STUDENTS at a Southampton college came face to face with a police chief.

The 120 pupils at Itchen College met Michael Lane, Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire as part of the college’s parliament week.

Giving a talk to the pupils Mr Lane answered questions and gave an overview of his job

He said: "I reminded the students that a core part of my job goes beyond policing, this part seeks to support victims and reduce the demand on policing through interventions that enable people to realise life opportunities and their full potential; helping them avoid triggers that might otherwise lead them into anti-social behaviour or crime.

“It was particularly timely to be talking about my role this week, because as well as being the college’s Parliament week it is also the five year anniversary of the first Police and Crime Commissioner elections, which took place on 15 November 2012.

“I was really pleased to see so many young people interested in the election process and I was particularly delighted to meet a number of young people who have applied to join my Youth Commission.

The college's head of law Mark Hughes added: "The dynamic, interactive session was very informative and helped our Public Service, Law & Criminology students understand the importance of the role.

“A number of our students are keen to discuss issues and concerns within their community, they therefore ‘have a voice and want to make a difference’ and have applied to be involved with the ‘Youth Commission’ and I am sure they will excel at their interview next week. We look forward to future engagements with such an inspirational Police and Crime Commissioner team.”