Police officer wins award for helping almost 300 children move away from crime

A police officer has won an award for helping almost 300 children move away from crime and get their young lives back on track.

Detective Constable Deborah Dace, from West Midlands Police, has recently won a West Midlands Police Diamond Award for “undoubtedly changing the lives of many young people”.

She worked with children as young as 10 for the last five years, as the Youth Crime Officer based in Walsall.

Some of these children have committed offences previously, including assaults resulting from behavioural issues and some have been exploited to run drugs or have been caught with weapons.

Detective Dace is a specialist in so-called ‘out of court disposals’ where, in the right circumstances, we look to offer young offenders the support and chances they need to prosper rather than criminalising them.

The citation read out at the awards event told how Deb is “unwaveringly fair, she will help young people with mental health needs, go with them to a college interview, find the money for their first month’s hostel rent or work with other agencies to get the right support”.

Detective Dace has worked with WMP for almost 30 years – including time as a response officer attending 999 calls and a detective – but says her youth crime role is perhaps the most rewarding.

She said: “The landscape has certainly changed: when I started I was dealing mainly with low-level assaults, criminal damage and theft but over the last couple of years children I’m working with have been found with a weapon or been exploited into crime. 

“The easiest thing to do is to charge them with criminal offences. If they’re found with some drugs or a knife, why not charge them?

“But my job is to understand how they’ve found themselves in that position. Have they been bullied or threatened and foolishly felt having a knife would help? Have they been groomed into carrying those drugs?"

Detective Dace added: “Many children I’m helping are first time offenders; they made stupid decisions or found themselves on a slippery slope and couldn’t escape. In cases like this, criminalising them is more likely to exacerbate the problems, not help them or steer them away from crime.

She estimates around three-quarters of the young people she’s supported have accepted the support and not gone on to commit more offences.

“It’s lovely to receive the award,” added Deb, “but this really is a team effort. I couldn’t do this alone. It’s great to see many of the children we’ve helped really turn their lives around, getting back into education, training or work, and improving their life prospects. That’s what it’s all about.”