Increase in youth violence inspires WRPS Youth Engagement Strategy

There has been a rise in youth violence locally and people are feeling less safe at schools. It’s why Waterloo Regional Police (WRPS) created the Youth Engagement Strategy that they plan to utilize until 2027.

“Almost every conversation we have publicly people want to know what are we doing in the issues related to youth violence,” said Mark Crowell, police chief for WRPS during a presentation Sept. 18.

The strategy aims to build better relationships with youth and have more positive interactions between them and WRPS. It’s targeted for anyone 21-years and younger.

Part of that strategy is education and outreach; police plan to create a youth ambassador program as well as a youth volunteer program. They plan to also create a landing page for youth on their website that they say online will be a “place to connect to community events and sign-up for volunteer opportunities with WRPS membership.”

“Our approach will be to continue to report to the board on a regular basis but really as we launch this, it’s to bring along as many young people and partners as we can to amplify the work. It’ll grow in its approach and magnitude in the years to come,” added Crowell.

The Youth Engagement Strategy aims to improve outcomes for young people by trying to divert them away from the Justice System and more towards the help they need.

During the board meeting, Inspector Aaron Mathias described the need for a strategy as “evident and pressing.”

“We’re supported by evidence indicating that the region continues to experience rising levels of youth violence, diminished school safety and we acknowledge as a major regional system that we have the ability to mitigate adverse childhood experiences which may improve overall outcomes for youth,” said Mathias.

Other focuses of the strategy include community or youth safety as well as leadership and development.  

It was designed using youth voices that were provided through the Children and Youth Planning Table’s (CYPT) Youth Impact Survey. They also put together a team of 30 or more WRPS officers for research on the strategy and how it could be utilized effectively in the region.

WRPS will put together a team of Community and Youth Engagement Officers who will be addressing some issues in the community, which includes mental health.