The Yorkshire Film Archive collects, preserves, and shows film made in, or about Yorkshire. Our collections are non-fiction, dating from the 1890s to the present day, and providing a rich and visually compelling record of all aspects of lives, cultures, landscape, industries, major events and everyday activities, many of which are available to watch, free of charge, on our website.
This film is part of Free

Outdoor Training of Police Cadets
Looking ahead to a life of chasing rogues over garden fences, or auditioning for Norman Wisdom’s ‘On the Beat’ – made the same year – police cadets take on an outdoor assault course.
From the collection of:

Overview
Just as Z Cars bursts onto our screen in 1962, police cadets in Ilkley take to the great outdoors to hone their skills at packing their kit, canoeing, abseiling down buildings, tying knots, climbing rock faces, and tackling an assault course. Then out to the hills for a bit of calisthenics and a four day hike, finding their way around the oblique landscape at Ribblehead with just map and compass.
The Police Cadet pathway as an apprenticeship to become a police constable was phased out in the 1990s (except in Scotland), replaced by a volunteer youth cadet scheme. Perhaps surprisingly, there are still no formal educational requirements for entry to the police service, although the kinds of training involved have changed considerably. Rather than rock climbing and other outdoor pursuits, beginning training consists of first aid, health and safety, officer safety, ICT, race and diversity, human rights and community safety strategy. The film also shows the lost village of West End, which was submerged when the newly built Thruscross reservoir opened in 1966.
Related

Cricket 1952 (Featuring Locations in Ilkley and Sleights) Cricket 1952 (Featuring Locations in Ilkley and Sleights)
Amateur film 1952 8 mins Silent Location: Ilkley
The 1950s, the zenith of cricket as the perfect expression of the English refinement of leisure, along with smoking a pipe and having a beer.

The Wharfedale Scene The Wharfedale Scene
Home movie 1977 15 mins Location: Ilkley
With the so-called ‘winter of discontent’ on the horizon, here we have summer contentment generated by the serenity and simple life of ‘God’s own county’.

Wharfedale Wharfedale
Home movie 1956 14 mins Silent Location: Ilkley
Young hikers take to the hills in the time of motorcycles and sidecars, Morris dancers are still a novelty, and children balance barefoot over the stepping stones at Bolton Abbey.

New Perspectives: Tangerine New Perspectives: Tangerine
Short documentary 2025 3 mins
Harry Wallace, a student at Northumbria university, explains why Sean Baker's LA-set comedy-drama, about a transgender sex worker on the hunt for her cheating -ex, is worth your time.

Daniel Craig in Conversation with Mark Kermode Daniel Craig in Conversation with Mark Kermode
Inside Film 2025 44 mins
Daniel Craig talks to Mark Kermode about his acting career, from his early role in Love is the Devil through to the Luca Guadagnino directed Queer.

New Perspectives: Fish Tank New Perspectives: Fish Tank
Short documentary 2025 4 mins
Adam Smith of Northumbria University explains why Andrea Arnold's coming-of-age story, about a girl who uses dance to escape, is his favourite film on BFI Player.

New Perspectives: Pusher New Perspectives: Pusher
Short documentary 2025 5 mins
Noah Ball of Northumbria University explains why you should seize the chance to watch Nicolas Winding Refn's debut.

Twin Peaks star Kyle MacLachlan on working with David Lynch - Q&A Twin Peaks star Kyle MacLachlan on working with David Lynch - Q&A
Inside Film 2025 38 mins
Kyle MacLachlan talks to BFI CEO Ben Roberts about working with David Lynch on the legendary series Twin Peaks.

On Falling - Exclusive Q&A On Falling - Exclusive Q&A
Inside Film 2025 30 mins
Writer-director Laura Carreira talks to Nia Childs about her debut feature, On Falling.