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Police to discuss better ways of protecting children

11/06/2008

Police authorities from around the country will meet today to discuss the ways in which they can better protect children and young people.

The Metropolitan police authority is due to host a seminar in central London where representatives from the country's police services will discuss their progress in meeting the targets set out by the Every Child Matters agenda.

The agenda was incorporated in the Children Act 2004 and seeks to provide a better approach to safeguarding children.

The meeting comes after the recent deaths of 15-year-old Arsema Dawit who was stabbed to death in a block on flats in south London on June 2nd and seven-year-old Khyra Ishaq who reportedly died of starvation in Birmingham last month.

"The police, alongside other agencies, have a duty to protect children and young people from harm," Metropolitan police authority member Richard Sumray said.

"Police authorities have a vital role to ensure their police services are both committed and compliant with the Every Child Matters agenda. In addition, police authorities themselves must demonstrate a clear commitment to children and young people.

"It is a popular myth that young people are a problem in society, that they are mostly the perpetrators of crime. This is as much of a generalisation as saying that all football fans are hooligans," he added.

"We must understand that the vast majority of young people are just as worried about crime, about the possibility of becoming a victim, as the rest of society, and they need our understanding and protection."