A group of dedicated students from New City College have successfully graduated from the 10-week MetGirlz programme – receiving certificates and glowing tributes for their work at a presentation at New Scotland Yard.
The MetGirlz is an initiative run by the Metropolitan Police to empower young women and inspire them to consider a career in policing. It is also part of the Met’s action plan to combat Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), build trust between the police and young females and promote safety in the community.
Throughout the course, which was run at NCC Havering Sixth Form, Hornchurch, the group of 18 students studying a variety of courses, worked closely with Met officers, gaining valuable insights into law enforcement and learning about the various careers available to them within the police service.
There were visits by officers from different areas of the Met, such as TSG Special Forces, the Firearms Unit and the Dog Unit. These officers ran sessions to highlight their work, giving the students some unique experiences, such as investigating a crime scene, firearm demonstrations, trying on riot gear, physical training, introducing them to the police dogs and puppies, and stop and search scenarios.
In small groups, the girls then had to come up with innovative solutions to combat violence against women and girls and make society a safer place. As part of their final challenge, they had to present these ‘Big Ideas’ to some of the Met’s senior leaders, including CI Mel Jenkins, CI Sharon Brind, PC Claire Argyle, PC Jo McCarthy, PS Lisa Ryan and Acting Inspector Jayshree Patel.
One ‘Big Idea’ was an app called SHOP (Safety, Help, Option and Protect), where vulnerable women could ask for help and talk to others in similar situations. One feature was an Emergency SOS, which would send a live location to family and trigger a loud alarm. There was a community chat section for anonymous discussions, monitored by the police, and a useful feature was being able to disguise the interface to prevent the app being seen or found on a phone.