Gloucestershire Constabulary have been successful at the Chris Donovan Trust Awards held in Sutton, Surrey in November.
The Chris Donovan Trust was founded by Ray and Vi Donovan whose son was murdered 14 years following a night out. The aim of the trust is to visit schools and youth clubs and even meet with gang members and try to educate them about what it is like to be a victim of crime and to show them how their actions not only destroys the victim’s life but it also tears their family apart too.http://www.chrisdonovantrust.org/
Great Expectations, a partnership led youth crime prevention programme, won a ‘Changing Lives’ award.
Great Expectations is a multi-agency task force involving the Police, Youth Support Team, InfoBuzz, HMP, social care, Probation and Gloucester City Homes. It was first developed around three years ago (initially called The Avenger Task Force) following concern about the increased levels of gang activity in the county. This ranged from low level youth crime, the supply and dealing of illegal substances, increased levels of group violence and more sophisticated activities involving identified gang members from other areas. Great Expectations has developed and its purpose is to create preventative strategies/diversions and focus on helping at risk youngsters to avoid trouble in the first place.
PC Emma MacDonald said “Winning the ‘Changing Lives’ Award is a wonderful recognition of all the hard work and dedication that Gloucestershire Constabulary and our partners put in to working with youngsters at risk from getting drawn into criminal activity. It’s a great achievement.”
Gloucestershire Constabulary’s Restorative Gloucestershire team also collected an award during the evening – a Dedication To The Cause of Restorative Justice. Becky Beard and Erik Sherwood who collected the award on behalf of the team were doubly proud because this is the second award they’ve picked up in the last couple of months. At the South West Region Special Constabulary and Police Support Awards in October they won the Police Support Volunteer Team of the Year award.