Award winning cadet to start police training

A police cadet who has won three awards is due to start his police special constable training in a bid to give back to the community.

Caolan Hutchins, from Plymouth, first got involved with the cadets at 16 years old.

Two years on and he has been awarded three awards - Volunteer Police Cadet of the Year 2024, Regional Cadet of the Year 2024 and the national Lord Ferrers Award 2024.

He said: "I'm hoping to give back everything to the community that the community has given me."

Police cadets are aged between 13 and 17 years old.

Mr Hutchins was nominated for the national Lord Ferrers Award by police youth engagement officer Deb Hart.

She said: "Caolan's professionalism, dedication and thoughtfulness shines through in everything he does.

"He consistently demonstrates a commitment to the values of both the force and volunteer police cadets.

"Caolan is absolutely deserving of the recognition he has received for his level of service to the group and our local communities."

She said: "They [police cadets] work closely with the community and alongside police teams to support and promote and educate the public about crime.

"We benefit hugely because we get to positively engage with a group of young people sometimes quite hard to reach."

Mr Hutchins recently supported Devon and Cornwall Police in a plain-clothed test to establish whether knives were being sold to under 18s by some retailers in Plymouth.

He said: "Our purpose was to simply make sure that everybody was well educated in the legalities around knife sales and the whole aim of it was to basically try and prevent any knife sales to anyone under the age of 18 to try and prevent knife crime in Plymouth."

Mr Hutchins is due to start his police special constable training in February.

"The whole reason that I am in the position that I am in today.... is because of the police cadets and the police family and all of the volunteers who work within both organisations."

Devon and Cornwall Police is currently seeking volunteer police cadet leaders which help with the scheme.

The force said the leaders "inspire young people to become confident citizens".

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