Young people have chance to join police cadets

Cleveland Police’s new Chief Constable Mike Veale began his career in policing after leaving school at 16 and joining the police cadets in Avon and Somerset.

He said: “Being a cadet gave me a valuable insight into law enforcement and provided me with some great opportunities that helped me learn many important lessons, including improving the way I communicate with people, learning how to break down barriers and to forge connections.

“I would recommend anyone to give it a try as who knows where you’ll end up. Maybe even as a Chief Constable one day!”

Cleveland Police Cadets is a uniformed voluntary youth programme open to young people aged between 12 and 17 and they are now recruiting.

The programme focuses on fun, friendship and adventure and encourages youths from diverse backgrounds to develop social responsibility for their communities.

Police and Crime Commissioner Barry Coppinger funds the programme which is run on behalf of police by Safe in Tees Valley.

He said: “The aim of the cadet programme is to encourage good citizenship and adventure and to provide the youths with a practical understanding of policing. We have four cadet groups, one in each borough, getting involved in a range of useful and productive activity in our local communities.

“Becoming a cadet is fantastic opportunity for youths, it gives them chance to be heard, allows them to support local policing priorities and gives them an opportunity to make a huge impact in our communities. I guarantee that being a cadet will provide you with unique and life changing experiences!”

Any budding cadets who would like to apply for the programme should call 01642 664440 or email: [email protected] for an application pack.