World Book Day: Five-year-old completes unusual reading challenge in Cleveland Police van

A five-year-old from Middlesbrough has completed a World Book Day challenge of reading a book in an usual location, by reading a story from a police van.

Connor was set the task to celebrate the annual event from his school Hemlington Hall Academy.

“Police obsessed” Connor, who has autism, was waiting outside Coulby Newham Police station in his police uniform which he regularly wears to school, when he was spotted by PCSO's Rebecca Warrick and Kristin Youngman.

The PCSO Warrick and PCSO Youngman introduced themselves, before taking him into the station with his mother Katie.

Connor is said to have saluted the staff from the Middlesbrough Neighbourhood Team, before reading his book.

It was then he was offered the chance to read his book, called ‘One Mole Digging a Hole’ from the driver’s seat of one of Cleveland Police's vans.

Katie said: “Connor is absolutely obsessed with police and everything in his life has to revolve around police.“The police officers were incredible with his needs and so accommodating, allowing him to walk around the van and showing him the sirens and lights. I can’t put into words what it means to him.”PCSO Kristin Youngman said: “We were delighted to help Connor with his World Book Day challenge. He seemed thrilled to be able to meet some of our team and to read his book from the police van.

"We never expected him to come in and make such an impression, he really is a future budding police officer in the making.”

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