Background

Lifestyle is a Humberside Police initiative that has now spread to South Yorkshire and West Mercia. European police forces and police departments in America and South Africa have also showed significant interest.

THE AIMS

  • To encourage active citizenship, social responsibility and community spirit.
  • To encourage team spirit.
  • To reduce criminality by young persons and the fear of crime associated with antisocial behaviour.
  • To encourage positive contact between the Humberside Police, young people and other bodies and agencies.

 THE OBJECTIVES

The project is designed to increase the amount of positive contact between Humberside Police and the young people of our area.  Encouraged by police prompting, young people become involved in community projects during the long summer holidays.  The overall aim is to provide a refreshing and challenging alternative to summer boredom, which will not only occupy their time but also benefit the youngsters, themselves and their communities. 

One very specific objective is to involve everyone, police, businesses, councils, statutory and voluntary organisations, families and individuals in improving community spirit, stemming the flow of minor crime and reducing the fear of crime by helping to bring some of those at risk down on to the right side of the fence during the long summer break. 

THE PROJECT

Using a lively promotional mix including DVD, registration forms, posters and other printed material plus the local media, Lifestyle is launched in schools and youth organisations by Neighbourhood Policing Teams in early May. 

Participants work together in teams of two to five and choose a project, which shows that they care about their community in some way.  This may involve the environment - in the broadest sense - and can include neighbours, the disabled or elderly, the young, promoting healthy eating and sporting activities and much more! 

THE TEAM

Upon registering for the project, entrants receive a free Lifestyle T-shirt to show they are part of the project sporting the Lifestyle and principal supporter’s logo. They also receive a log book, to record planning, progress and notes on the teams achievement. To assist teams in planning their work, they receive a handbook containing ideas and telephone numbers of people and organisations who might be able to help them in their chosen project.  Also included is a pack of Company Challenges, which give the youngsters lots of project ideas. 

Completed Log books are then submitted to Police Headquarters in September where they are assessed by the judging panel.  Everyone who completes a project and submits a Log is awarded a Lifestyle certificate. 

THE ADULT ADVISER

Teams have to provide an Adult Adviser - someone to oversee the safe running of the teams project, particularly important in the case of some environmental projects and to advise on a whole host of matters.  This is usually a parent or other relative. 

JUDGING & AWARDS

The judging process initially commences with a team of assessors, including a police officer and two educationalists, who judge each submitted log books to select the top projects and runner-up prizes.  The finalist projects are then considered by a panel of judges chaired by the Chief Constable and key Lifestyle supporters to decide which team will win the top prize.  

All teams submitting a Log book are considered for other awards in addition to their certificate of completion.  

Sponsorship from local and national businesses, trusts and other charitable organisations are involved in the project supporting a vast array marketing opportunities. 

The overall winners of Lifestyle scoop a holiday of a lifetime to Disney World in Florida.  PGL Adventure/team building holidays to France are rewarded to runners up.  Other top teams receive adventure/team building holiday to Wales and a whole host of other prizes are presented to teams who excel during the summer. 

Local businesses also generously contribute further prizes.  Encouraging local business involvement with Humberside Police is an integral part of Lifestyle. 

LIFESTYLE AWARDS

The highly prestigious Lifestyle Awards takes place during November when the Chief Constable presents certificates and awards to the winning teams.  Top teams in the past have included young people from all parts of the Humberside Police area. 

SCHOOL PRESENTATIONS

Early in the New Year hundreds of certificates and smaller prizes are presented to the remaining Lifestylers by Lifestyle staff and/or local police officers at specially arranged school assemblies, usually involving the local press. 

ACHIEVEMENT

Lifestyle is now firmly established in the crime reduction strategy of Humberside Police and has been in operation since 1989, when it was originally conceived as a crime prevention initiative. 

Young people taking part in the Lifestyle Project learn skills for life along with developing good citizenship which, in turn, leads to social responsibility and a more caring attitude. 

By making Lifestyle so challenging and rewarding, so far we have been able to involve over 142,200 young people all working towards benefiting their communities. 

During the project’s nineteen years, Lifestylers have spent over two million hours working to the benefit of their communities and have raised in excess of one million pounds for charities and other worthwhile causes. 

STAFFING & FINANCE

The Lifestyle Office is staffed by one police officer and two police staff, provided by Humberside Police.  The total amount of money expended on the project varies each year but, after publicity and administration costs, the project can be tailored to the amount of sponsorship available.  Initially high costs have been significantly reduced with the remainder providing the prizes. 

EVERY CHILD MATTERS

Lifestyle meets all 5 aims of Every Child Matters as it encourages Children & Young People to be active through engaging in projects (Be Healthy), Lifestylers carry out a range of activities during the summer holiday and build a positive relationship with the police (Stay Safe) and it is a voluntary scheme that young people are involved in and they can see the results (Enjoy and Achieve). The scheme means that Lifestyers can make a difference to the communities they live in whilst reducing the fear of crime (Make a Positive Contribution) and provides teams with an opportunity to develop skills that can be used in later life (Achieve Economic Well-being). 

CONCLUSION

Lifestyle is the vehicle through which we in Humberside Police are investing in our future providing skills for life and demonstrating to everyone that young people, especially those from urban areas, are not at all like the few who appear in negative newspaper headlines. 

They do this by prominently displaying good citizenship, social responsibility and by showing what young people can really achieve when they are encouraged to use their imagination and enthusiasm on the behalf of others. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

Please contact:

PC Kate Atkins or Lisa Whitton of the Humberside Police Lifestyle Team
Police Headquarters
Priory Road Police Station
Kingston upon Hull
HU5 5SF

Tel: 01482 220700