Sir Clive Loader today saw first hand how an innovative Loughborough College project commended for its boost to the community and to job prospects is going from strength to strength.
The Leicestershire Police and Crime Commissioner heard how the ground-breaking partnership launched by the College with Loughborough Policing Unit has not only so far seen students volunteer more than 238 hours to help with crime prevention in the area but is also improving their employablility.
Sir Clive Loader said: “Young people want to be part of the solution, not seen as the problem and the valuable work they do on a voluntary basis needs to be celebrated.
“This has been a really good opportunity for me to speak to the students about Loughborough College’s initiative and about their ideas for how voluntary work can support the Police and Crime Plan.
“I personally see the increased use of volunteers as a key factor in the transformation of the police service, not just with Special Constables, Custody Visitors and the other volunteers who support criminal justice directly, but also those volunteers who get involved in projects that will ultimately reduce crime and thus the impact on policing resources.”
Loughborough College Public Services student Jamie-Lee Goodacre, 17, praised the importance of the scheme in helping her secure an official police role. “The experience I have been gaining is important practically and in boosting my confidence and people skills. The College helped me apply for an official Police Volunteer role and they were there in the run-up to my interview at HQ, the first interview I have ever had.
“I was thrilled when they told me I had been successful. But that wasn’t all, the police have also offered to support me as I take the next steps towards getting into the service, which is brilliant.”
Emma Setchfield, Public Services Learning Coach, added: “Loughborough College is leading the way with this initiative and it really is going from strength to strength with more than 100 students now volunteering.
“They are working with the police on a range of tasks, from the Download festival to crime prevention, public consultations to road traffic safety and the number of opportunities we can offer students are set to increase and become even more varied.
“The encouragement and support we are also offering Loughborough College students to look at official Police Support Volunteer roles only adds to their potential when it comes to job applications. Pressures on budgets for all in the public sector are challenging and we believe that our partnership will help our students standout when it really counts.”
Loughborough College students (l to r) Jamie Lee Goodacre, Abi King, Georgia Armstrong, Ellis Simon, Anthony Flynn and Alex Sleight with (centre) Leicestershire Police and Crime Commissioner Sir Clive Loader