Being a TVP Cadet

Ryan Wittleton, Cadet 

My role as a cadet team leader involves coordinating a team, being an example for the other cadets to follow, and to be a bridge between the cadets and the staff. What I mean by this is that certain cadets feel more comfortable telling their team leader any opinions or queries about cadets and have us either respond to these and/or bring these things up in our meetings with the staff. I feel this is a great way to do this as it helps keep an element of professionalism rather than having the matters come across as personal, by keeping the root of the opinions and such anonymous.

I enjoy cadets as I am passionate about the police service as a whole and will do whatever gets me closest to this as a career. Being a leader was a great privilege to be granted and I wouldn’t have even thought about turning it down. Since the leaders have been implemented I feel that the cadet troop as a group has become more socially closer and friendlier. There is a healthy but strong competitive side to all three of the cadet leaders, which is great for tasks and activities. However when it is needed we are ready and happy to work together.

I have been volunteering with TVP cadets since March when the Bracknell unit was established, but I was invested in volunteer work beforehand as well. For instance I would occasionally help teach at the Pines primary school in Bracknell, and I also took part in the National Citizen Service (NCS) during my summer after my last year of secondary school. During NCS me and a team of around ten worked together to create and organise our own advocacy for dementia awareness. I do these things partially because I enjoy helping others, but I will be honest in saying that a large factor in it is so that it will boost my CV for when I apply to Thames Valley Police Force.

I volunteer for Thames Valley Police because for a long time now I’ve wanted to work as a police officer, and I believe that being a member of the Police Cadets will help me with the skills and qualities needed for that role. So many other benefits have come from being a Police Cadet that I couldn’t have got anywhere else. I have made many friends with similar interests and passion for policing as myself, been given opportunities to visit places I would otherwise likely not see, and the cadets has even set up a level two qualification which is incredibly useful.

Finally, I would like to take this chance to thank the staff for putting in many hours voluntarily to allow us this experience, and to TVP in general for authorising it, as I believe it is helping many of us youths. Lastly congratulations to Jamie Dearing for winning Thames valley cadet of the year, he works hard and he deserved it in my opinion.

               To find out more about becoming a cadet please visit our website