SPECIALS
Special Spot light
Special constables have been part of the policing family since 1831. As a direct result of PFEW’s years of campaigning with the Government, the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 was finally enshrined in law, then allowing specials to sign up for PFEW membership. Specials play a major role in supporting British policing with more than 6,000 giving their time to make a difference. We caught up with Dr Ben Johns, microbiologist and special constable with South Wales Police.
I joined the Special Constabulary almost nine years ago whilst undertaking my Ph.D. In my day job, I am a clinical scientist for Public Health Wales in microbiology. I am currently undertaking the Higher Specialist Scientist Training (HSST) programme to become a consultant microbiologist in the NHS. I am based at Cardiff Central Police
Station where I have spent the majority of my service, volunteering around 80 hours per month. I’ve volunteered more than 7,500 hours to date, that’s equivalent to 40 years’ worth of service already - if you believe that special constables only volunteer 16 hours per month. This is typical of Career Specials up and down the country. We are police officers first, and volunteers second. I served as a special inspector in Cardiff from 2016 to 2021 before standing down to the rank of special constable to focus on frontline operations. I have had the opportunity to undertake Standard Response Driving, Taser and Level 2 PSU training.
I work amongst a great team of ‘regular’ and Special Constabulary colleagues. Any time I go home and feel I’ve made a difference makes volunteering worthwhile. My proudest achievement is Pride Cymru 2019. After months of planning with the silver commander as
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special inspector I led the deployment of 85 specials from South Wales Police and on mutual aid from forces across England and Wales - including three shifts led by special inspectors deploying serials of SCs supervised by special sergeants. Supporting the silver commander in planning and the bronze commander in briefing in briefing, it was an experience
Dr Ben Johns, microbiologist and special constable
“I’m frustrated that I’m trusted when
I’ll never forget. It demonstrated what the Special Constabulary is capable of. The biggest challenge specials face is the
understanding of the Special Constabulary. The Special Constabulary offers a 30-year career as a police officer alongside your other commitments. Within this voluntary parallel career, there are opportunities such as being on a Roads Policing Unit or on rural crime and promotion within our ranks. Many choose to leave early, joining the regulars and whilst it is fantastic for those wishing to join full time, the Special Constabulary cannot be viewed as a work-
wearing my lab coat, but not always in my stab vest – yet I’m the same person”
experience programme. Recruitment, training needs, retention strategies, deployment options and structure must be based around the 30-year career path. This will provide the best service and value to the force and our communities. Many say, ‘I know what it’s like – I used to be a special’, but few will have been career SCs. The second challenge that we all feel as police officers is public trust. There is a minority who seriously let us down and damaged public confidence. I’m frustrated that I’m trusted when wearing my lab coat,
but not always in my stab vest – yet I’m the same person. The Special Constabulary exemplifies the Peelian principle of ‘the police are the public, and the public are the police’. We are in the unique position of spending most of our time outside the police but have ‘access-all-areas’ within the police. The vast majority of SC and regular colleagues are doing their very best to protect and serve our communities. As a clinical and public health microbiologist, there isn’t often an overlap of two roles. COVID-19 changed that. When I wasn’t testing patients for SARS-
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