Army joins forces with teenage girls

May 23 2008 by Michael Green, Chester Chronicle

Army joins forces with teenage girls

AN ARMY training course teaching respect and self-discipline has been arranged for a group of teenage girls.

Frodsham police are hoping that a spell with the armed forces can put a group of girls from the area back on the straight and narrow.

Inspector Phil Hodgson has arranged for eight teenage girls to attend a special residential course at the British Army’s base at Swinnerton, starting this week.

Insp Hodgson said: “The idea of the scheme is not to recruit for the army, or even to act as a boot camp.

“We want to show that by exercising a bit of self discipline and having respect for others, young people can make a real difference, not only to themselves but also to the areas in which they live.

“The girls we will be taking to the camp have all volunteered for the course – there is no suggestion of them having to go.

“They are taking part because they want to and they feel they will get something beneficial from it.”

He added: “We ran a similar course a few months ago for boys from the area and it was a real success. Everyone involved felt it made a difference and impacted on the behaviour of the lads.”

Superintendent Jon Betts added: “This is an excellent example of how officers in the western area are looking for ways to engage with youngsters and tackle anti-social behaviour before it becomes a problem.

“Two PCSOs from Inspector Hodgson’s team will be accompanying the girls on what is an excellent opportunity to build links with the younger members of our community.”