Police officers bought a teenage girl a sofa bed in a bid to reduce crime, the force has said.
This week, staff from Greater Manchester Police’s Tameside Prevention Hub pooled together to buy a 13-year-old girl the piece of furniture after she was identified as 'needing additional support'.
The role of the hub is to develop new and innovative approaches to prevent and reduce crime in its communities.
The force explained that officers have been working closely with young children to "keep them out of crime and break the vicious cycle of gang recruitment by safeguarding those at risk of being lured into organised crime".
PC Martin Dench said: “We work closely with a lot of vulnerable young people, and we do our best to support them in different ways. Being able to secure this bed and see the smile on her face made our day.
“We know that it can be difficult for families, and that’s why we have come together to do all we can to help this young girl.
“This is not just a one-off, here in the Prevention Hub we work with lots of fantastic young people, empowering them build their confidence and equipping them with the tools to live a happy life.”
Officers found that the teenager’s family needed some help to buy her a bed, and so decided to raise the money to purchase it from an auction house in Huddersfield.
Work like this is often done 'behind the scenes' and is an important response to policing and protecting Greater Manchester communities, the force explained.
The constable added: “Working with our partners, including Tameside Social Services and our Complex Safeguarding Hub, we endeavour to offer young children and their families the security and support that they need.”
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