It was while looking for sticklebacks 48 years ago when community policeman Grev Humphrey fell into the Grand Union Canal in Hertfordshire.

It was while looking for sticklebacks 48 years ago when community policeman Grev Humphrey fell into the Grand Union Canal in Hertfordshire.

His worried mother hauled the two-year-old to safety but the soaking didn't deter him from developing a fascination for water he retains to this day.

So when the opportunity arose to use his knowledge to benefit the community in his work, he jumped in head first.

Angling for Youth Development (AFYD) was conceived in East Renfrewshire in 2002 by two Strathclyde Police constables, John Stewart and George Knight.

The pair created the concept while mulling over a possible solution to teenagers poaching fish from local rivers. The thinking was simple. If the kids were so determined to fish illegally, why not teach them to do it properly?

The guiding tenet was to tackle the problem through education while giving bored kids a hobby and skills they could use in life.

AFYD, now a charitable trust, was given guidance by the Scottish Anglers National Association Ltd (SANA), the governing body for game angling, on setting up.

Through contributing to Fly Fishing and Fly Tying magazine, 50-year-old Blairgowrie bobby Humphrey got the media company to bestow the publicity the project needed to encourage private donations for rods. Within two years, the AFYD vision was a reality, launched in 2004. No-one could have envisaged what it would grow into.

Five years on, over 40 community volunteers have been put through level two angling coaching qualifications. AFYD is now the largest angling training organisation in Scotland, giving children from all backgrounds the opportunity to learn about fishing and the environment.

The programme has been rolled out across Renfrew and Angus and will soon begin in Highland Perthshire, Perth and Dundee. It has even attracted interest from Sweden.

"It might have started out as a police youth diversion programme for problem kids, but it is much more than that now," says Humphrey, who brought the scheme to Blairgowrie in 2006 after assisting East Renfrewshire.

"Police still support it but it is a charitable trust now and the bulk of people involved are not police officers. We have all types in the Blairgowrie AFYD. The local school janitor is one of our coaching leading lights, for example. Some don't even fish but they see the benefits. The glue is their passion for putting something back into society and getting the kids out there doing something. In five years, all we have spent is £20,000 and all of that from fundraising and private donations."

The AFYD programme has worked with kids of all social backgrounds. Kingspark School in Dundee sends special needs kids for bait fishing tuition through the trust.

AFYD has assisted children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and confidence issues. It caters for all young people who have an interest in the outdoors. It has even taken lessons into primary schools by introducing micro trout hatcheries and is developing a course that trustees hope will lead to endorsement from the Scottish Qualifications Authority. This will then be offered to schools in line with the Curriculum for Excellence.

Working with agencies like SANA and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, AFYD started with a basic game angling course. Kids were invited along or referred and given instruction in fly casting, fly tying and catching fish by qualified trainers.

Not only did they start to build confidence by learning a skill, instructors began teaching them environmental protection, river ecology and aspects of environmental law. For some, it has proved life changing, even providing ideas about jobs to pursue.

"Because the police were involved, the general attitude for a start was that this was a programme for young thugs. Not all young people are thugs. A lot of the kids we work with now are not young offenders, they are just young people," says Humphrey.

"Fishing is only a part of it. We are there to help them realise there are things out there they can have a say about. You are building up a rapport and developing their skills at the same time. We are teaching kids to fish. The by-product of that is improving their behaviour."

The Blairgowrie AFYD meets on a Wednesday at Ledcrieff fishery near Coupar Angus. Nylon lines whip the air as the youngsters, both boys and girls, cast from a platform. One of them is Sean Murray, a 16-year-old from Coupar Angus.

"This has given me a lot of focus," he says. "I am going to do the coaching qualification. I want to be a ghillie. If I wasn't here I'd just be hanging about the streets."

Others have had the same positive experience.

"Schools are wanting this because it helps with truants and those causing problems," says Humphrey. "There are kids I didn't think we would ever connect with that have proved me wrong. We had a 17-year-old with anger management issues and her confidence was shattered when she came. Now she is the youngest level two coach in Scotland. It doesn't work for all, but it helps on a lot of levels."

Stephen Gill, 35, a captain of Scotland's disabled fishing team, has seen many young people improve their self-esteem since he became a trustee with AFYD.

"Some kids have had learning difficulties and a lot have had issues with hand-eye co-ordination. With practise they have learned and they have done well. You can see the smile on their faces when they get it right. It just makes them want to learn more."

For Humphrey, AFYD is the type of project he feels community policing should embrace.

"In 15 or 20 years' time, these kids will be looking after the rivers because of what they've learned. That can only be a good thing."

Community policing

What does the job entail?
We are there to build bridges within the community and engage with people and other agencies. We are there to help and look after people. It is not just chasing after bad folk. You can't ignore the key factors in society that cause problems by just addressing the wrong-doing.

Eventually you have to engage and try and turn people around and change their view. I have always had the philosophy that a police officer is part of the community like everyone else and should be playing a role and taking a lead where necessary.

What qualifications do you need?
I have been doing this for 23 years and a lot has changed since I started, but you have to sit a Police entrance exam. You are also put through psychometric testing and there is a level of educational attainment and physical health required. These days it is all about ability. There are very few barriers to joining the Police these days, although you have to have no previous convictions.

Salary band:
£16,000 to £32,000. It is actually not a badly paid job compared to many.

What are the skills you need to do the job?
You need a certain amount of compassion, humour, understanding and tolerance. You have to be willing to get involved and be a good oral communicator.

The AFYD project, I think, actually goes where we should be with community work. This is a way of getting communities re-engaged and getting various groups engaging with each other.

You have the young engaging with the old. You've got the wealthy engaging with the poor. It involves everyone in the community.