Young police volunteers learn all about hate crime
School pupils take part in training course
A group of youngsters have been learning about disability hate crime — with help from Paisley police.
The teenagers, who are part of the Police Scotland Youth Volunteers project in Paisley, got involved in a day’s training at Mill Street station.
The volunteers scheme was set up to break down barriers between young people and officers, and help teens build their confidence.
It is a partnership with Young Scot and YouthLink Scotland, with around two dozen young people from Castlehead High and St Andrew’s Academy, in Paisley, involved in various activities.
PC Audrey Paul, based at Paisley police office, has been leading the project locally and working with kids aged 13 to 18.
She invited some of the group along to Paisley’s Mill Street police station to meet the team from I Am Me Scotland.
This is a charity that works in partnership with Police Scotland to raise awareness of — and tackle — disability hate crime.
It’s one of the most underreported crimes in the UK, with an estimated 97 per cent of incidents going unreported.
There are one million people in Scotland who are registered as disabled or with a long-term illness, and most crimes they are victims of Youngsters can enjoy a new show from the National Theatre of Scotland.
Written and directed by Lewis Hetherington with collaborators Ailie Cohen, MJ McCarthy and Kane Husbands, Rocket Post is based on a true story.
It is set in July 1934, in the Western go unreported as disabled people accept abuse and harassment as part of daily life.
The day of I Am Me ambassador training at Mill Street saw the youngsters being handed certificates by Superintendent Robert Kennedy.
Superintendent Kennedy said: Isles, where a small crowd stands on a beach and watch as eccentric German scientist Gerhard Zucker tells them he wants to bring the world together by sending a rocket packed full of letters from Scarp to Harris.
The crowd gasps as he lights the fuse and the rocket lifts up into the sky — and “I am extremely proud of the youth volunteers who have now completed the I Am Me training. “Well done to all.” Training was done by PC Kirsty Murray, who is a hate crime officer, along with Megan Milligan, Debbie Campbell and Andrew McMillan from I Am Me.
I am extremely proud of the youth volunteers who have completed the training
then explodes.
The show is for everyone aged six and over, and promises to be a fun-filled mix of songs and storytelling.
Book now for Saturday, October 21, at 2pm. Tickets cost £6 (£4 concession). Call 0300 300 1210 to book.