Plymouth’s Mini Police programme wins awards and grows into home-schooling

Plymouth’s Mini Police programme for 8 - 10-year-olds, which has been running in the city’s primary schools for over a year, has achieved an impressive series of milestones for its community.

The city’s Mini Police programme has been recognised with a series of national Police awards this year including the Mini Police Award, Innovation Award and Cadet Unit of the Year Award. The Plymouth team have thoughtfully adapted a national police programme for young people in the area, in partnership with the Plymouth Volunteer Police Cadets and inspirational Plymouth-based charities.

Mini Police is part of the Volunteer Police Cadet National Framework covering engagement across significant periods over a young person’s life. The aim of the Mini Police Programme is to increase trust and confidence of young people and their communities. Mini Police focus on crime prevention including internet safety, anti-social behaviour, road safety and environmental activities.

Mini Police Plymouth engaged with over 830 young people across primary schools in the city since it started in January 2020, and it is now also the first Mini Police programme nationally to grow into a new area.  For the first time in the country, families who choose to home-school their children, have access to Plymouth’s innovative, award-winning Mini Police programme, so they can learn more about safety, creativity, take part in environmental and community action as young people attending schools can.

Paul Laity, Devon & Cornwall Police Sector Inspector from Plymouth Police said: “There are more than eighty thousand children nationally and thousands in the South West who are home schooled. We want to ensure all children feel included in our programme and once we set the wheels in motion with our idea to reach out to the home-schooling community we had six local families involved who have since completed the 6-week programme. 

Police Constable Deb Hart, Plymouth Police’s Young Engagement Officer added: “It has been a rewarding year and wonderful to be able to offer the Mini Police programme to home educated children. Thanks to Wolseley Trust who have allowed us the use of their space, we have been able to reach out to families and offer this fantastic programme using their donated bright and comfortable room. The children have been an absolute pleasure to work with and I have seen them grown in confidence. Seeing them share their learning in their community has been incredibly rewarding. We are developing our programme and I look forward to working with more home educated families in Spring 2023 when we will be running our next programme.”

Nicki Chinock from Wolseley Trust said: ‘Wolseley Trust were delighted to offer Wolseley Community Hub to support the Mini Police Programme for home educated families. It was clear to see the confidence of the young people develop over the duration of the 6-week programme and this was demonstrated whilst out litter picking the local area where they engaged with members of the public explaining exactly what they were doing.”

Another highlight for Mini Police Plymouth this year has been the involvement of 75 Mini Police from Keyham Barton, Drake Primary and Ford Primary schools who mucked into a community action day, planting seeds in Keyham, helping to develop what will grow into be community wildlife meadow. This imaginative community action involved partners Green Minds, a project funded by ERDF Urban Innovative Actions, Plymouth City Council and Devon Wildlife Trust. The project aims to help Plymouth become a better place for wildlife and support communities taking rewilding action.

Plymouth City Council Councillor, Jemima Laing who attended a Mini Police Celebration Day in the city said: “It was a real pleasure to see the young people receive their certificates in recognition of completing the Mini Police programme. I was fortunate enough to attend some of the sessions and I know how much the young people gained from attending. I am so pleased that home educated young people have been offered the chance to take part and I’m thrilled that Plymouth has been a trailblazer in offering this to the home education community.”

Email 15928@DC.POLICE.UK if you are interested in finding out more about Mini Police and to register interest for your child or young people in your care.