Teenagers help to shape how Surrey is policed

Some of the ideas suggested by the young people have already been put in place

Young people have been helping Surrey Police come up with practical changes that they feel will help to reduce low-level crime in the county.

Officers spoke with children aged 11 to 15 in Sunbury-on-Thames, Woking and Tadworth - areas where the force has concerns over trust in the police or there are ongoing issues such as vandalism, drug use and littering.

The participants suggested improvements such as better lighting and CCTV around underpasses, defensive planting to prevent access to closed areas and more waste bins.

Surrey Police said that it listened to the ideas and had already put some of them in place, including lighting and CCTV at underpasses.

The project, named Positive Futures, was also part of a study by the University of Surrey, which gathered feedback from 14 of the children throughout the process.

Jon Garland, professor of criminology at the university, said: "Being involved in Positive Futures gave young people a real say in what happens in their neighbourhoods, they saw that their voices matter.

"For police and community organisations, listening to and acting on what young people tell us helps build trust.

"Our evaluation suggests this kind of approach has real value and could be replicated elsewhere."

Talks are now under way about how the project can be expanded outside of Surrey.