Connor's Unusual World Book Day Challenge

Five-year-old Connor, from Middlesbrough, had the extraordinary task of reading a book in an unusual location for World Book Day.

“Police obsessed” Connor, who is on the autism spectrum, relished the challenge from his school, Hemlington Hall Academy. Connor waited for a police officer to spot him outside Coulby Newham Police Station and was offered the chance to read his book, called ‘One Mole Digging a Hole’ from the driver’s seat of a police van.

Connor was spotted outside the police station in his police uniform, which he regularly wears to school, by PCSO Rebecca Warrick and PCSO Kristin Youngman, who introduced themselves to him and brought him into the police station with his mum, Katie. He marched into the station and saluted his colleagues from Middlesbrough Neighbourhood Team, before reading his book.

His mum, 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.”

** Connor, 5, reading his book at Coulby Newham Police Station **