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Officers get their skates on with project to help keep young people safe
- April 16, 2024
A project designed to enrich the lives of vulnerable young people in Nottinghamshire has been praised as a “great success”.
Nottinghamshire Police partnered with the city’s National Ice Centre to provide 10 weeks of free ice-skating sessions for 30 young people.
The force’s youth outreach team identified the group of girls and boys aged between eight and 17, which supports socially excluded, vulnerable or crime-involved young people to make positive life choices.
All the young people who attended at least seven sessions were rewarded with free tickets to a Nottingham Panthers home fixture and free ice-skating lessons for a year.
Each ice-skating session lasted for two hours on Friday nights, with half of the sessions including prevention tutorials on knife crime, child sexual exploitation and personal safety.
The scheme concluded with a trip to see the Nottingham Panthers ice hockey team play Coventry Blaze on March 30.
The pilot project, called Operation Polarised, took place between January 12 and March 15.
The youth outreach team, who work alongside the force’s schools and early intervention officers, as part of the Prevention Hub, offer mentoring, education and unique opportunities for engagement and diversion through activities.
The Prevention Hub is a collaboration between multiple force departments responsible for developing and delivering strategies to prevent crime and disorder throughout the city and county.
It covers a range of areas including violence against women and girls, business crime and youth outreach.
“By offering these ice-skating sessions we are providing young people an opportunity to focus their energy in a positive way. “It diverts them to a safe environment away from the streets where they can meet other young people, develop skills and enjoy a new sport.” “I want to also thank The National Ice Centre and Nottingham Panthers for supporting Nottinghamshire Police with this project, whose generosity and partnership working has helped deliver this initiative.”
“Engagement through sport is an excellent way of nurturing confidence and improving physical and mental health. “This project has been a great success and we’ve had a fantastic response after engaging with these young people through this new scheme. “I want to also thank The National Ice Centre and Nottingham Panthers for supporting Nottinghamshire Police with this project, whose generosity and partnership working has helped deliver this initiative.”
“The reaction to the ice-skating sessions has been fantastic. All the places were filled within the first day and we had to open a waiting list. “The strong attendance of these sessions demonstrates just how important it is for the police to work with partners to provide preventative measures that help keep young people safe from harm and reduce anti-social behaviour and disorder.”
“The National Ice Centre is thrilled to have been a part of Operation Polarised in partnership with Nottinghamshire Police." “We believe in the power of ice-skating to bring people together, promote healthy lifestyles, and build confidence. This project is a fantastic example of how our facilities can be used to make a positive impact on young people in our community. "We are pleased with the success of this pilot and we look forward to continuing to partner with Nottinghamshire Police on future initiatives.”
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