Chief Constable Gary Roberts has praised the latest teenagers to have completed the Isle of Man Police Youth Scheme.

The ’cadets’, as they are informally known, had their passing out ceremony at the Palace Hotel on Thursday after two years of volunteering and assisting officers at community events.

Mr Roberts said at the start of the ceremony that when the scheme was first proposed he didn’t think it was a great idea.

However, through the hard work of the cadets and PCs Michael Griffiths and Paddy Moore, Mr Roberts admits he has been wrong and that each group of teenagers has proven to be a credit to themselves and the constabulary.

Some of this year’s young officers spoke to the Examiner about what they most enjoyed and if they still consider a career in the police is for them.

Rob Griffiths said that while the youth programme is based around policing it’s mostly a ’scheme about bettering people’.

He said: ’I know a lot of us have gained qualities such as having more confidence.

’Making new friends has been the most enjoyable part, I didn’t know half of the others when we started but now they’re some of the closest friend that I’ve got and I’d trust them with anything.

’I think in certain ways, it has been harder than I thought it would but we’re a big team so you’ve always got someone to rely on no matter what you’re doing.’

The cadets help police with charity and community events such as Peel Carnival as well as raising money for charities during their two years together.

Dani Bettridge said she had most enjoyed learning the theoretical side of policing in a classroom and then applying it.

Giving the example of a car crash, Dani explained how the cadets would be taught how to respond to an incident and then they would attend a staged crash and apply what they had been taught.

She said: ’In that situation, we’d assess it and call for whatever we need. So we use our radios to speak to a "control centre" and ask for an ambulance or anything we’d need and take statements.’

Dani said that she wants to become an officer and hopes to be a detective in the future.

Freya Melvin found out that even when injured, the cadets still have to match the standards set of them.

She broke her elbow during her gold Duke of Edinburgh award after going over the handlebars of her bike.

Freya said the scheme is ’absolutely amazing’ and ’one of the best things I’ve put myself through’ and how it was a visit from PCs Griffiths and Moore to her school that convinced her to apply.

She added: ’I decided to apply to see if I could get out of it the skills they said I could get, which I have been able to.

’From communication to leadership and general team work skills, it’s been so helpful and given me skills that I’ll be able to use later in life.’

Freya also said the scheme had changed her perspective of policing and made her realise how ’unrealistic’ crime dramas are.

PC Griffiths said the third intake of cadets have been a ’really good group’ for the officers involved to work with.

He said: ’We build a relationship with them all over the two years. At the start, it can be quite difficult to build that relationship but I always say to each group, and I mean it, you’re as good as the last group because we do get like-minded kids.

’I’m very lucky to have this as part of my role because I see these young people develop and go on. A lot of them from previous years have gone on to careers in policing and that in itself is gratifying and to see them develop into these fantastic young people.’