Celebration event highlights achievements of Devon and Cornwall police cadets

Ahead of National Volunteers week, which runs from 2 - 8 June, Cadets attended a special celebration event at police headquarters in Middlemoor, last week, which shone a light on the valuable contribution cadets make to the force.

​At the event held on Wednesday 28 May, Devon and Cornwall Police recognised 100 Cadets and 30 Cadet Leaders for their efforts and for giving up their free time to support police officers to make local communities safer.

Cadets from across Devon and Cornwall with the National Police Air Service (NPAS) helicopter

Cadets attended the event from units in Plympton, Camborne, St Austell, Launceston, Plymouth (Crownhill), Newton Abbot, Torbay, Exeter, Mid Devon and Barnstaple and were supported by 30 volunteer cadet leaders, who give up their free time to run cadet units and support social action projects across the two counties.

The cadets were welcomed to the event by Deputy Chief Constable Dave Thorne and Assistant Chief Officer Alexis Poole, who both acknowledged the importance of cadets in policing and celebrated their widespread achievements.

Over the last 12 months, Police Cadets have supported Neighbourhood Policing teams by taking part in test purchasing operations, provided a visible presence at key community engagement events, distributed crime prevention leaflets, supported Community Speed Watch teams and organised first aid training for young people.

Katie Kwidzinski, Strategic Lead for Devon and Cornwall Police Cadets, said: “The day was all about celebrating our amazing Volunteer Police Cadets, aged 13-17, and all that they contribute to our organisation and their communities.

“The cadets support the force with social action, community engagement, supporting neighbourhood policing, sharing important personal safety messaging and advocating for other children and young people.

“Operational teams and police staff dedicated time and resources to celebrate the cadets and provide them with important information and insights into a variety of careers in policing.

“It was an amazing day that left us all feeling very proud of our cadets and our incredible Volunteer Cadet Leaders.”

As part of the celebration event, the cadets were entertained by a display from General Purpose Police Dog Gus, and Explosives Search Dog Lulu, before learning about police drones and posing for a photo taken from above.

The cadets also shared their views, ideas and experiences with officers using the ‘Youth Voice Corner’ and then took part in a team-building competition before a surprise visit from the National Police Air Service (NPAS) who brought their helicopter and educated the group about the value NPAS brings to policing, especially in the cases of high-risk missing persons.

Devon and Cornwall Police currently has more than 450 Volunteer Police Cadets, based at 12 active cadet units, with the unit at Bodmin set to re-open this year.

Volunteer Police Cadet schemes are open to young people aged 13 to 18 years old. Anyone interested in becoming a Police Cadet can find out more on the Volunteer Police Cadet website: vpc.police.uk/be-a-cadet