A NEW cohort of mini police have been inducted at a special ceremony.

Proud parents gathered for an assembly at Bishop Harvey Goodwin School in Currock to watch their little ones be presented with their caps.

The service saw 20 pupils - 10 each from years five and six - were welcomed into their new position by the deputy Lord Lieutenant for Cumbria Ian Brown and the Mayor of Carlisle, Marilyn Bowman.

The young recruits will take part in a variety of activities from litter picks to road safety patrols, and will receive lessons in crime prevention.

Sharing her delight at the youngsters joining the ranks, Mayor Bowman said: “When I arrived at the school, I was greeted by the children all wearing in their police uniforms in a guard of honour.

“I can’t speak highly enough of what I’ve seen at the school.

“This initiative is outstanding for both Carlisle and the wider area with what the mini police want to do, and what they can achieve in a year.”

The comments have been echoed by headteacher Sarah Nuttall, who has big plans for the scheme at the school.

She said: “The project aims to improve links within the community and to inspire and motivate young adults.

“We were delighted when Shirley Murray from Cumbria Police approached us to take part earlier this year.

“They wanted pupils who could be role models and could improve some aspects of the community.

“So, we asked our children in years five and six to see who wanted to get involved.”

Those wishing to get involved had to have excellent behaviour and write a bid, saying why they were suitable for the role.

Sarah added: “We had lots of people who wanted it, so we put the names into a box, and pulled the names out.

“One of the activities we want them to work on involves our nursery.

“We want to turn that building into a community hub.

“Already we run FareShare - a foodbank, along with a uniform exchange, but we want to develop a book and toy exchange, and get the parents involved with the mini police officers to completely transform that area.

“The aim is to make it feel very welcoming, and invite the community in to do things such as yoga, lunches, lots of things.”

The project at the school will be led by Carlisle police officer Amy Lambert, who attended Monday’s assembly.

Shirley Murray, a citizens in policing co-ordinator from Cumbria Police, helped to set up the scheme in the county.

She added: “We’ve slowly brought more schools on board since we began 18 months ago.

“Each term we will have a different theme for the mini police officers, and we will create a lesson plan.

“This term we have bonfire night and Halloween, and the topics will be around fire and anti-social behaviour, which ties in with the activities we’ve got going across the force.

“Additionally, we also deliver county lines education to our mini police officers.

“It’s really important for our mini police to be aware of it, and for them to know how to prevent themselves from becoming a victim.”

Since its launch in 2018, 27 schools across the county have mini police officers.