Police Scotland’s Youth Volunteers (PSYV) are doing far more than wearing a uniform – they’re strengthening communities, shaping futures, and giving young people a genuine voice in policing.
In this second PolicingTV interview, Dr Iain Britton speaks with Police Scotland’s Sergeant Aaron Chadha about the practical realities of running a national youth volunteering programme: how units are led and governed, the constant challenge of recruiting and retaining adult volunteers, and how safeguarding is built into every stage. They also explore PSYV’s international work – including a powerful exchange visit to New Zealand that brought together young people from Scotland, New Zealand, the US and Australia – and how those experiences inspired new leadership and development opportunities back home.
Finally, Aaron shares moving success stories of young volunteers who have gone from never leaving their local area to travelling across the world, becoming adult volunteers and even joining the Special Constabulary, as well as academic evaluation results showing major gains in confidence, communication, resilience and life chances.
Takeaways
- PSYV units are locally tailored but governed centrally for consistency and safeguarding.
- Each group is led by a police officer or staff member, supported by vetted adult volunteers.
- Recruiting and retaining adult volunteers is a growing challenge as free time shrinks.
- International exchanges, like the New Zealand trip, inspire new leadership and skills programmes.
- PSYV can be life-changing for vulnerable young people, boosting confidence and opportunity.
- Academic evaluation shows big gains in teamwork, problem-solving, resilience and communication.
- Many alumni go on to university, work and even become Special Constables and adult volunteers.
- Police Scotland is actively looking to build an international network of youth policing programmes.
Chapters
00:00 – Introduction
00:45 – Who actually runs PSYV units?
01:40 – Adult volunteers and safeguarding
03:50 – The New Zealand exchange
07:20 – Life-changing impact on young people
09:45 – What the evaluation tells us
11:50 – Why other forces should copy this
15:40 – Building an international youth policing network
17:40 – What’s next for PSYV
19:20 – Open invitation from Police Scotland
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