Cadet leaders
We are currently closed for recruitment but if you are interested in becoming a Police Cadet Leader you can register your interest by contacting the Citizens in Policing team at CiP @cumbria.police.uk.
Do you want to develop yourself to lead and inspire young people as a Volunteer Police Cadet (VPC)?
Can you...
- give some of your own time volunteering as a unit leader?
- provide guidance and support for the youths within cadets?
- assist Cumbria Constabulary in delivering an excellent service to the community?
- be part of something exciting in your own community?
Are you...
- over 18 years old?
- interested in learning new skills?
- interested in learning more about your local police?
Volunteering your time as a leader for the VPC is a very rewarding thing to do. It will enable you to develop your skills to inspire young people to become good citizens.
While most of our leaders come from the policing family, we welcome adults from all walks of life and particularly encourage those without a policing background.
You will undergo vetting to the highest national standards, enabling you to work alongside young people. You will receive training to support you to develop your own knowledge and skillset.
Being a leader will enable you to have a better understanding of British policing and give you opportunities locally, nationally and even internationally in support of social action.
There are opportunities to become a leader no matter how many hours a week/month you are able to volunteer. You do not need any qualifications to become a leader.
Safe and secure environment
Providing a safe and secure environment where young people can meet with others, learn about policing and policing issues, contribute to community initiatives and have fun is at the heart of the experience provided through the Volunteer Police Cadets. The public expect and deserve to have trust and confidence in their police and this is even more so when this comes to protecting children and young people in our care when participating in activities organised by the police service.
While Cumbria Constabulary is part of the national movement, we manage our own risk in relation to the safety of our cadets and leaders. We expect all our police officers, police staff and adult volunteers who support cadet units, to uphold the highest standards in child safeguarding, protection and supervision. As part of this, all adult volunteers are checked and vetted by the Constabulary prior to being able to participate and support cadet unit activities as well as enhanced DBS checks.
Cumbria Constabulary follow the national safeguarding framework that has been agreed by the National Police Chiefs' Council and all chief constables have signed up to adopting this. It offers a streamlined and consistent approach to the reporting and managing of safeguarding concerns, the recruitment of leaders, training, organising activities and beyond. This ensures that everyone involved in VPC knows what is expected of them at a local and national level and that confidential reporting and investigation is done in a consistent manner.
We work alongside the National Safeguarding Manager who is responsible for maintaining contact with police forces about this critical responsibility and about the standards and codes of conduct expected at a national level so that we can continue to work towards providing the safest and highest level of standards of youth safeguarding available nationally.
If you or anyone you know has any concerns about the safety of anyone involved in the volunteer police cadets you can report these via the following:
Other points of contact:
- The NSPCC helpline - call 0800 800 5000 or email [email protected]
- The Independent Office for Police Conduct - call 0300 020 0096 or email [email protected]
Further information
The Volunteer Police Cadets have an agreed, overarching framework within which police forces across the UK operate their cadet schemes.
The Volunteer Police Cadets is the nationally recognised police uniformed youth group throughout England and Wales, and in Scotland is known as Police Scotland Youth Volunteers. While being a national movement, working to agreed standards, local volunteer police cadets operate flexibly in local police forces, with individual forces being responsible for their delivery. The sharing of good practice and learning is encouraged at a national level. The police officers, police staff and adult volunteers who support cadet units are expected, to uphold the highest standards in line with the values of British policing. The National VPC is a part of the wider National Citizens in Policing portfolio. All forces operate under the National Police Chiefs' Council supported framework, sharing the common aims and principles of the VPC across England and Wales.
Further information can be found on the Volunteer Police Cadet website.
We are currently closed for recruitment but if you are interested in becoming a Police Cadet Leader you can register your interest by contacting the Citizens in Policing team at CiP @cumbria.police.uk.
Are you a person who wants to inspire and develop young people along with developing your own skills? Cumbria Police Cadets are seeking volunteer cadet leaders to help 100 young people aged 13-17 years across the county. If you have evenings and some weekends free and you are a willing and committed person, we would like to hear from you. We are currently looking for leaders for the whole county. Being a leader is one of the most rewarding things you will do!
Our cadet units parade on the following nights:
Monday – Kendal Police Station
Tuesday – Barrow Police Station
Tuesday – Workington Police Station
Wednesday – Police HQ, Penrith
Thursday – Carlisle Police Station
Full training will be provided to new cadet leaders.
You must be at least 18 years old to be come a cadet leader. There is no upper age limit. We have many students and retirees who are leaders.
You do not need to have a policing background to become a cadet leader. We welcome applications from those with non-policing backgrounds.
All leaders, whether from the policing family or outside, are vetted to the appropriate national standards to work with young people. Your vetting will have to be completed prior to you working unsupervised with young people and will require police vetting and DBS checks.
There is no set amount of hours that you need to volunteer. Some of our leaders are available for a few hours a week, while others volunteer once a month or so. It is dependant on your role as a leader.
Some leaders attend all the weekly unit meetings. Others may specialise in, for example, map reading, in support of Duke of Edinburgh award once a month.
We provide full training for our leaders. The Volunteer Police Cadet team have developed an Adult Volunteer Team Leader course which is available to forces and we also offer our own in house specific training courses.
You will be reimbursed for out of pocket expenses you incur.
Volunteering as cadet leader can provide you with an insight into policing, and help you decide whether a career in the police is right for you.
Cumbria Constabulary is proud to serve the people who live in, work in and visit the county. We aim to provide a high standard of service which everyone can use and is fair to all. We also provide a service which encourages positive attitudes and removes discrimination. Read more on Equality, diversity and inclusion at Cumbria Police.
Keeping Children Safe during Community Activities, After-School Clubs and Tuition. Questions to help parents and carers choose out-of-school settings.
The After-school clubs, community activities, and tuition Safeguarding guidance for providers sets out what out of school activity providers in England must do to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people under the age of 18. The documents outline how to achieve specific standards to ensure that young people and leaders are kept safe. The standards for the VPC are the Safe to Operate Standards, based on standards set by UK Youth. All forces have benchmarked themselves against the standards.
If you require any further information regarding any aspect of the cadet scheme, please contact the Citizens in Policing team.