Tadworth soldier teams up with cops to keep kids out of trouble

Staff Sergeant Dean Chalmers, 34, a TA officer from 151 London Transport Regiment based in Sutton, teamed up with TA colleagues and police officers from South Ockendon police station to take 26 young volunteers on a day out to the Army’s development and selection centre in Pirbright, Surrey.

The youths, aged between 14 and 17, were invited to participate in team exercises that tested their listening, team building and leadership skills and had them competing against each other at various points during the day.

Activities included camouflage and concealment, a variety of command tasks designed to test initiative and encourage team building, as well as the experience of tackling one of the Army’s most challenging assault courses.

Staff Sergeant Chalmers, a customer service engineer with Open Reach BT has been a member of the TA for 16 years and has seen operational tours in both Bosnia and Iraq.

He said “Being in the TA has given me a lot of wonderful opportunities and coming here this weekend to work with these young people allows me to give something back to the community.

“I love watching their self-confidence build throughout the day as they get to know each other and then tackle the command tasks.

“The highlight is definitely the assault course – at the day’s outset it would seem to be an impossible task but they all, without exception, give it a go and actually succeed. It’s a very rewarding day.”

Police community support officer Macdonald “Mac” Neife said: “It has been a great day.

“These young people really enjoyed themselves and they have had the opportunity to take part in some very challenging activities.

“It was a great way of breaking down barriers and a joy to see the teams working hard together to achieve the various tasks. I hope they continue to meet life’s challenges with the same positive attitude”.

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