Article by CNG Editor
Police Scotland Youth Volunteers (PSYV) join forces with Robert Gordon University and OSP Cyber Academy
Around 1000 PSYV’s are being trained in aspects of cyber awareness via an online training portal delivered by OSP Cyber Academy, one of the UK’s leading online cyber training providers. The aim is to help the volunteers understand the threats and risks that they face on a daily basis online and share this knowledge when engaging with family and friends to help protect them.
So who are these Cyber Warriors? PSYV?
There are currently 43 PSYV groups across Scotland and they are represented in each of the 13 Local Policing Divisions, with over 900 young Volunteers and over 200 adult volunteers nationally.
The purpose of the PSYV is to promote a practical understanding of policing amongst young volunteers, encourage the spirit of adventure and good citizenship, support local policing priorities through volunteering in local events and initiatives to raise awareness, give young people a chance to be heard and to inspire young people to participate positively in their communities.
The PSYV provides young people aged 13 – 18, of all backgrounds, a positive means of engagement with the police through regular training, participation in community safety initiatives and through volunteering in their communities leading to this project being an ideal opportunity to engage about cyber awareness for protection online.
All age groups of PSYVs including adult volunteers will gain the cyber knowledge necessary to support this great initiative, through peer mentoring.
More importantly they will be learning skills to help them educate the most vulnerable in society, with these newfound skills they will then go into the wider community armed with this capability to deliver education and awareness via a thought provoking “Escape Rooms’ styled exercise developed exclusively for this Project by the science and technology faculty at Robert Gordons University.
This is very much the start of the journey with a hope that the success of this programme might gain more valuable support from the Scottish Government who have been instrumental in making this project happen, to date this is the first programme of its kind in the entire UK, so Scotland intend to deliver on its challenge.
