Police cadets take part in interactive fun day at force headquarters

Nottinghamshire Police cadets have taken part in the first of two interactive fun days at force headquarters.

The cadets spent the day engaging in practical workshops where they experienced a behind-the-scenes insight into crime scene investigation, dog units, and the use of police equipment on April 2.

A demonstration by two officers from the neighbourhood policing team and an officer from the schools and early intervention team showcased the wide range of riot shields, helmets and door rams used by police to execute warrants.

They were then given a tour of the force control room and gained an insight into how it works when handlers take calls. 

The group of 30 cadets learnt about forensic techniques used by the crime scene investigation team, such as how to lift fingerprints off different surfaces and glass bottles using various types of tape.

During the day, the cadets visited the police dog kennels, training rooms and were shown the dogs used by the force for drug detection, chases and finding missing people.

They had the opportunity to sit in one of the response cars used by the dog unit and watched a controlled demonstration where one of the police dogs took hold of a handler wearing a bite sleeve.

Volunteer Police Cadets are a nationally recognised police uniformed youth group in England and Wales.

In Nottinghamshire, junior cadet sessions are available to those at secondary school between Years 7 and 11, with senior cadet sessions available to those in Years 12 and 13.

A total of 40 cadet leaders, made up of police officers, staff and civilian volunteers, offer their time, skills and knowledge to operate the force’s five cadet bases by running weekly sessions during school term time to 105 young people across Nottinghamshire.

Lyndsey Hufton, Citizens in Policing Coordinator at Nottinghamshire Police, said:

“It was great to see the cadets attending force headquarters for a day of visiting departments.

“This is the first time we have run a session during the school holidays and it has proved really popular with the cadets, which is fantastic.

“During our weekly cadet sessions it is difficult to accommodate visitors for all five bases, so it was great to able to put all of the theory they have learnt into action.

“We will be putting more of these visits on during the summer holidays so that all cadets can benefit from attending.”