TWO Police Community Support Officers have secured funding for a project to give autism suffers a chance to work with them in the community. Children in the Autism Spectrum Youth Group at Vale of Berkeley College are to get the chance to participate in real police work as part an initiative devised by the two officers from Dursley Safer Community Team.

PCSOs Claire Silcox, who works in Dursley, and Mike Trebble, based at Berkeley station, came up with the idea of the Junior Community Officer scheme last year and it has been a huge success with children at both Dursley and Sharpness Primary School.

They have now been successful in their bid for £600 from the Action for Children – Dragons Den project, part of the Children and Young People’s Directorate at the county council, which funds projects to improve opportunities for young people with disabilities.

The two officers along with Martine Carter, Special Educational Needs coordinator at the school, attended a Dragons Den style interview in front of a panel of young people and were quizzed about how their idea would benefit the pupils and local community.

PCSO Silcox said: "Mike and I have been working with the youth group for some time and they were all just so keen on helping us and they really wanted to get out and do our work, so we applied for the funding to start this scheme."

The money will pay for Junior Community Officer uniforms and some equipment to help them with their tasks which will include carrying out speed checks, litter picking and performing stranger-danger role plays for local primary school.

Mrs Carter said: "We were thrilled to find out that we have now got a further opportunity to find out about the work of the community police officers.

"This will take place mostly in the summer term and the students are really looking forward to this. A couple of our students are looking towards a career in the police force and it is providing them insight into this work."