A GROUND-BREAKING initiative to draw up a new plan for policing in North Wales is seeking help from the people it will most affect.

North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones is looking for people aged between 14 and 25 to become members of Wales’ first Youth Commission.

The commission, made up of 30 members, will work with Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner Ann Griffith as they are consulted over the policing priorities for North Wales, particularly where they affect young people.

The members will be trained by Leaders Unlocked, a specialist social enterprise organisation that has run eight similar schemes across England since 2013.

Ann Griffith, who has a lead responsibility for young people as part of her role, said: “This is a ground-breaking scheme and one that I am delighted that North Wales is pioneering in Wales. We want to establish a sustainable, structured system for young people aged 14-25 to influence decisions about policing and crime in North Wales.

“It is important that we involve young people and listen to them to get their perspective on the crime and social issues they face. This is one of the ways that North Wales Police and the Commissioner’s Office are applying a children’s rights approach in line with the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child.

“We need to listen to young people and get their perspective on the issues they face and take them into account rather than just imposing our own views on them.”

The first meeting of the new Youth Commission is scheduled for August 16 and Kaytea Budd-Brophy, a senior manager with Leaders Unlocked and a former Lecturer said: “The Youth Commission will work in partnership with the Police and Crime Commissioner and North Wales Police to identify and tackle urgent issues affecting young people in North Wales.

“They might be relationships with the police, hate crime, the problem of county lines and the drugs trade, mental health and staying safe online or reducing youth offending.

“The young people themselves will decide which issues to raise and which solutions to suggest.”

Recruitment is open now with a deadline of July 29, to start in August. The successful applicants will be drawn from all sectors of society, including young people who have had brushes with the law, and with a representative Welsh language presence.

For more information and to apply, visit www.northwales-pcc.gov.uk/en/working-in-partnership/youth-commission