Camden has been carrying out surveys on the feeling of security/safety with respect to people with migrant/minority backgrounds. The Council has a community lead response to supporting communities and conversations with a diverse range of residents about their experiences of safety, a good example is the Safety in Gospel Oak survey which engages with Camden’s Somali community to try out new, community led, approaches to keeping people safe.
Camden encourages initiatives targeting its youth and aims to make the borough a place where every young person can feel safe and succeed.
The Safer Camden Network worked with the Somali community across Camden to develop action plans on education, youth safety and mental health, setting up a community-led mentoring scheme for Somali young people who are at risk of disengaging from school. Activities that build trust between young people, local communities and police, and other public bodies were namely identified (including in partnership with the police). They include regular community workshops with the police, supporting parent champions to be ‘bridges’ between services and the community, ride-a-longs with the police for the community, and improving representation in forums e.g. Safer Neighbourhood Panels, police working with the Somali Youth Development Resource Centre to increase contact with young people that attend.
