Sudbury 17-year-old wins High Sheriff award after four years as a police cadet

A 17-year-old from Sudbury has won an award from the High Sheriff after four years as a police cadet.

Jez Perry, who is a Senior Cadet in Suffolk Constabulary, received the Suffolk Volunteer Under 30-year-old award on Thursday March 17.

The teenager, who has been a cadet since January 2018, was presented the award by High Sheriff Edward Creasy and shares the award with two other recipients in his category.

Community Engagement Officer for Sudbury PC Darren Marshall said: “Jez is a very enthusiastic cadet, he not only attends the weekly meetings, he is very keen to volunteer whenever there is a community event.

“When lockdown hit, he was very disappointed that the cadets were unable to meet face to face so he contacted Sudbury Town Council to see if he could assist them with any volunteering work.

"They found him a role that was safe for him to do during lockdown and over the two periods of lockdown he has gone out with the town’s wardens and assisted them with projects such as litter picking, removing graffiti, clearing overgrown footpaths and checking that the alleyways lights were working.”

Citizens in Policing Manager Karren Harris said: “This is a great achievement for Jez and on behalf of all of our police cadets and volunteers we send him our congratulations for his achievements.

"He is, along with all our police cadets, are great role models for others to follow and I’d urge any young person looking for a new interest to consider joining the cadet team. I can guarantee you won’t regret it.”

Suffolk Police and Crime Commissioner Tim Passmore said: "Well done and congratulations to Jez. From what I hear, Jez thoroughly deserves this award and I am pleased to see his commitment and enthusiasm to his community recognised by the High Sheriff.

“Jez is a great ambassador for the Volunteers Police Cadets and a great role model. I have always been a huge supporter of the police cadets and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank him, and all our cadets, for all the good work they do within their communities."

Volunteer police cadets help progress policing initiatives in the local community, often assisting with events including the Suffolk Show and town fairs.

They also support the important work of safer neighbourhood teams and are taught basic knowledge in a variety of policing activity.

Cadets are recruited between the ages of 13 and 16 years but can remain a cadet until their 18th birthday.

More details of how to join the Suffolk police Cadets can be found here.