Oxley police and Tamworth firefighters join forces for night at the Youthie to get kids off the streets

Oxley police are leading the charge for an event at Tamworth's Youthie later this month, and they want council and other government agencies to "come on board" and get behind the free event.

"We want to have a safe space for kids to socialise and engage with emergency services and first responders where they can have something to eat and have a bit of fun, without any trouble," Oxley Detective Inspector Jason Darcy told the Leader.

"We're aiming to build relations with youth and emergency services and break down the barriers we have seen."

The new initiative is aimed at breaking down barriers between police and the city's youth, to drive them away from bad influences and anti-social behaviour or property offending.

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"It's critical that we build these networks with the youth in Tamworth, because there are barriers and we need to break those down," Detective Darcy said.

"We want everyone to get involved, so council, we want government agencies, whether its health and education, Department of Communities and Justice - all government agencies that work with youth, including Youth on Track - we need everyone involved to work collaboratively to make this work."

The night will run from 6pm to late on December 17 at the Youthie in Quinn Street with food on offer, as well as plenty of games and activities.

And if it runs smoothly, officers are looking to make it a regular event and have already pencilled in a January date.

"We want there to be a place at night where kids have somewhere to go and hang out and have fun in a safe space, instead of having the alternative of getting hooked up with the wrong people," Detective Darcy said.

"Police will have plenty of staff on board and if we get other key government agencies on board we can do more."

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