VOLUNTEERS’ WEEK
CONSTABLES IN POLICING A CRUCIAL VOLUNTEER FORCE
THE IMPACT OF SPECIAL
As we celebrate Volunteers’ Week, reflecting on the incredible contribution volunteers make to society and communities across England and Wales, PFEW Special Constabulary Co-lead Simon Kempton highlights the need for forces to better facilitate training across the continuously expanding roles for special constables
There are currently some 6,000 special constables across the 43 Home Office forces who, in the first quarter of this year alone, have undertaken nearly half a million hours of duty alongside their colleagues from the regular constabulary. Or, to put it another way, some 70,000 individual duties with an average of 14 hours per shift. These numbers are incredible and start
to illustrate not just the impact specials have, but the huge gap there would be without them. Increasingly, special constables fulfil almost all roles within policing, from responding to emergency calls and undertaking proactive operations on specialist units to investigating serious and complicated crime.
As more and more specials join the
Federation as full, equal members, their voice is being heard by their representatives and their comments, hopes and frustrations are being taken forward on their behalf. And we know problems relating to training for these roles can often cause issues which need to be addressed. As they continue to expand the areas they support in right
barrier for some who simply cannot afford to do that. Even where a special
constable is in a position to be able to take unpaid annual leave, we, too, often see the training course they’ve made provision for being moved, postponed or cancelled for operational reasons. For regular colleagues, this is a reality of policing. However, for a special, this is going to be far more difficult to rearrange, so unless it really is absolutely unavoidable, forces need to be able to keep to agreed training commitments so as not to disincentivise members of the public volunteering to serve the public in
“More can, and should, be done to highlight and promote the Employer Supported Policing Scheme, which asks organisations
to consider giving their staff who are special constables paid leave to undertake those volunteer police duties”
across the policing landscape, it’s right they should be supported with the best training to enable them to thrive in these roles. It’s what the special constables themselves, and the public they serve, deserve. But we know this is often difficult to fit in around “main” jobs, particularly if they work in an industry or environment which is less flexible. In fact, volunteers in policing are committing their own time to attend courses, often using extended periods of unpaid leave, and this is understandably a
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these roles. Forces need to make this commitment to our colleagues and to back up that commitment with action. There is also more that policing, in partnership with government and other key stakeholders, can do to attract more people to the Special Constabulary, and here PFEW can play a vital role. More will be done to highlight and promote the Employer Supported Policing Scheme, which asks organisations to consider giving their staff who are special
constables paid leave to undertake volunteer police duties. There are clear benefits to the individual here, but also to their employer whose staff will receive training in key areas such as decision making, effective communication, conflict management, crisis management, and so much more. The scheme represents a tangible way for an organisation or business to support their local community, enhancing their reputation and raising
their profile. And those benefits to the community shouldn’t be overlooked. Increased direct engagement with the local force, bringing an increase in visible policing, and from that, greater public confidence, which impacts directly on crime levels whilst connecting businesses to their community in a unique way. So, let’s between us as partners smooth the way for people to join our organisation and, once here, enable them to really reach their potential both in policing and beyond.
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