WESTON College students grilled the candidates battling to be Avon and Somerset's first ever police and crime commissioner.
Pete Levy (Lib Dem), Ken Maddock (Conservative), Sue Mountstevens (Independent) and John Savage (Labour) went to the college's conference centre to talk to, and field questions from, about 500 teenagers.
The issues raised included police numbers, stop-and-search procedures, court sentencing, drugs, anti-social behaviour and the value of the commissioner in relation to his or her £85,000 basic salary and the cost of the election itself.
A-level student Javed Ahmed, 17, said: "The debates were engaging and interactive. I feel there is a lack of knowledge about the PCC role but having seen the candidates I now understand how important it is.
"It was interesting to hear the candidates talk about the relationship between the police and young people, and I think this is something that needs looking at closely by the new Commissioner."
Sport and Exercise student Kim Stockham, 17, asked the candidates if they supported harsher sentences for all criminals.
She said: "I think that smaller crimes lead to bigger ones, which is why I asked about tougher sentencing. I was impressed by the candidates and I didn't think I'd be as drawn into the debate as I was."
After the question-and-answer session students were asked to prioritise their three main issues surrounding law and order. Many singled out the prevalence of drugs and the fear of being attacked.
The event also gave students the chance to create their own manifesto for the future of policing in the region. These were collected and will be evaluated before being presented to the new PCC after the election.
On Thursday, people will be able to vote for the person they want to replace the police authority in holding the constabulary to account.
All four candidates said they were impressed with the quality of the questions and all promised to give youth a stronger voice on policing matters if they are elected.
Mr Levy, currently a Bristol City Councillor for Horfield, said: "What I've seen today is a great argument for lowering the voting age to 16. I have attended a number of these events and I always find the most engaging and challenging audiences to be those made up of young people.
"It is a credit to Weston College students that they have made all the candidates think very carefully about young people and how policing issues affect them."
The event was organised by Weston College and the SHM Foundation Political Academy, which is using its ForceForward campaign to get more young people engaged with politics.
Darran George, Weston College's head of faculty – service sectors, said: "The event was a fantastic experience for our students and this being a community-focused College it was great for them to express their views about policing in the local area and get feedback from the candidates themselves."
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