A SCHOOLGIRL has been crowned Youth Volunteer of the Year at a prestigious police ceremony.

Ailiya Bilgrami picked up the award in front of more than 200 people at the Police Scotland Youth Volunteers Annual Awards at the Police Scotland College at Tulliallan, Fife.

The 15-year-old linked up with East Lothian’s police last November after hearing about Police Scotland’s youth volunteers programme at her school, Ross High School.

She decided to find out more and said: “It really motivated me to go for it.”

All volunteers participate in a range of activities aimed at instilling values of citizenship and public service.

They also gain a practical insight and understanding of Police Scotland and its values and priorities.

Training includes working with police officers to learn about the rank and structure of the police, as well as a range of specialist functions.

Ailiya, who works alongside officers at Tranent Police Station, said: “We have done all sorts of things.

“For the first three months, we had training sessions and then went out and did community work.

“We handed out leaflets and assisted all the people at the Tattoo in Edinburgh.

“Recently, we handed out leaflets about break-ins during the winter time because it was getting darker earlier.”

Youth volunteers also become involved in working with a range of partners to support initiatives and projects in their local community.

The awards were a culmination of 22 local award ceremonies held by individual groups across Scotland, each of which presented individual awards for police knowledge, commitment, leadership, adult volunteer of the year and youth volunteer of the year. Each local winner was given the opportunity to be nominated for three regional awards representing Police Scotland’s North, East and West territorial command areas.

Ailiya, who lives in Tranent, was one of those at the ceremony on Saturday.

She said: “I was so shocked and actually honoured.

“I went and was thinking ‘I’m not going to win this’ and I was just quite nervous and did not expect to win at all.”

The teenager, who is going into S5 and plans to study modern studies, business, English, maths and biology next year, revealed she was considering joining the police after leaving school.

She added: “The forensic department might be something of interest for me.”

Paul Reynolds, headteacher at the secondary school, was “proud and thrilled” that Ailiya’s “incredible work” had been recognised.

He said: “She is an absolute superstar in school and there is no doubt this feeling is shared by PC Dougie Smith through her work with the youth police initiative.

“Ailiya is involved in so many activities in school and is one of our aspiring and inspiring junior leaders.

“To have been chosen from so many throughout Scotland is fantastic and we are very proud of her at Ross High.”

Assistant Chief Constable John Hawkins, who has responsibility for the programme, said: “The PSYV offers a fantastic opportunity for young people to become actively involved in volunteering opportunities in their communities.

“Programmes such as this clearly demonstrate the fantastic contribution that Scotland’s young people are making to society today.

“Our youth volunteers are giving something back, and this awards ceremony recognises the tremendous dedication and positive outcomes that these young people deliver in their communities.”