A RYEDALE school pupil has become the youngest member of North Yorkshire's Youth Commission.

Dawid Badwoski, 14, who attends Welburn Hall school in Kirkbymoorside, has joined the commission which was set up to help the way the police tackle issues affecting young people.

He is now one of 36 volunteers aged 14 to 25 who will carry out a major consultation exercise in events at colleges, youth clubs and other venues across the county in order to gather the views of more than 1,500 young people.

Dawid said: "What the police do and how they affect the lives of young people is important and I want to help them do it really well.

"Their job is to enforce the law but they need to understand young people too. The youth commission has been set up to help them do that."

The commission will discuss issues such as drugs and alcohol, hate crimes, abusive relationships, vulnerability and mental health.

The youth commission was piloted last year and after a major consultation with young people across the area, it presented the police with a report which included key recommendations.

This year’s youth commission will build on that work and explore new areas of interest or concern for young people.

Julia Mulligan, police and crime commissioner for North Yorkshire, said: "I instigated the youth commission because it was clear from my work in drawing up the Police and Crime Plan that the views of children and young people were not being heard as they should be.

"The members of the commission are all volunteers and I thank them wholeheartedly for getting behind this project with so much enthusiasm."