Promising to serve their communities and be good citizens, 28 British Transport Police cadets were officially inaugurated at a ceremony in Birmingham on Saturday (29 October).
The volunteers, all aged between 13 and 18, are the first police cadets in at least 25 years to take part in a passing out parade in the city, marching under the inspection of Assistant Chief Constable Robin Smith before pledging their commitment to helping the community.
Formed last year, the youngsters have taken part in a number of events including the opening of New Street station and Birmingham's remembrance parade. They have also carried out patrols letting passengers know how they can stay safe on the rail network.
In addition to their first passing out parade, 2016 has been a year of celebration for BTP's cadets after they beat 18 other teams to be crowned the winners of this year's National Police Cadet Competition.
ACC Robin Smith from BTP said, "We know our cadets last served the West Midlands in the mid-80s and we believe the local force's scheme was disbanded around a similar time, so it's a proud moment for us to be able to reintroduce them under the modern program.
"We currently have two schemes, one in Birmingham and another in London. Both offer fantastic opportunities for young people to make meaningful contributions to their community by helping us with crime prevention activities.
"It's also a chance for us to build important relationships with young people who might not have a positive perception of the police, helping us to understand their needs and steer them along the right path where necessary."
Mallika Sharma, who was in the first cohort of cadets and has now become a cadet leader in Birmingham, said: "I wanted to do something to help the community that was different to charity work.
"I've learnt so much about policing from how to complete pocket notebooks to all the different types of legislation, while gaining an understand of how the police deal with incidents in a calm and professional manner.
"The cadet competitions are definitely a highlight with lots of different challenges where you interact with others and improve your team building skills.
"Being a cadet has really helped with my communication and given me the confidence to approach members of the public and speak freely with them.
"At first my friends didn't understand why I wanted to be a cadet but once they saw I was a part of it, their views changed. To anyone considering applying I'd say don't worry about your peers; it will help you and give you great interpersonal skills for the future."
