A Special Constable who helped successfully launch the Staffordshire Police Cadets scheme has won this year’s PCC Award for Volunteer of the Year.
Graham Smout received the award from Staffordshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Ellis at the Force Annual Awards ceremony on Friday, 10 October.
The Cadet scheme, which was a key pledge by the Commissioner, aims to strengthen links between the police and young people and promote good citizenship. Units have already been established in Stafford, Cannock and Stoke-on-Trent with others soon set to follow.
Graham, Deputy Chief Officer of the Special Constabulary, volunteered to help with the introduction and running of the scheme in all three areas.
A citation about his achievements said: “Graham’s enthusiasm is infectious and he tackles challenges with lively application. He is unflustered, demonstrates high levels of competence and is reliable at all times, not only supporting all three units during their parade evening, but also attending the units’ weekend activities.
“He inspires others to give their best and leads by example. He is an exceptional role model for the police cadets themselves, as well as the Special Constabulary. He also inspires complete confidence in his peers and senior officers, as well as members of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, who have worked closely with him during the development of the police cadet scheme.
“The success of the police cadet scheme is due largely to the selfless dedication and commitment of DCO Smout who, in addition to a significant workload generated by his role within the Special Constabulary, give selflessly of his time to the betterment of young people within the community of Staffordshire.”
PCC Matthew Ellis added: “In just 18 months since the first unit was launched, the Cadets scheme has made a real difference to the lives of so many young people. That’s a credit to volunteers like Graham who put in so much hard work at the weekly unit meetings and behind the scenes.
“We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the commitment of Specials in Staffordshire which is why earlier this year I set out a new approach to develop the Special Constabulary. It’s about giving Specials more comprehensive training, better equipment and more chances to widen the policing activities they are involved with.”
