against crime in their communities. With community engagement now curtailed due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, work has moved online with a new social media campaign to promote the Fearless.org website.

Through educational resources and signposting, Fearless.org encourages young people to make positive, informed decisions around crime and criminality. Uniquely, the website is also tailored for young people to pass on information about crime, completely anonymously and safely.

Fearless has already reached 7,000 young people across Dyfed and Powys through workshops during the last year and hopes this campaign will help reinforce their safety messages.

“We’re adapting to the current circumstances by reaching out to young people through a new digital campaign. Young people can become victims, witnesses or participants in crime but often do not recognise the issues or feel confident to seek help.

“We provide information about crime types and encourage them to report crime, either through the Police, a trusted adult or through our website anonymously if they feel scared or have no one to confide in.”

The Fearless service and campaign is supported and funded through the Police and Crime Commissioner for Dyfed Powys, Dafydd Llywelyn. He said:

 

“Whilst children and young people are now home from school, it’s important that safeguarding messages continue to be shared to encourage them to stay safe – in their homes, communities and online. Fearless provides an important service to enable young people to speak up about crime and exploitation. It’s important that young people know that there are many organisations there for them online – whether its Childline, Meic, Schoolbeat or indeed Fearless.org.

“I would also like to reinforce some important messages coming from the Force at this point in time, advising young people  that have still been congregating at parks and public places during this lockdown period to stay at home, and we are urging parents and guardians to emphasise the importance of this to their children. Stay home and stay safe.”

More information about the scheme can be found at Fearless.org, which also has free online information for professionals and parents on topics such as County Lines, Child Sexual Exploitation, Knife Crime and Street Crime.