In 2024 the Positive Action team continued to work with our black communities to increase trust in the police and build meaningful relationships. Throughout the year we have supported and joined many occasions, including Windrush Memorial Day, Reggae Weekender, Caribbean Family Fun Day and Africa Comes to Bournemouth.
In October we celebrated Black History Month with our local communities and attended several events in support of the annual commemorative month.
In Devon & Cornwall we collaborated with Black Voices Cornwall and we were able to support them in an education project, to reach out to every school across the county and educate students about black history.
In Plymouth we visited The Box that organised an exhibition ‘The Time is always Now: Artists Reframe the Black Figure’. This exhibition has previously been displayed in the National Portrait Gallery.
We have also continued to support Plymouth Hope Charity. Plymouth Hope was founded by David Feindouno who arrived to Plymouth as an asylum seeker in October 2008. Driven by his passion to combat boredom and isolation among fellow asylum seekers, David organized the first football session, which drew 54 participants from over 20 nationalities, including asylum seekers, refugees, local residents, international students and migrant workers. With support from others, they conducted four football sessions per week for six months, leading to the establishment of Plymouth Hope FC. This initiative was followed by the inaugural Plymouth Hope Festival in June 2009 and the official registration of Plymouth Hope Charity in August 2013.
In Dorset, Positive Action officer Klara has visited the IGBO community and joined their monthly meeting, where more than 80 members were present. During this occasion Klara was able to address the community and discuss various topics, such as Positive Action support, why join the organisation and misconceptions about joining the police.
On 17th October the team attended a community event at Bournemouth University Talbot Campus, organised by the BCP Race and Cultural Diversity Network Group. During the evening there were a number of activities to get involved with, from workshops, drumming, presentations and networking in the great hall.
On Friday 18th October 2024 Positive Action officer Ali attended the Bibby Stockholm where she met with a small group of men who currently reside there.
The men were aged between 23 – 60 years old and were all from different countries, with different backgrounds and upbringings. This was an opportunity for open and honest conversations about their perception of the police in their home countries and any experiences they may have had of the police in the UK.
It was positive to hear that experiences of British policing far outweighed those from their home countries. Ali learnt a lot about how policing and the perception of police in other countries could create huge mistrust in any police service for these individuals. It is important for British police to understand these barriers which affect our communities coming forward to report crime and trust in the criminal justice system.
For Ali, it was an opportunity to make small steps in rebuilding their trust and confidence in the police; to educate them about our determination to always put victims first, to safeguard and strive for justice.