This research explores the recruitment and training of the Volunteer Police Cadet (VPC) scheme.
| Lead institution | |
|---|---|
| Principal researcher(s) |
Dr Ian Pepper, Visiting Professor
|
| Police region |
North East
|
| Collaboration and partnership |
Professor Colin Rogers, University of South Wales. |
| Level of research |
Professional/work based
|
| Project start date |
|
| Date due for completion |
|
Research context
The Volunteer Police Cadet (VPC) scheme is a uniformed youth organisation for young people from the ages of 13 to 18. There are over 18,000 cadets across England and Wales supported by approximately 2,500 volunteer leaders, who are crucial for the effective delivery of the scheme.
The attraction, recruitment and initial training of these volunteers is crucial and explored through this research.
Research methodology
The methodology adopted utilises an online questionnaire to explore the experiences of VPC leaders in six schemes delivered across six forces in order to consider four themes.
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Attractions to volunteer as a VPC leader.
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Motivations for volunteering.
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Initial training.
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General questions about being a volunteer.
Interim reports or publications
Pepper, I. & Rogers, C. (2021). Police Cadet Leaders across England and Wales: Exploring the motivations of these volunteers. Voluntary Sector Review. 13 (2), pp. 278-294.
Colin Rogers and Ian Pepper; Volunteers in policing: A vehicle for increased representativeness?; Transforming Society; 15th March 2022
Pepper, I. & Rogers, C. (2022). Volunteer police cadet leaders in England and Wales: Economic benefits to Policing. European Law Enforcement Research Bulletin.
Pepper, I. and Rogers, C. (2022), "Valuing volunteers: emerging trends in the training of Volunteer Police Cadet Leaders", Journal of Criminological Research, Policy and Practice