Supported Lancashire Police internship graduates praised for dedication

Two Lancashire Police employees have become the first in the country to graduate from a police internship for young adults with learning disabilities, the force has said.

Jack Hamilton, from Penwortham and Luke Williams, from Burscough both completed a year-long supported internship.

The courses support young people aged 16-24 who want to be in employment but may need extra support.

The 21-year-olds were both praised for their "work and dedication".

The programme provides real-life work experience combined with on-site classroom sessions.

Jack completed a year-long supported internship in the ICT client support team and Luke started off in the digital media investigation unit, before moving to contact management and then to the force crime registrar's data audit team.

They collected their awards from Chief Constable Chris Rowley who said: "They have worked hard to reach this point, and it is particularly pleasing to be able to reward them for their work and dedication.

"This has been a successful pilot programme which other companies are intent to deliver and we look forward to be able to develop this further in the future."

Luke attended the ceremony with his mum, Lynn Williams, who said: "I am so proud of Luke and how much progress he's made since having a place on this internship. I'm so hopeful now for the future."

Jack's mum Belinda said: "Jack has done so well and it's been lovely seeing his confidence grow. He's really enjoyed his time with Lancashire Police and everybody has been so welcoming."

Gary Bartlett, a tutor at Preston College, who has supported the pair said it was "great to see how far Luke and Jack have come, as they have both made massive leaps in terms of confidence and work skills".

Both men will be staying in employment with the force as they progress on to the police staff apprenticeship scheme, with Jack set to apprentice in ICT and Luke in organisational development.

Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to [email protected]