Derbyshire Police Commissioner to chair new national board on using sport to tackle youth crime

Hardyal Dhindsa will chair the PCC National Sport and Youth Crime Prevention Board, made up of police commissioners from across the country, which will be gathering evidence and lobbying Government to shape the future of youth justice and community intervention.

He said: “This is a huge milestone for youth crime prevention and will harness the skills and experience of a multitude of experts to promote increased use of sport to tackle offending and reoffending across England and Wales.

“Over the years I've invested in locally-trusted organisations and seen first-hand how sport is used to develop their potential, encourage self-discipline and protect the more vulnerable young people from entering the criminal justice system.”

Mr Dhindsa added: “I've already made it a priority to expand sporting opportunities across Derbyshire and now, through the new board, I will work with like-minded colleagues to ensure sport and positive activities are a focus for crime prevention across England and Wales.

“We will work together as one team to bring the benefits of sport to every community and ensure the Government continues to invest in and support sport to make our young people safer, healthier and more successful.”

Mr Dhindsa has been working in partnership with the sports charity StreetGames since 2015 when he secured Home Office funding for sport-based interventions as part of a wider effort to tackle youth crime.

In the years since, that partnership has seen thousands of sports sessions delivered locally which have helped to build an evidence base for tackling youth offending across areas including Greater Manchester, West Midlands and South Wales.

StreetGames will now support the new board to ensure it has access to relevant research and policy.

StreetGames director Stuart Felce said: “We are pleased to be invited to support Hardyal and the board's intentions and will do everything to ensure the community sports sector is represented every step of the way.”

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