TV appeal to voters ‘slur on the young’

A TV campaign to persuade voters to take part in the first election of police and crime commissioners is “incredibly unjust” and “perpetuates the myth that the elderly need to fear the young”, a campaigner has said.

The Home Office has simply “tramped out the old stereotype that we’ve all got to fear young people”, Tony Gearing, founder of the Young People of the Year (Yopey) awards, said.

“I’m now fearful,” he said. “Are the police and crime commissioners going to treat crime in the same coarse, crude and stereotypical way?”

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More than 35 million people are eligible to cast ballots in the November 15 contests for the new posts, which will replace existing police authorities in 41 force areas across England and Wales.

The commissioners will have the power to set force budgets and priorities and even hire and fire chief constables.

To increase awareness amid fears of a low turnout, the Home Office has launched an advertising campaign showing drug dealing, yobs punching commuters, fly-tippers shouting abuse and a car wing mirror being kicked off.

Viewers are told they can soon vote for someone to set their local policing priorities.

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But Mr Gearing, who runs the Yopey campaign to give youngsters a fairer image in the media and society, said all the criminals shown in the advert appeared to be young people.

“It’s an incredibly unjust advert that perpetuates the myth that the elderly need to fear the young,” he said. Young people are the victims of crime. Where was the middle-aged rapist? Where was the elderly financial crook?

“It was mainly low-level crime all being committed by young people.”