UWE Bristol’s Respect Project: ending racism within the police

National World - LocalTV

The children, who are from global majority communities, said that they feel like the police make them feel “less safe” and “scared to leave home”, and that they “want to trust the police” and the outcomes of the project are being trialled successfully with Avon and Somerset police

Transcript

00:00So the Respect Project came about because no research had really been done on how primary

00:09age children, so we specifically looked at 9 to 11 year olds, how that group of children

00:14experienced racism and what the impact that was on their mental health and wellbeing.

00:20And from there, we identified certain reoccurring themes. And one of those themes was that children

00:29were worried about their relationship with the police, even as 9 year olds, that they

00:36felt that there was a lack of trust between children with black and brown skin and the

00:42police force. And they really felt that they wanted the police to have a better relationship

00:49with them and their communities. So that's what our latest project has been about.

00:54And what, so you've gone into local primary schools, tell me a little bit about the findings

01:00and what you're going to do with that information.

01:03Sure. So the findings from the Respect Project have shown that children as young as three and

01:09four years old are experiencing racism.

01:12And you've already started implementing that training within Aynwood and Somerset Police.

01:17Have there been results, do we think? What has the feedback been?

01:22The feedback so far from Aynwood and Somerset Police has been really positive.

01:28Seven training sessions have already taken place and by May 2025,

01:341,300 officers will have seen that animation.

01:38And in terms of the future then, your research doesn't stop here, does it?

01:43What are you aiming for, for the future?

01:46We're really hoping that this piece of research and the animation that's been produced is really

01:52just the start of a more positive relationship between our global majority communities and

01:58the police force.

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