Peter Sherwin Statement

Sea Cadets unreservedly apologises for any hurt or anger felt by any victim of abuse. We investigated the claims regarding the late Peter Sherwin. Based on an independent review of all records across the charity, and on interviews with former employees still alive whom we can trace, the first the charity were aware of any claims related to the accused was in June 2013 when our safeguarding team were contacted by West Midlands Police.

Following his arrest on 14 October 2013, Mr Sherwin was immediately suspended from Sea Cadets. The police case was dropped in mid-November 2013 due to lack of evidence. We continue to ask anyone with any information to share it.

Sea Cadets takes safeguarding concerns very seriously and has a zero tolerance approach to any abuse. Our specialist safeguarding team manages all safeguarding cases in line with the charity’s safeguarding policy and procedures and statutory responsibilities. The charity has a 24/7 safeguarding incident reporting line. All staff and volunteers are recruited following “safer recruitment practices”, including enhanced criminal record checks for all who work directly with children and young people. The charity promotes a culture of safety alongside our own safeguarding support systems, including whistle-blowing procedures, we promote external support organisations including NSPCC & Childline.

As part of the training of all cadets, we have a dedicated programme called Shout! that teaches cadets how to identify and report any concerns. Our culture encourages our cadets, volunteers and employees to speak up, disclose and confront any issues. It is our aim to provide safe spaces for all to feel they can trust their environment enough to learn, grow and flourish.

Update:
We note the recent campaign to revisit the MBE awarded to Peter Sherwin and fully acknowledge the concerns surrounding this matter. We hold the Forfeiture Committee's process in high regard and support the conclusions they have now reached in posthumously removing the honour.