We were joined by a young Londoner in a mask from Crimestoppers Fearless campaign. Its great working with young audiences, they are honest and let you know what they think, indeed they take no prisoners. So in a very cold and draughty hall we performed Pact by Clifford Oliver, the second in our Blade Trilogy. This play is about "snitching" - what a ugly word that is, when I ask the audience what other words they use, they say "Snake, dobber, grass, baiter", all pretty horrible names that mean you are a traitor.
Codes of often misplaced loyalty seem to drive the idea that any kind of information giving is intrinsically weak, you must keep your mouth shut if you know anything about a crime for fear of being ostracised by your peers, or worse revenge. I get this, I really do, after all weren't we all told at our mother's knee not to tell tales. All well and good I guess in principle, after all we all naturally protect those we love and who would want to be seen as a betrayer or informer?
The problem is that this principle applied across the board means many crimes go unsolved on a point of supposed honour. Its a tricky one to unpack, why would a young person "snitch" on their mate if they know they had been involved in a crime, when this means getting involved yourself, risking the chance that you will lose your friends and possibly be subject to revenge. Its really not simple, we put pressure on young people to "tell", but really, what's in it for them if they do? Potentially more trouble, so its much easier to keep your head down and pretend you know nothing. Why is this then? Well "doing the right thing" can mean lots of different things to people, and doing the right thing can back fire on you. The vast majority of young people are conflicted by the competing pressures, and in the end often choose to keep quiet because they really don't trust the authorities. If your experience ( particularly if you are a young black man) with the police is negative, and sometimes abusive, why on earth would you go them with information? And yet, young people are the most likely victims of crime and what they tell us is that they do want someone out there to protect them against violence in particular. This ambivalence is tough to manage, it requires an ability to check out your own moral compass and deal with your fear. Sadly, all too often young people are treated disrespectfully by the police. If this is your interaction with the authorities on a daily basis, no wonder you are slow to come forward with information.
Many senior officers I know understand this and are doing all they can to build relationships and confidence. Unfortunately so much of this is theory that doesn't translate into practice. Its not easy I appreciate, a police officer stops you in the street because something has happened and they believe you may know about it or be involved. All well and good, and we need them to do this. However if the approach is based on a negative assumption from the outset, how can they then expect cooperation. This comes down to the Police getting a whole lot better at building rapport with people in times of non-confrontation. They need to market themselves better, be visible in schools and in the community, build relationships that bust their own negative mythology. If you have nothing to hide, then a reasonable stop should actually work, but if the approach assumes from the outset that you are up to something bad, no wonder people get upset.
One of our actors, Jordan, is a shining light in our work, sharing his experiences with Police Officers and young people alike. He talks about it every day out on the road, and he should know, he's been there. Even following a great high level performance of Boy X or Pact for senior influencers, its not uncommon for him to be walking to the tube and to be stopped, often because he is a young black man. Even attempting to build rapport and explain what he does with Arc, he is often met with disrespect by officers. Jordan is influential with young people, he's been on the street all his life, he talks to them about their responsibility in the communication, how to interact better and not put the officer's back up. He, like our other young actors is a powerful bridge and communication channel.
The Police could really do with using young men and women like Jordan to reflect back to them their experience and at the same time break down the barriers with young people themselves. But you know what, until young people can believe that the Police are on their side, forget it.
At Arc we work with some great officers who do have great relationships with young people, and lets not forget its the job of the young to challenge authority in the process of evolution! But the Police need a rebrand, not because we want them to be soft and cuddly, indeed we need them to be tough and decisive, but because it seems that trust must be earned, and whilst some of the most trustworthy and honourable people I know are Police Officers, the fact remains that most young people don't trust them.
I believe we need to kick this into touch and help young people to understand the difficult job it is and ask for their help in striking the balance. Most young people I know have a great sense of natural justice, sometimes misplaced sadly, and we need to harness this to our mutual advantage. Have a look at our work on snitching in Pact. This is a vitally important conversation. Please join in with it.
