Met Police cadets 'disheartened' by cuts to scheme

Volunteer Police Cadets learn life skills such as team-building and leadership, as well as helping on police operations

Members of the Metropolitan Police's Volunteer Cadet (VPC) scheme have said they hope the force will reconsider cutting the programme.

The scheme, run by the Met, has previously recruited thousands of young people to learn about policing in each of the London boroughs.

It was recently confirmed that parts of the programme would be scrapped and the remaining scheme would be scaled back, which the Met says is necessary due to "resourcing challenges".

Some young VPCs say they hope the scheme will survive as they have learnt important life skills and been inspired to join the police.

Ban on activities, camps and travel

Under the scheme, cadets meet every week to learn about policing. They also take part in physical training, group drills, community volunteering activities, get involved in real policing operations and even get to travel abroad for training opportunities.

However, parents of VPCs recently received letters informing them of "significant changes" to the programme.

This will see a ban on overnight activities, camps and international travel, meaning planned trips will be cancelled, the letter says.

In addition, there will be a reduction in the number of cadets taking part in the programme. Those under 13 and those aged 18 will be excluded from the scheme and there will be a recruitment freeze on members ages 13-17.

VPC Saavan Bhatt, 15, worries cuts to the cadets could have a long-term effect on recruitment into the Met

'There'll be less knowledge, less experience'

Saavan Bhatt, 15 has been a VPC for Barnet for four years and said he wanted to join the police because of his experience.

He told BBC London he was "disheartened" to see the letter and believed there would be "major cuts".

"It's going to have a big impact on the cadets and the staff".

He has learnt life skills, first-aid and achieved a Duke of Edinburgh Award as a police cadet but said members "won't really get the same experience" in the future.

"I hope they (the Met) reconsider their decision," he added.

Although the official purpose of the cadets is to "encourage the spirit of adventure and good citizenship amongst its members, Savaan also believes many cadets join the police and make good officers due to their experience.

"That's what we need in the Met", he said.

"There'll be less knowledge, less experience and I don't think it's a good thing for the police for community engagement ... the community want to feel safe and they want officers with experience."

Another Met Police cadet, Eloise Collins, 14, told the BBC: "For me, being a cadet means spending time positively taking part in my community, whilst finding my own community in the staff and other cadets.

"Honestly it's a shame that everything has to be so scaled back, as part of the fun for me is being presented with new opportunities , for example meeting the canine unit or learning about airport security, but I'm hope there's a solution."

VPC Eloise Collins pictured with her mother Melissa Collins, who recently received a letter about the cuts

Former policing minister and Croydon South MP Chris Philp said he was "concerned" about the cuts to the programme, which he said was a "valuable opportunity for young people, which helps keep many out of trouble."

"This cut also chokes off an important avenue of new police officers when the Met is already struggling to recruit, so I have written to both the Met commissioner and the mayor of London asking that they re-visit this decision,” Mr Philp said.

Asked about the cuts at a City Hall meeting recently, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the Met was "targeting resources where they can."

The Met said it was "committed to continuing with the programme".

“In order to do this with the resourcing challenges we have, we need to reduce the number of cadets the scheme, the age range, and some of the activities involved," a spokesperson said.

“This will bring our approach in  line with cadet schemes run by other police services, so we can continue to support it in the most effective and safe way possible.“