Plymouth police cadet receives national award

A police cadet in Plymouth has received a national Lord Ferrers award for his outstanding contribution in helping to protect and educate local communities.

Caolan Hutchins, aged sixteen, has been a member of the police cadets for two years. He recently received the Lord Ferrers ‘Volunteer Police Cadet Award 2024’.

Police cadets are made up of young people, aged 13-17 years old. They work regularly with police to engage with the public, educate people on useful crime prevention advice, give valuable information out about how to report crime and support our regular officers at local events and operations.

Police Youth Engagement Officer Deb Hart commented on how much Caolan’s confidence has grown since being involved in the cadets: “Despite initially being shy when he first joined, Caolan has grown in maturity considerably. He has risen to the challenge of leading sessions for the junior members of the group, helping to shape and support the next generation of young people joining the program.

“He holds the core values of the cadets to heart, making sure the sessions are inclusive and accessible so that everyone learns and grows together with no-one left behind. He works hard to create a safe space so that everyone in the group feels valued, heard and confident to speak up. Caolan has truly gone above and beyond the usual expectation of a cadet, diligently taking on the additional responsibility to support the running of the unit.”

Caolan recently supported Devon & Cornwall Police officers with a successful test purchase operation. The activity involved him joining plain clothes police officers and attempting to purchase a knife as an underage person without ID. This formed part of the police’s effort to prevent knife sales to young people by educating shops around the laws of knife sales. The work Caolan was involved in will be used as a benchmark for other forces nationally and cadet units across the UK.

Deb Hart continued: “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.”

To date, Caolan has received Cadet of the Year 2024, Regional Cadet of the Year 2024 and the national Lord Ferrers Award 2024.

If you know anyone that is interested in joining the cadets or being a cadet leader, visit: Devon & Cornwall Police Cadets - information and advice for children and students