Account

ACCOUNT - young people scrutinising police activity in Hackney

Account is a youth-led police monitoring project based at Hackney Council for Voluntary Service (CVS). The group started in 2012 as a Young people’s Stop and Search Monitoring Group, tasked with scrutinising police activity in the borough. Since 2019 the group has expanded its role to concern all things related to policing and community safety.

As part of Account young people are trained and paid to lead on a series of projects. This includes the development of youth-led action research on issues such as trust in police, deaths in custody, the education system, and youth violence. This also includes ‘Community Healing’, a historical research project into community activism and local campaigns for justice.

On top of its media and research work the group meets regularly with the local Basic Command Unit and other policing bodies to hold officers to account on issues including use of force, section 60s, racial disproportionality and taser usage. The group also provides representation for young people in statutory bodies such as MOPAC and Hackney Council.

The group also runs outreach workshops for young people in the borough titled ‘Secure the Knowledge’ on a broad range of issues including ‘Know Your Rights’.

Your donations will be used to:

• Provide support for young people who have been victims of police misconduct
• Provide extra equipment for our young people to work remotely during lockdown
• Employ more young people to expand our team and increase our influence
• Provide training and support to help young people advocate for systemic change

Account Core Principles >>

BUILD UP OUR YOUTH
We are driven by a passion to empower young people in our community. We want to see every young person in Hackney hit their potential.  We do this by giving them a platform to express themselves, giving them knowledge, and helping them push for change.

CREATE OUR OWN KNOWLEDGE
We are committed to developing expertise in our own community. We do this by leading research projects designed and carried out by young people. Evidence is a powerful tool that should not only be wielded by those in power.

GET JUSTICE FOR OUR COMMUNITY
We actively carry out campaign work and political activism to push for community healing and institutional change. We also advocate for young people that have suffered from trauma, discrimination or injustice.

HOLD THEM TO ACCOUNT
We work hard to monitor police activity in our borough. This includes scrutinising data on Stop and Search, use of force and complaints. Our job is to ensure that police are accountable to young people in the community they serve.