Policing and public safety under the spotlight in Harehills event

Music, food, culture and truth were celebrated in Harehills last Tuesday as community leaders and local residents were invited to reimagine solutions to the issues impacting the community.

The ‘Knowing the Ground: Care, Politics, Public Safety and Policing the Inner City’ was organised by local resident Chijioke Ojukwu to explore the issues of race, poverty, culture, and policing in underserved communities in Harehills.

As part of the event, panellists made up of local ambassadors, women’s rights groups and West Yorkshire police answered questions from the public about the concerns of local citizens.

This included questions about caring for the community, trust, heavy-handed policing, discrimination and safety. The aim of the event was for the local community to raise their concerns, heal, and find new ways to work together in an inner city district where the distribution of resources is often unequal and insufficient.

The event featured music and poetry from young people, focussed on their experiences of justice within the community.

Reflecting on the event, Chijioke said: “Knowing the Ground was envisioned as a way of bringing people together to both celebrate the beauty of Harehills and imagine solutions to local problems, particularly public safety and policing.

“It was both a joy and privilege to see it come together, especially the creativity, food and young people who served graciously.”

Community members were also invited to participate in separate talks known as ‘breakout sessions’ to explore grassroots ideas and solutions to crime and policing in Harehills.

The sessions aimed to analyse why there is a high level of distrust in policing and authority in inner city areas such as Harehills. Many community members voiced their concerns over institutional racism, crime, women’s rights and the need for accountability and equality.

Police chief Steve Dobbs said that the police were committed to making the communities a better place. In response to members of the audience who asked about trust in the police force, Steve said that the police are actively seeking feedback in order to learn from the communities they serve so they can improve policing in the local community.

He added: “We actively seek feedback and learning to tackle the most abhorrent behavior and protect vulnerable people. We urge the community to work with us, give us that opportunity, and give us that feedback. The fact that there are so many people at this event demonstrates the community spirit not only in this room but in the local area.”

Alison Lowe, Deputy Mayor of Policing and Crime, also attended the event. When asked about trust in the police force, she said that one way to improve trust in the community was to work towards increasing diversity and accountability in the police force.

She added: “West Yorkshire police needs to understand the needs of Harehills, the needs of all the different people. Harehills is multicultural, beautiful and diverse. However, it is not just about Harehills. It’s about all of us being able to trust policing. I believe in a system where working together works for everyone. Let’s put that mirror up and use the processes that are in place.”

While many different views and ideas about policing and safety were discussed, the overwhelming focus was on finding ways to foster peace, mutual respect and community between the multicultural communities in Harehills.