POLICE cadets from Kingsbridge were last week given a special tour of Tavistock Police Station, before staging a mock trial in the town's former magistrates' court.

The cadets, all between 13 and 18 years of age, have been learning about the criminal justice system and the roles of defence and prosecution in courts.

They were given a talk on the history of Tavistock's police station — the second oldest police station in the country — by former town policeman Simon Dell, and were taken around the old building, and shown the adjoining guildhall, which housed the town's magistrates court until its closure in 2001.

After lunch, the cadets acted out a mock trial in the courts, bringing to life the theory they have been studying.

During the visit, they also met John Baverstock, the chairman of South Hams District Council, who himself is a former police cadet.