Name/Title
Sussex Police Volunteer Cadet pullover c1995 - 2005Entry/Object ID
2592Description
A dark blue coloured woollen pullover with cotton shoulder and elbow patches, loops on the shoulders for epaulettes and radio clips and an arm pocket for pens. On the front is a bell shaped embroidered patch containing a star without a crown, inside of which is the Sussex Police coat of arms, surrounded by the words "Sussex VCC". Underneath the star is the word "Cadet" in large letters. Marked inside on label "Commando" with various other words and "Euro 46 UK 36"/ 91cmUse
For use on uniform by a Volunteer Police Cadet in Sussex PoliceContext
The original police cadet system was first established in 1948 in the Metropolitan Police with youngsters being employed full time from the age of 16 to 19, in a uniform support role and given the option of becoming full time constables when they were old enough. The scheme was introduced in an attempt to increase levels of recruitment to the regular force, by attracting school leavers who were not yet old enough to become constables. Similar schemes operated with some changes in many other police forces until the 1980s when the paid schemes were discontinued.
From the late 1980s the paid police cadet schemes were discontinued. Volunteer schemes were retained or begun for younger children, operating purely as youth organisations on similar lines to those run by the military. These schemes now fall under the national Volunteer Police Cadet programme and are organised on a local territorial police force basis.
Police cadets both paid and volunteer have normally wore variations of what uniformed officers did in their respective police forces. In this case a uniform pullover of a type that was used in Sussex Police from 1995 until 2005. It is displaying the embroidered cadet badge for Sussex. This does not have a crown and the letters "VCC", in order to distinguish it from an officers badge of the same period. The letters stand for "Volunteer Cadet Corps", although in recent years this title has been superseded by that of Police Volunteer Cadets or PVC, with a national framework in line with many other youth organisations.
When Sussex Police stopped using pullovers and adopted fleece jackets the cadets did the same.