East End cadet cops get their Duke of Edinburgh awards

Volunteer police cadets from London’s tough East End have passed their Duke of Edinburgh awards after three years of hard training.

The 20 cadets have gone equipped with survival bags, rucksacks, tents and even cookers, navigating their way through heath and heather, bog and bracken, and mud and thicket of Epping Forest, New Forest, Peak District and Welsh mountains.

“They all showed great commitment and dedication,” Tower Hamlets police cadet co-ordinator Steve Austin beamed. “It marks the end of a tough three years of training where they did 800 hours serving their community and 600 hours improving their fitness levels.”

Met Police cadets are a uniformed voluntary youth organisation with youngsters aged 13 to 18, teaching life skills, social responsibility and “building positive relationships with the police”.

They meet weekly on school premises at Harley Grove in Bow and have regular visits to police units to hear speakers on specialist subjects, as well as having outward-bound activities and organised camps.

They also take part in non-confrontational policing, community events and local crime reduction police initiatives.