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Safer Streets 5

In 2024-2025, Nottingham Trent University worked alongside Nottinghamshire Police to deliver the Safer Streets 5 project with secondary school pupils from Clifton and Bulwell.

Our shared purpose

Young people sitting with police in court room of National Justice Museum

Between September 2024 and March 2025, students from Bulwell Academy and Farnborough Spencer Academy took part in a ground-breaking initiative to make their community safer. Working alongside Nottinghamshire Police, local partners, and Nottingham Trent University (NTU), the project empowered young people to shape policy and practice through their lived experiences.

Assemblies

Safer streets assemblies were delivered to over 1500 secondary school pupils across the project.

Town halls

88 pupils attended a town hall in their area to share their thoughts on why young people can be drawn into crime and anti-social behaviour in their community.

Peer research

The voices of 609 young people were heard through peer research, undertaken by 23 youth peer researchers.

Recommendations

Each school taking part in the project submitted 10 recommendations to the Police and Crime Commission from the research.

The impact

Funded by the Safer Streets 5 programme through the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, and coordinated by the Bulwell Cradle to Career and Clifton Together initiatives, the students received training in social research methods. Students designed and conducted their own research to explore the root causes of crime and antisocial behaviour in Bulwell and Clifton.

After analysing their findings, the group identified key themes and presented a series of recommendations to the Commissioner and neighbourhood police teams. Their work has already made a meaningful contribution to the priorities of local collective impact initiatives including opportunities for young people, place making and systems leadership.

This project not only highlighted the importance of youth voice in shaping safer communities, it also revealed a team of emerging leaders with untapped potential. The Safer Streets 5 Youth Listening Project gave young people a voice, strengthened their confidence and supported positive change, leaving a legacy for those involved and the communities they helped shape.

Click here to read more about Kayden's story and the lasting impact Safer Streets 5 has had on his confidence and outlook.

Stories from the project

You can hear from the pupils who took part in the project by watching the videos below.

The focus groups had a lot to say and [had] problems that they could be speak about. We gave them that chance and I’m proud of that.

Rayne (Year 9)

Our partners

This project has been made possible through the collective commitment, expertise and collaboration of our partner organisations:

  • Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner
  • Bulwell Academy
  • Farnborough Spencer Academy

Get in touch

Contact censce@ntu.ac.uk  if you have any questions about this project or would like to find out more about our work.