03/10/2026
🧡⭐ We are delighted to have such a positive community relationship with Wealden Police.
The work they do, particularly with young people in our local communities, is something I genuinely value. From our own experience and the conversations we have had with PCSO Susan Wealden Police when she visits us, I cannot praise them enough.
But for me, the bigger picture is the upcoming generation and how they view not only our emergency services, but society itself.
Unfortunately, in the modern world we have created a situation where people with obscene, obscure and challenging opinions can have almost unrestricted access to an audience of vulnerable children and young adults.
It is on social media, in songs, in our homes, on our TVs and on the streets.
Combine that with an already difficult time for some children within education and wider society, and it can become a recipe for disaster.
That is why I believe what people such as PCSO Susan, her colleagues and Cllr. Karen are doing is so important.
They are making contact with young people, organisations and local businesses. They are showing the next generation that there is hope, even when life can sometimes feel bleak.
That there is a reason to want to do better.
That there are people willing to help them find a path to achieve that.
And importantly, that the police, emergency services and other public service workers are approachable people who are there to support them when they need it.
PCSO Susan spoke to Cllr. Karen about the work we do here at The Orange ToolBox and took it upon herself to arrange a meeting at our workshops.
The meeting brought together Uckfield Town Mayor Cllr. Karen, PCSO Susan and The Orange ToolBox.
It was an opportunity to talk about the work we each do within our community, how PCSO Susan and Cllr. Karen can support the work we are doing at The Orange ToolBox, and most importantly, how we can all work together to create more positive opportunities and better outcomes for children and adults in our local area.
And I think that is incredibly important.
One thing I do struggle with is the negativity that sometimes surrounds the police and the work they do.
I have seen a huge amount of short-sighted negativity expressed on police social media posts about the work they are carrying out.
For example, a post about drink-drive vehicle stop checks can attract comments along the lines of:
"...why don't you do some real police work and catch the criminals?"
These are comments written by grown adults.
And those same comments are potentially being read by children and young people.
What message are we giving them?
Stopping people who may be intoxicated from driving is police work.
Preventing someone from potentially killing themselves or another person on the road is police work.
Being visible in our communities is police work.
Talking to young people is police work.
Building relationships and trust before a problem occurs is police work.
Of course, nobody is suggesting that the police get everything right, or that legitimate criticism shouldn't be expressed. It absolutely should.
But there is a huge difference between constructive criticism and simply being negative for the sake of it.
Children and young people are watching us.
They see what we write. They hear what we say. They absorb the attitudes of the adults around them.
So perhaps we should think a little more carefully about the example we are setting.
Because ultimately, this isn't just about the police.
It is about the kind of society we want the next generation to grow up in.
And if we want our children to believe that there is hope, that people care, that public services are there for them, and that there are positive paths forward in life, then we all have a responsibility to help show them that.
That is something I am incredibly proud to be part of through The Orange ToolBox. 🧡
