The Mix & Mishcon de Reya partner to bring young people new resources and information on the police & their rights

by Holly Turner (she/her)

Senior Content & Communications Manager

Tuesday 2nd May 2023

New youth-led project on the police and young people’s rights

The UK’s leading digital youth charity, The Mix, is partnering with independent law firm, Mishcon de Reya, on a joint project which aims to bring young people accurate and accessible information about the police in the UK and empower them with knowledge about their rights.

The project will be led by insights from young people, who will take part in workshops to share their thoughts, experiences, and ideas about the kind of support they would like The Mix to create for them. The Mix will then produce a series of articles and social media posts to share with their young audience of under 25s across the UK.

Both The Mix and Mishcon de Reya are passionate about making sure young people have all the information they need to feel safe. Mishcon de Reya will be offering expert input and contributing to content from a legal perspective, as well as funding the project.

Why is this project needed?

The Mix knows that young people may encounter the police and wants them to feel as safe as possible. There have been many negative news stories about the police in the UK and across the world, and the charity is aware that young people are feeling a sense of mistrust and fear when it comes to interacting with police officers.

This project also comes at a time when public trust in the UK’s police service has fallen to a low of 66% and public confidence in the Met to do a good job locally has fallen to a low of 45% (Baroness Casey Review, March 2023).

Young people want to know what their rights are if they are stopped, searched, or arrested by the police, how they can get support if this happens and how they can make a complaint about a police officer.

Further resources will offer more information on young people’s rights in relation to the police and will look at the police’s involvement in The Mix’s safeguarding work and what might happen if the police are called to intervene when a young person is at risk.

Zoe Bailie, Deputy CEO at The Mix said, “We are delighted to be partnering with Mishcon de Reya on this important project, which will bring young people much-needed resources about the role of the police and the rights of young people. We are extremely grateful to Mishcon de Reya for supporting this work, which is timely and will empower young people with the expert information they need to feel safe.”

Verity Taylor, Pro Bono Manager at Mishcon de Reya said, “Now more than ever it is crucial that young people understand their rights in relation to the police. We are excited to support a project that will not only empower young people to feel safe and informed when interacting with law enforcement but also one that is led by them.”

Notes to editors:

About The Mix

The Mix is the UK’s leading digital charity for under 25s, reaching over 6 million young people each year. Whatever issue a young person is facing, The Mix is always there for them – via its website, over the phone or via social media. The Mix’s support is free, confidential and anonymous and can be accessed wherever young people are. They connect young people to experts and their peers to talk about everything from money to mental health, homelessness to jobs, break-ups to drugs and more. No topic is out of bounds, and they are completely non-judgemental.

• Find out more about The Mix via themix.org.uk / @TheMixUK on socials.
• For more information about this story, please get in touch with Holly Turner (Campaigns & Communications Manager at The Mix): [email protected], 0207 009 2525.

About Mishcon de Reya

Mishcon de Reya is an independent law firm, which now employs over 1,300 people with more than 630 lawyers offering a wide range of legal services to companies and individuals. The firm has grown rapidly in recent years, showing more than 40% revenue growth in the past five years alone.

With presence in London, Oxford, Cambridge, Singapore and Hong Kong (through its association with Karas So LLP), the firm services an international community of clients and provides advice in situations where the constraints of geography often do not apply.

The work the firm undertakes is cross-border, multi-jurisdictional and complex, spanning six core practice areas: Corporate; Dispute Resolution; Employment; Innovation; Private; and Real Estate.