THAMES Valley Police’s top police officer went back to the classroom to find out what local teenagers think about issues affecting their lives.

Chief Constable Sara Thornton was at Witney’s Langdale Hall on Wednesday, where 70 students from local secondary schools gathered to learn more about local policing.

Among young people’s concerns, according to Ms Thornton, was the negative reputation teenagers get within communities and in the press.

She worked with the teenagers to suggest ways they can improve their reputation and get more involved in the community.

Ms Thornton said: “I talked about the importance of police working with the young people to find out what concerns them.

“They also wanted to feel safe, so I also talked to them about that and how important it was for them to understand what police can do to help them and how they can get hold of us.

“They were talking about the fact that sometimes people do feel they are up to no good when they are in groups, but also that there are not enough activities for young people.”