New youth outreach programme is helping hundreds of children in Nottinghamshire

And part of the programme included the opening of a cadet base to support young people in Bulwell, and the widening of the cadet programme has led to creating a more inclusive and open opportunities for young people to engage with the police.

Youth outreach worker Romel Davis has shared his insight into how this positive and proactive approach to providing more opportunities for young people has helped turned the lives around of children who may have been heading down a troublesome path.

Romel’s role was created as part of a national pilot scheme. Now two years in, he has reflected on the work he has done as well as looking forward to the future benefits of engaging with young people who may not have positive views of the police.

Romel said: “We’ve seen the cadets become more representative of the communities Nottinghamshire Police serves in the last two years, going from eight per cent of members being from Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) background to 23 per cent.

“Within certain cultures, there is a negative stigma that still exists and some people are likely to run into problems with the police, which we know. Running programmes like the cadets in Nottinghamshire in areas where there may be a negative view of police has been hugely beneficial – it’s given young people the opportunities that they really need.

Theo Dore, 11, who won the Cadet of the Year Award at Nottinghamshire Police’s annual award, has completed his first year in the Cadet Programme and has dreams of becoming a dog handler at Nottinghamshire Police. The force surprised him with a visit to the Dog Section as part of his prize for winning.

Faye Dore, Theo’s mum from Bulwell, said: “At school, he was always getting into trouble, I was constantly getting phone calls and I was on edge about what he was going to do. He was even going to get kicked out of school.

“I took him to places like swimming and karate but he always seemed to still mess about there and not listen but when he went to cadets, I couldn’t believe that he actually started listening, doing what he was told and was excited to tell me about what he done that day.

“It sounds strange but he’s actually a different child, I think. When he goes there he actually wants to get up, get ready and go. It’s like he’s really matured.”

Theo said: “Every week different units come and visit us like the army, the police firearms officers and the people who pilot the police helicopters.

“It’s good because it teaches you about the police and what not to do in life. It teaches you that the police aren’t just there to arrest people, they’re there to help.

“One of my favourite things is that we learned about the dog unit and that’s my favourite because when I am older I want to be in the police and work with the dogs.”

Alongside the cadets, there are a number of initiatives that Nottinghamshire Police runs as part of its youth engagement programme.

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