Life as a cadet

Here's what some of our cadets have told us about being a volunteer police cadet.

"Being a police cadet has changed my life! I never thought I would ever be given the opportunities I have been given through the VPC." Elmer

"When I joined the VPC, I was shy and lacked confidence. Now I lead my own team." Shamima

"I have been given the confidence and skills that could not have been given to me anywhere else. I am proud to be part of my unit." Dzhevdzhet

"I joined cadets at 12 as something extracurricular to do outside of school, I have grown in confidence and as a person and now am leaving having served for six and-a-half years. I am looking forward to joining the Met even though it wasn’t something I thought of doing when I first joined." Gerald

"The Met police cadets is a fantastic organisation, filled with amazing people and flourished with wonderful and endless opportunities." Izzy

"Joining the police cadets is by far the best decision I have made, it is so much fun and I have made so many friends along the way.
This organisation provides incredible opportunities for young people and unforgettable experiences.
If you are looking for a career in the police or any along those lines this would be perfect for you as we also learn things that will be useful to know for future jobs.
However, you do not even need to have any interest in this, it is overall just an amazing thing to do and I would completely recommend signing up." Amy

Here's what some of our cadets' parents and carers told us.

"I can’t thank you enough for what you are doing for my son. He has come back from everything he’s taken part in with such a positive attitude. He said with Iron Team he’s never done anything so physically and mentally challenging but was very happy he did it.
"He absolutely loved being at the Albert Hall especially as everyone was so nice. He loved working with the public and how the other adults treated him. It’s all been so positive."

"It all seems to be a very unified group with parents who are so encouraging and proud. There doesn’t seem to be any apathy which is so prevalent these days amongst the young and adults alike.
"What you are doing is so important for the children and has changed my son’s life. I am so glad we found this group and so proud with what you are all achieving."

"My son has Down’s syndrome. He had hit a rut at school, but the cadets opened up a new avenue he could excel in. His attitude changed immediately to a strong, smart man, who swung his kit on to his shoulder with pride and marched quickly to the car for police cadets night.
"We did not know what he did there, just that he loved it. Over the next couple of years he won awards for community service, and a Jack Petchey award. These signalled to us, his parents, that you in the police could see the thoughtful, empathetic man that we saw. There was never any hint of patronising him because he was trying his best, he was awarded for doing the best."