Seven-year-old cancer patient spends a 'brilliant' day solving crime with Wakefield police thanks to Make-A-Wish charity

Allan Harris, from Swansea, was invited to spend a day with West Yorkshire Police at their Training and Development Centre in Wakefield, where he learned about the job - and even helped to apprehend a few criminals.

The day was organised by Make-A-Wish UK, a charity who offer once-in-a-lifetime experiences to children with serious illnesses.

Allan, who has been undergoing treatment for a soft tissue tumour in his stomach called rhabdomyosarcoma, had initially been unsure what his wish would be.

But volunteers from the charity said his face "lit up" when he started talking about the police, and he was offered the chance to visit a police station and find out more about the job.

Robbo Robson, who is an officer with the force, said: "We at WYP were happy to help give him the memories and make his dream come true.

"So many officers assisted, most like myself on rest days, so no wages asked for to look after Allan and his family.

"He undertook several things whilst at Carr Gate, and we made it that several baddies were on the complex and he had to find them and arrest them.

"Everyone had smiles, tears and laughter."

After travelling to Leeds, Allan spent a night in a hotel, before he was picked up by limo and given a police escort to the Carr Gate centre.

On his arrival, he was greeted by a team of officers, many of whom had volunteered to take part in his experience on their days off.

Wearing a specially-designed police uniform, Allan was sworn in as a police officer for the force and invited to take part in a series of activities, including dusting for fingerprints, casting for footprints and practising handcuffing.

Officers then asked him to help them out in a new operation, codenamed Avenger. Inspired by blockbuster hit Avengers: Infinity War, the mission involved tracing a team of villains working for supervillain Thanos.

Allan took part in controlling a riot, switching properties, gathering evidence, car chases and armed responses, as well as seeing the police horses, dogs, motorbikes and helicopter in action, before he was treated to a McDonald's drive through.

In a final chase, he helped to arrest the villains, and recover a missing gem, stolen by Thanos' gang.

Allan said the day had been "absolutely brilliant".

Make-A-Wish UK Chief Executive Jason Suckley said: “Right now, there are around 49,000 children in the UK living with a critical illness.

"The day they are diagnosed, it is impossible to imagine a more difficult circumstance for a child and their family.

"We believe that, like Allan, every child has a dream or an aspiration that is unique to them and we work with them to make this a reality. When we do, it gives them hope, strength to face the challenges ahead and happiness, as well as a lifetime of memories. 

"We have recently experienced a significant increase in the number of children turning to us for a wish – around 1700 between July and November last year alone. Our greatest challenge is to reach every one of these children.

"We can’t do this alone so we’re hugely grateful to the police community for their help in creating such an amazing experience for Allan. We hope that stories like his will inspire others to join us in this challenge. Together we can reach every child.”