Force welcomes 130 new Police Cadets

This week Leicestershire Police has welcomed 130 new Volunteer Police Cadets to the force's cadet programme which will run alongside the academic year. 

Volunteer Police Cadets (VPCs) are young people aged between 13 and 17 who give up their time and energy for the benefit of their community and the people who are a part of it. They follow a national VPC curriculum and gain an unrivalled insight into policing, learning new skills and actively working to combat crime in their communities.

The programme aims to promote a practical understanding of policing along all young people while giving young people a chance to be heard and supporting local policing priorities through volunteering.

Chief Inspector Ross Dimmock said: “This year Leicestershire Police has a total of 306 young people enrolled on the programme, which is absolutely brilliant. It’s our highest number on record and reinforces that young people want to get involved with their local police and help their communities. We’re already arranging for them to visit specialist departments at our headquarters to see behind the scenes of policing. I’m sure they will have a fantastic year with us and will learn a lot.”

Police Cadets can volunteer to help at large events such as festivals and sporting matches and are also asked to help their local policing teams by carrying out leaflet drops, crime prevention initiatives, test purchases, community safety events and street surveys.

Coalville Cadet Unit Head PCSO Lynette Rose said: “Being a cadet is also a great way for young people to improve their confidence, life skills and employment opportunities. It’s brilliant to see them come out of their shell, make a new group of friends and enjoy themselves while learning and benefitting their community. We’ve got a lot of exciting opportunities planned for the year and I’m excited to begin.”

Cadets are issued with their own uniform, a police cadet pocket notebook and a welcome pack, and are placed into one of our eight units based across the county. New cadets are also being given the opportunity to enrol on our Duke of Edinburgh programme which is due to start next month.

Recruitment for Volunteer Police Cadets is currently closed and will open in March 2020 ready for a September 2020 intake.