The Community Engagement Forum is taking place next Thursday (2 December)

Members of the public are being invited to next week’s Community Engagement Forum in Gloucester.

The event is being held at the Friendship Café, Chequers Bridge Centre on Painswick Road from 6pm to 8pm next Thursday (2 December).

The Community Engagement Forum is an opportunity to meet senior police leaders, ask questions and share your priorities for the community.

This event is jointly hosted by Gloucestershire Constabulary and the Community Legitimacy Panel (CLP). The CLP was formed last year and consists of members of the county’s ethnically diverse communities.

Teddy Burton, who is chairman of the CLP, said: “The purpose of the community engagement forum is to have constructive discussions between the public and the Constabulary.

“Our aim is to hold the Constabulary to account on how it uses its powers towards people of Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.

“Over the past year we have reviewed cases and made recommendations relating to use of force, wrongful arrest, stop and search, body worn video cameras and how additional police powers were used during the height of the Coronavirus pandemic.

“The involvement of the wider community in what we are doing is the next logical step in pursuing the aims of the CLP and the forum on the 2 December provides an opportunity for this.”

Assistant Chief Constable Rhiannon Kirk added: “I feel that working with the community, through both the forum and CLP, allows the Constabulary to hear from those that we serve to ultimately address their concerns.

We don’t have all the answers to the concerns raised as yet but I truly believe we are on the right path and that is all down to the feedback we’ve received from Teddy and fellow community members.”

Anyone who wishes to attend the forum can register at: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/community-engagement-forum-tickets-191531384527