Nowadays TV schedules are dominated by police reality programmes. High adrenaline shows give viewers a glimpse of the work of specialist departments from the comfort of their armchair.
But thanks to West Midlands Police a group of Birmingham young people have been given the chance to go even further behind-the-scenes and take part in training usually only afforded to officers.
The eight-Birmingham based teenagers all signed up to ‘The Blue Light Project’ which is the brainchild of Sergeant Michele Birch.
Returning for its second year, the project was designed to give 16-24 year olds from the Aston area a greater understanding of the work of not just the police, but all emergency services.
Over five days the teens were immersed in police departments including the Dog Unit and Air Operations before being put through their paces as they donned protective body armour to experience riot training.
And to accompany the police training a crash course in life-saving first aid techniques from West Midlands Ambulance Service completed the 999 course.
Sergeant Michele Birch was delighted to see that this year’s event had built on the debut success of the project: “Last year the project launched and received success that we could never have predicted. In fact it was so successful that I was invited to visit colleagues at City of London Police with a view of them rolling it out.
“I don’t think any of the group would mind me saying that some of them started the week with a negative impression of the police. But over five days we were able to show them the challenges that officers face and the way we respond to serious incidents.”
In addition to the emergency service work officers were also joined by Seetec and Pertemps who offered the young people advice on CV writing and how to succeed in job interviews.
Jess Latham, 18, from Erdington was one of the people taking part. She said: “I agreed to take part in the course because I wanted to learn something new and also to keep me out if trouble in the holidays!
“I’ve met a lot of new people and I’ve also gained a first aid qualification… I know I can make a fresh start and make something good for myself.”
Sergeant Birch added: “At the end of the week we asked the group to offer feedback on the week. And without fail everyone commented they were leaving with a greater feeling of confidence and better interaction skills. Whether they go onto a career in the emergency services, or another career path, I’m sure what they’ve learnt this week will stand them in good stead.
“And for me the most satisfying part of the entire week was seeing the beaming smiles of a group in excess of over 50 proud friends and family members at the presentation. Hopefully The Blue Light Project will be the stepping-stone for their news lives.”
Each member of the group was presented with a certificate before sharing their experiences over refreshments provided by Aldi.