FOUR police cadets from Redbridge have beaten 5,000 others across the capital to win prestigious London-wide prizes.

The Metropolitan Police’s Volunteer Police Cadets (VPC) celebrated their 30th birthday at the Royal Horticultural Halls in central London on Saturday (February 11) by rewarding their most dedicated members with a string of coveted honours.

Among them was 13-year-old Deven Dattani from Newbury Park who bagged junior cadet of the year.

The Redbridge cadet and Oak Park High School student signed up three years ago at the age of 10, after being inspired by his dad, who has been a Met Police officer for over 25 years.

He said: “I’ve grown in confidence massively since I joined.

“I’ve really enjoyed volunteering. You do really important stuff like helping the elderly, and with the first aid training you get you could even save someone’s life.”

Deven was nominated best junior cadet in the borough, but never imagined he would win the overall London prize.

He added: “I didn’t expect it at all, I couldn’t believe it when they called my name out – it was a huge surprise.

“I’d encourage anyone to join the cadets. You’ll get so much out of it and make loads of friends too.”

Deven’s father said he "could not be more proud" of his son, who is the first Redbridge cadet to win the award.

Sam Simkins, Kyle Thomas, and Olivia Stevens are also flying the flag for Redbridge, after they won the 2016 media award for their anti-knife crime video campaign.

The trio shot and produced the #ChooseALifeNotAKnife video themselves after the fatal stabbing of Charlie Kutyauripo outside Ashton Playing Fields in Woodford Green in January 2016.

The clip, which featured interviews with a knife crime victim’s father and an ex-offender, was rolled out across London to highlight the devastating effects of carrying knives.

Redbridge head cadet Sam said: "It's an honour to receive this award as part of the Split Second Team.

"We felt that the knife crime among today's youths has got totally out of hand and this needs to change.

"Too many children are losing their lives and it needs to stop. If we can save lives by making this film and getting it out to schools then it’s a job well done."

Over the border in Waltham Forest Alishia Crowie bagged best new recruit of 2016, while Alexandra Dumitru got the presence and performance award for the 16-19-year-old category.

The Met Police’s assistant commissioner Martin Hewitt said at the ceremony: “It gives me great personal pride and pleasure to celebrate 30 years of Volunteer Police Cadets at the Met.

“What began as an idea to develop positive relationships between young people and the police has grown into a vibrant programme with over 5,000 young Londoners now taking part.

"As well as providing fantastic fun and development opportunities for the cadets themselves, they are a valuable asset to us, providing practical operational help as well as fresh insights.

“I very much hope and believe that the VPC will continue to flourish in the years to come."

For more information on VPC, see the website.