Attending a serious violence conference, hearing from Bath City Farm and visiting Yeovil
Last Friday, I spent the day in Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES), attending an outstanding conference organised by the local Violence Reduction Partnership (VRP) that I fund. I also visited Bath City Farm to learn about the impactful projects they run, which focus on education, wellbeing, and transforming lives, and finished the day meeting Adam Dance MP for Yeovil in South Somerset.
The VRP’s third annual conference, held at Saltford Golf Club, brought together local teachers, professionals and practitioners working with children that may be at risk of serious violence under the theme of ‘exploitation and youth violence’.
We were inspired by the keynote speaker, Craig Pinkney, who brought valuable insights to the event. A Criminologist, Urban Youth Specialist, and Chief Executive of Solve: The Centre for Youth Violence and Conflict, Craig outlined the national landscape of exploitation and its diverse impacts on children and young people. He encouraged attendees to broaden their understanding beyond drug-related exploitation, highlighting the influence of extremist groups on vulnerable youth. Craig also shared practical tools and strategies to help professionals address these and other complex issues effectively.
The conference helped us look at how, as professionals, we can work together to protect our children and young people and keep them safe from exploitation and violence.
I’m aware prevention work doesn’t always make the headlines, but I firmly believe early intervention, trauma-informed approaches, and community support are essential for long-term change. That is why I’ve made reducing serious youth violence part of one of the five main priorities in my Police and Crime Plan.
Bath City Farm
One of the local organisations working hard to build up that important community support is the impressive team of people I met at the Bath City Farm. They offer targeted opportunities for young people and adults. One of their projects is a free six-week programme for young people aged 16-25 who live in the Twerton, Whiteway and Southdown areas and are currently not in education, employment or training. The young people attend weekly sessions and are given opportunities to gain awards in Animal care or similar areas.
I commend the work the farm has done to become a welcoming hub for the community. It also hosts the Twerton and Whiteway Community Network, a local network set up to support residents and local organisations.
Addressing the root causes of crime, and improving people’s life chances, requires collaboration between services like Bath City Farm, the VRP, and the many other organisations and schools that attended the conference. We need to continue to work together and with communities affected, to be able to develop meaningful solutions.
Meeting people in Yeovil town centre
I ended the day in Yeovil town centre, where I met with Adam Dance MP and discussed policing concerns such as shoplifting, knife crime, police presence, community safety and drug dealing issues in Chard.
I met and talked to members of the public along Princess Street, through Church Street, Middle Street and the Quedam area of Yeovil Town centre. We also visited the Winking Frog café run by the able2achieve charity. Able2achieve supports individuals with learning disabilities, mental health, and other associated disabilities in a variety of different ways from everyday living skills to attending social events such as concerts.
