Young women in South Tyneside work with charity Bright Futures to develop new project after Sarah Everard case

Young women who are part of the Bright Futures’ Girls Standing Up worked to develop ‘Operation Girl Power’, are aiming to build relationships and engagement with police following shocking murder of Sarah Everard at the hands of Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens.

A successful event at Marsden Road Community Centre saw the young women involved share their lived experiences of being young women in South Tyneside, and their relationships with the police.

The girls identified the circumstances regarding Sarah Everard’s murder as a priority as why girls need to maintain and build relationships with police officers to ensure all local women felt safe and able to speak to officers should they feel unsafe.

The girls presented their project to various officers and police staff from Northumbria Police, sharing their ideas and recommendations on how to improve and increase engagement between Northumbria Police and young women.

Lucie Finn, a Girls Standing Up Ambassador said: “We could express our feelings on what our thoughts were, and they were actually heard and understood by the police officers. I think the police were honest and they actually heard what we were saying”.

Richard Gentry, chief Inspector for communities and engagement with Northumbria Police, said: “Projects like Operation Girl Power are absolutely key to ensuring that people from all backgrounds across our region get the support they need to achieve the best that they can.

"Northumbria Police are committed to engaging with all our communities, and being involved in projects like this allows members of those communities to tell us first hand how it feels to be policed in this region. We have always maintained a high community confidence in the region but are never complacent about this.

“Events outside our region, and actions within it can have a significant impact on those living here and its right we get direct feedback from those everyone. Having excellent projects like this and Bright Futures mean that we can work together as a whole community to improve the region for everyone”.

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