Nottinghamshire Police’s Mini Police continue to expand with 60 more children inducted into the programme.
As part of the induction, the force’s newest recruits were given demonstrations by the Reacher team and the Drone department, as well as meeting response officers and given access to police vehicles on Thursday (27 February 2020).
Pupils from the Southglade Primary School in Bestwood signed-up to the force’s scheme, which is the fourth largest in the country and can boast more than 600 students across 22 schools across the county.
Nottinghamshire Police Partnerships Officer Helen Ridley said: “It’s been a fantastic morning at Southglade and it was wonderful to see the pupils fully engaged with the demonstrations and meeting the force’s officers.
“It’s fantastic to see the department continue to grow so rapidly. In the last year we have seen significant growth allowing officers, staff and partners to have regular engagement with young people, creating learning opportunities; mentor support for students and a “hand’s on” approach to learning how they can be an active member of their local community.
“The students continue to thoroughly enjoy their time with the force. The students are gaining so much more than an insight into policing – we’re encouraging them to work as a team, to be good citizens and to think outside the box – skills that are crucial in policing.
“We may be inspiring some of these children to aim for a career in policing, but for others, we’re giving them some great skills for whatever career path they choose to follow.”
The force’s Mini Police programme began in 2018 by seeking to engage with the children and staff with the aim of wider community engagement to build trust with the police. This interaction naturally led onto positive engagement with the parents and carers of the children involved in the programme.
The programme is exclusively for Primary School children age 9-11 years (academic years 5 & 6).
To find out more about Mini Police: https://www.facebook.com/NottsMiniPolice/
