Volunteer Police cadets in Swindon have celebrated their fundraising activity for the year in their annual attestation ceremony which took place last Thursday 14 March in Gablecross Police Station.
During the ceremony, 23 newly trained cadets stood up in front of friends and family to swear an oath on their commitment to the scheme. They were all presented with certificates and new epaulettes in recognition of their successful completion of basic level training.
The evening was supported by Cadet Patron Lady Gooch, High Sherriff Nicky Alberry, Superintendent Adrian Burt and Police and Crime Commissioner Angus Macpherson.
Volunteer Cadet Leaders run units in Swindon, Trowbridge, Salisbury and Chippenham. The units meet every week during term time and cadets are taught various procedures used by the police including the phonetic alphabet, radio procedures, how to deal with lost/found property, missing people and basic law, amongst other things. The cadets work towards an ASDAN accreditation across a three year period.
Superintendent Adrian Burt said: “I was really pleased to be invited to open the cadet’s attestation ceremony.
“Cadets are part of our police family; they play an important role in our Community Policing Teams, as both volunteers and voice of young people in our communities.
“It is not easy to stand up in front of a crowded room and pledge an oath, so I was really proud to share this moment with their family and friends. “
During the evening a cheque for £1604 was presented to local charity Threshold by High Sheriff Nicky Alberry and Police and Crime Commissioner Angus Macpherson, for the work they do to provide short, medium and long term accommodation to homeless people in Swindon. The money was raised by the Swindon cadets annual sponsored sleep out.
In total, 45 cadets aged 13-17 took part in the sleep out on Friday 15 December at Police Headquarters, Devizes which pledged £3279.58 for homeless charities across Swindon and Wiltshire.
This money will be presented to charities The Doorway Project, The Breakthrough Trust and Alabare Christian Care and Support at the Wiltshire attestation ceremonies to be held in April.
Mr Macpherson said: “It is important that our communities play an active part in policing. Through cadets young people have the opportunity to take up this role, and I am pleased to say that they do so with enthusiasm.
“One example of this is the annual sleep out to raise money and awareness for homeless charities. I am delighted that once again the cadets wanted to do this for the benefit of their communities and their commitment has resulted in a substantial to amount of money being raised for charity.
“The sleep out is a good opportunity for the cadets to experience what it is like to be homeless, but unlike many homeless young people this was something we only had to experience once before heading home to the warm.
“Opportunities like this are a great learning experience for our cadets. It helps them to understand others in our society and the challenges they may face.”
Cadet Co-ordinator Alison Creswell said; “Now the cadets have completed their basic training and been attested they can now offer more support to the Force and the community which includes attending events which will include fetes, carnivals and fairs where they will assist with a variety of duties including stewarding and sharing crime prevention messages.
“Police Cadets are part of their local Community Policing Team (CPT), this allows them to work closely with local officers and be part of the wider CPT response to current trends, issues or strategic priorities. They can be called upon to assist with leaflet drops where prolific crimes have been reported in an area to assist with community reassurance.”
