NEIGBOURHOOD police are being asked to encourage struggling families to find employment opportunities and “move their lives forward”.

North Wales Police has partnered with Denbighshire County Council’s (DCC) Working Denbighshire project, which provides long-term personal mentorship for people experiencing poverty to find training and employment opportunities

Neighbourhood policing teams will work with families they encounter to encourage people to take the opportunities provided by Working Denbighshire.

The partnership starts in Rhyl but could be extended to other areas of the county.

Chief inspector Andrew Williams of North Wales Police said neighbourhood officers are in a “unique position” to promote the mentorship service because they are in daily contact.

CI Williams said: “We are really excited by this partnership which is something we intend to nurture and grow. It is simply about providing opportunities to help people improve their circumstances when they may feel that they have nowhere to turn in terms of training and employment.

“Our neighbourhood officers, in particular, are in a unique position to introduce people to the scheme, as they are out and about speaking to families daily and they know who may need that little bit of encouragement and hands on assistance to improve their situation.

“Officers will be having conversations and developing relationships to understand what really matters to people who are encountering severe difficulties for a whole host of reasons.”

Working Denbighshire will then provide one-to-one support to individuals and help identify their needs and aspirations and work towards moving their lives forward in a meaningful way.

Cllr Mark Young, DCC’s lead member for equality and anti-poverty, said: “This is a good example of true partnership working and we hope this continues for a long time to come, in order to support vulnerable individuals to take control of their lives and to achieve their true potential.

“Making our communities resilient is a priority for the Council and this project helps us reduce poverty and guide people towards opportunities than can help them change their circumstances.”

CI Williams added: “Whilst the knock-on effect of these types of approaches have been shown to prevent crime in the longer term, there is no other agenda here. What we’re doing makes sense on wider social scale. For me it is something we, as a public service, have an absolute responsibility for. I am really looking forward to developing this relationship with Working Denbighshire and the possibilities it can open up.”