A QUICK-THINKING police cadet leader reunited a missing ten year-old with his family on Saturday.

Ty Gilbert, aged 18, was off duty and out with his family when he spotted the boy in distress near Falmouth Pitch and Putt at Goldenbank.

PCSO Ellie Grey, who is in charge of police cadets in Falmouth and Helston, said: "I'm incredibly proud of Ty because he recognised the situation and stayed to reassure the boy while he waited for his family."

Ty, who lives in Falmouth, reported him as a missing child to police around the time that the family phoned to declare him missing, enabling officers to put the two incidents together and resolve the situation quickly.

"Ty was in the right place at the right time and he reacted exactly as I'd expect him to do. He was able to engage the young lad and keep him talking until help arrived," added Ellie.

There are 17 police cadets aged between 13 and 17 in Falmouth, from which Ty graduated last year to become a cadet leader.

The volunteer cadets work with multi-agency professionals to help engage with the community. They meet once a week for a two-hour session, plus any additional hours they are able to do.

Ellie is keen to recruit more cadets and she added: "The opportunities are massive, they learn news skills and there is lots of great work that they can do to progress further."

Anyone aged between 13 and 17 who is interested in becoming a cadet can email her on 30522@devonandcornwall.pnn.police.uk