In a ceremony held this week, Derbyshire Constabulary and The High Sheriff of Derbyshire recognised the outstanding commitment and dedication of four Derby College Group (DCG) students who have distinguished themselves as exemplary police cadets.
All the students are currently on the Public Service Diploma Course, and each have served seven years as cadets.
The honoured students, demonstrated unwavering commitment and passion as police cadets, showcasing the values of integrity, discipline and community service.
Two cadets received awards for ‘Recognition for Participation’ and the other two specifically received High Sheriff Awards. And two of the cadets are brother and sister.
Abi Ward (16), from Spondon, was chosen from 85 cadets to be the winner of Police Cadet of the Year.
This was due to her incredible contribution to the police cadets: she inspires other cadets and young people to be like herself and is extremely confident in leading the whole group when it comes to teamwork tasks.
Abi has put it a large amount of time to help her local community and her police force. Abi has also been promoted to sergeant.
Abi said: “It is a real honour to receive this award. I love being a cadet and being to help people.
“I have learnt so much since being a cadet and in the future, I would like to go to University and then I will join the Special Constabulary and then I hope to become a police dog handler.”
Theresa Peltier, the High Sheriff of Derbyshire, praised the cadets saying: “I am always amazed at the determination and commitment of all the police cadets.
“Well done to Abi for being recognised for all her hard work and positive attitude and also to Euan, Luke and Ruby and all of the cadets for all their support. It is so appreciated.”
Euan Waterfall (17) became a sergeant due to his extra hard work volunteering through cadets.
His increased confidence and leadership skills through cadets has enabled him to lead drill and assist other cadets to increase their drill knowledge and build their confidence.
Luke Preston (18), a previous Cadet of the Year, and brother of Ruby, has been to multiple High Sheriff events in his time as a police cadet.
He has taken the opportunity to engage with people from the legal services from around the country and also educate them on the Derbyshire Police cadets.
Luke has recently transitioned into a police cadet leader to help increase the cadets’ knowledge and help them gain as much experience and knowledge as he has.
Ruby Preston (16) has attended multiple Derbyshire High Sheriff events assisting Theresa Peltier, the High Sheriff of Derbyshire at the legal services.
In addition to other events run by the High Sheriff, Ruby has also put in a large number of hours by volunteering in the community and engaging with a diverse range of people.
The Public Service Courses could prove to be a springboard into careers in the Public Services, which include roles in the armed forces, prisons, the police, the fire service and security.
Some jobs involve working on the frontline while others are behind the scenes in support or administration.
