After your 13th birthday you can join the Volunteer Police Cadets. You will be given a unique insight into the workings of the Police Service, including talks and demonstrations from officers working in all sections of the Police Service. You’ll be issued a uniform and learn all about police powers and procedures, take part in competitions and assist and influence local Policing teams improve the service we provide our communities.
But it’s not all about Policing. The Volunteer Police Cadets are the only uniform youth group that expects its young people to volunteer an average of 3 hours per month working in their communities on crime prevention and social action projects. If you’re looking for an opportunity to work to improve your community and have ideas for projects that could achieve this, join the VPC and make them happen!
In return you will be offered opportunities to improve your communication and leadership skills, gain awards and qualifications such as the Duke of Edinburgh Award, and meet a host of young people from your area and the rest of the country with similar interests. We also offer opportunities to work with youth social action groups from across Europe, with two such current projects developing awareness of modern slavery and extremism. These projects will see you travelling to conferences and workshops all over Europe.
The National VPC also now offer an accredited curriculum to its members, providing evidence for your CV and skills to improve your employability. The Record of Service summarises your journey with the VPC in a simple concise format that allows employers to see how you’ve grown through your time with us and outlines the key skills that they are looking for.
And it doesn’t finish on your 18th birthday : Through our Senior Cadets Leadership Course, older Cadets are offered training in Leadership, Communication and Presentation Skills to ready them for the next stage of their VPC journey – becoming a VPC Leader.
Moving away to University? With the recent rapid expansion of the VPC the vast majority of Police Services are now offering the Volunteer Police Cadets programme. Finding a unit local to you university where you can continue your journey with the VPC allows you to retain that connection and help develop the young people who are in the same place you were when you started.