Much as I hate to admit it I have become quite engrossed in this years meat market for talent that is The X Factor. I am not going to start debating the merits of the individual contestants, the wardrobe choices of Nicole Sherzinger or whether Tulisa has breath like an ash tray.
I have long been aware of the impact that this competition can have on the lives of those involved – many enjoy years of celebrity status on the back of their time in the show. Some – although not many – even manage to make a career out of the talent that landed them in the spotlight to begin with. The contestants enjoy immediate popularity and fall under the cruel eye of the nations media for any current or past misbehaviour. Their every action is reported on websites and in print for the eyes of the world see and for judgment to be passed.
That press exposure last came pounding on the door of one of the contestants, Jahméne Douglas in the days leading up to last weeks show. He was visibly affected by the stories in the media about his family, and specifically his father. He showed great strength of character to step into the spotlight and carry on with the show despite the revelations. This did not go un-noticed by the judges, the audience and the voting public who, according to un-official sources, put him on the podium with Christopher Maloney and Ella Henderson.
Outside of the studio, his influence is less well reported but it is there. As I am sure many will know, about 80% of the work that is generated for Police is due to the efforts of a small percentage of the population. Built into those statistics are many groups who live, breathe and offend together day in, day out. Especially on the larger estates where these mini gangs are particularly common, and membership is practically a requirement for survival.
When a report of cars being damaged in the underground car park of Estate ‘A’ it was an immediate, and ultimately accurate, assumption that those responsible for the damage were a group of rivals from Estate ‘B’. There had been a number of similar incidents over previous months and the specific vehicles being targeted added weight to the suspicion of the attending officers. The first cars arrived at Estate ‘B’ as the last offenders returned to their own turf and bolted for cover. Two were snagged by a dog unit (amazingly with their reduced numbers there was a handler almost on top of the job when it came in) and the evidential jigsaw began falling into place. Those with their ears to the grapevine in Estate ‘A’ provided names and places relating to those who had been involved and those that were gradually located on the other side of the territorial boundary matched the information being given….with two notable exceptions.
Josh and Rob (to give them random names) had ALWAYS been part of the offending group, yet their names were notably absent from the accounts emerging from Estate ‘A’. The same names were also notably absent from the details recorded in pocket notebooks in Estate ‘B’. Some of us, I admit, assumed that this absence was simply due to them being more stealthy than normal rather than their lack of involvement.
Later that evening the facts became clear, and we were proved wrong.
Josh and Rob, had in fact been at a youth club taking part in a local initiative where kids between 13 and 16 were given access to instruments, decks, microphones and some musical guidance. This was a surprise to us as they had both previously failed to ‘engage’ with other agencies on the back of previous encounters with the legal system, yet there they were, singing to 20 or 30 of their peers, alcohol and crime free. They were still spoken to, albeit briefly and informally, as their association to the others and propensity to be involved in everything that the lads from Estate ‘B’ meant that they were right to be suspected, although we were, as always, willing to eliminate them just as much as to bring them in for a formal chat.
They had, as they stated, been there all evening and the staff and CCTV were testament to this. Their reason for being out of trouble on this occasion…? Jahméne. They had been watching him, following his journey and decided that they could do what he did. They identified with him on some level which, although it was not discussed, was obviously there. After all he was the reason they were in the club rather than the car park. They had chosen to spend the evening attempting to emulate his performances – singing along to the On Demand episodes and tracks downloaded from the show.
Now I am sure that their desire for fame is not unique, and their indulgence in a little X Factor karaoke even less so, but what made this different was that they had avoided involvement in a criminal act as a result. They would have been out there lobbing rocks through windows with the others if they had not taken the decision to follow the dream shared by a role model. A dream which they now saw as real and achievable.
I doubt Jahméne will even read this post or be made aware of its existence but, if that ever happened, I am sure it would give him strength to know that even at this early stage in his career, due to the way he has dealt with the past and conducted himself since emerging into public life, he has had a positive impact on these two lives. They would both have been charged had their involvement been proven and one would have definitely been heading for a second stint in juvenile detention should a conviction have followed. In some way, they have been spared this added burden by his influence and the decisions they have made as a result. It’s not exactly proactive crime prevention, but something has kept these two out of court and the singer seems to have been a large part of that. We (as a society) have tried and failed many times to ‘save’ these kids from their criminal careers – anything that has a positive impact should be given recognition and that is what I hope to do here.
I hope they continue to attempt to better themselves and some amount of credit should, of course, go to those who set up the event. But, if they do make that break then I would happily buy tickets to their first gig!
