Volunteers' Week: Katina Knight – ‘There’s no denying that I love volunteering’

Katina Knight is one of our Human Resources Officers. She’s also been a Cadet Leader for nearly five years.

The Police Cadets is a youth programme, welcoming teens from the age of 13 until their 18th birthday. Its focus is teaching discipline, practical skills, confidence building and good community engagement

At the end of Volunteers' Week, we’re proudly celebrating the passion and dedication of people like Kat.

I enjoy volunteering. I’ve even joked sometimes that I’ve got a volunteering problem.

Being a Cadet Leader is like a second job for me. I’ve been a Cadet Leader for just under five years - for four of those years, I’ve supported the Walsall Unit, travelling from Birmingham after work on a Thursday evening. Seven months ago, I moved to a closer unit which is located at BCU on a Monday evening.

Giving time for the development of our young people is everything. I love seeing their growth from being timid day one to a more confident young person, and gaining life skills such as public speaking and team building.

I’m inspired by the young people who attend each session. The best thing so far is seeing their transformation from that shy individual to model citizens. Also, my personal growth, and overcoming my own fears.

Being a Cadet Leader is very motivating and rewarding; not only because of the time I give supporting the Cadets, but also the learning you take away as a leader.

As Cadet Leader, we are dealing with kids from all backgrounds. You have to understand that no two persons are the same when dealing with an issue. Therefore, developing my own communication skills has been crucial. You develop your skills as a leader, lesson preparations, and delivery. It's also about safeguarding the young people while in our care.

It is also about being a supportive role model, providing a safe space for their personal development. As part of being that role model, I have to stand tall and overcome my own fears to teach the Cadets that it’s possible.

The sessions take priority over almost ever other activities that I do. Without the correct ratio of leaders to Cadets, sessions could be cancelled which is disappointing for the Cadets.

I commit time to supporting other activities outside of the weekly sessions such as Race for Life, Pride, Remembrance Parade, and a host of other community engagements.

As well as being a Cadet Leader for the weekly sessions, I’m also a High Sheriff Cadet Leader, which attracts a different level of commitment, as I support the High Sheriff Cadets when attending West Midlands High Sheriff engagements.

It’s immensely rewarding and makes me proud, knowing I’ve contributed to the positive development of the Cadets becoming young adults.

Sometimes there’s a preconceived idea that police Cadets are expected to then become police officers at the end of their time, however that’s not the case. They can choose whichever pathway they wish to take upon reaching the age of 18.

I’d be untruthful if I say it was easy going all the time, however I’ve made a commitment when I signed up to becoming a Cadet Leader, and I enjoy the role to the fullest.

Volunteering for me is rewarding: you enhance your existing skills and develop new ones. You have new experiences and feel good for giving back to our community.

Meeting and engaging with new people is also great - it’s personal development, it's growth, it’s fulfilment. Lastly and most important, it is great for mental wellbeing.

There’s no denying that I love volunteering.

Join West Midlands Police as a volunteer

Volunteers are essential members of our West Midlands Police (WMP) family, offering invaluable support across many of our teams and departments, from the dog unit to forensics.

Whether it's one day a week or on a more casual basis, our volunteer program is incredibly flexible and welcomes contributions of all kinds. We deeply appreciate every individual who donates their time to help us provide the highest level of service to our community.

Find out more about the opportunities here: Volunteering | West Midlands Police