Merton Police Cadets Set Example

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Visit to Essex to tell them how it's done

Merton's Volunteer Police Cadets and staff are such a shining example that they were were invited to Essex Police to tell them more about the VPC programme.

With National VPC development officer PC Jon Thompson, the team visiting the Essex HQ in Chelmsford was led by PC Tim Mann and PC Kate Lewis (Merton VPC) with cadets from Merton, Hounslow, Southwark and Brent VPC units.

The Cadets team was marched into the Hall by Staff Hubert Mensah and paraded for inspection by the Chief Constable of Essex Stephen Kavanagh and the Essex Police and Crime Commissioner, Nick Alston.

The Cadets aged 14 - 18, and volunteer Staff leaders, talked about their own personal experiences, the positive impact of the VPC and their achievements as individuals, and for the police service and their communities.

The Cadets also helped to lead workshops on how a similar programme could be delivered in Essex. Joining tables made up of a range of community safety partners including professionals from youth offending teams, district councils and probation, Cadets helped to lead discussions on how young people can be more involved in enhancing the achievement of community safety priorities.

Chief Constable Steve Kavanagh, Essex Police, said: "It was great to spend an afternoon with cadets from the Met, reminding us of the exciting opportunities we have to involve young people in helping us as a police service do what we do better. I have long been impressed by the courage and commitment of the young people in Volunteer Police Cadet schemes, and hugely impressed by the contribution they make to improving safety and crime prevention in their communities. We have some work to do now in Essex to make sure we develop a scheme that really meets the needs of our county, but I am excited about the future of an Essex VPC."

June 19, 2014