Special Constabulary

Despite improved recruitment numbers many people still feel there is a long way to go to achieve anything like the visible policing they want. This is why the Police Federation is backing the drive to raise the numbers of the Special Constabulary who have been helping regular officers on a part-time, unpaid basis for many years. Police trained, wearing police uniforms and having the same powers as regular officers, they undertake a wide range of tasks from taking the lead in serious accidents to organising neighbourhood watch schemes and carrying out patrols.

Only one in five people, surveyed by the Audit Commission as part of a report on police performance, said they were satisfied with the levels of police patrol in their area. The 80 per cent dissatisfaction rate expressed by the public about the lack of police visibility on the streets is not new. While levels of concern, in the past, have mirrored the reality of falling numbers, the tide is now turning.

The duties of 'Specials' can be as varied as ordinary officers but, as with their regular police colleagues, their recruitment and retention levels have been dropping. Increasingly busy lives have meant fewer people are volunteering to assist the police and it is becoming harder for forces to recruit 'Specials'. With an assurance that Special Constables are not being used to 'plug the gap' in forces depleted of regular officers and with police modernisation underway regarding greater police visibility, the Police Federation is now calling for 'Specials' to be paid. The Federation believes the time has come to offer an appropriate financial reward for their time and effort and to act as an incentive to reward commitment and improve retention. Fair remuneration might also spur on those already considering joining.

The Police Federation envisages that the Special Constabulary, with paid sworn officers promising a minimum contribution of four hours a week, has the potential to become an established police auxiliary. Police trained, attired and accountable.

In addition to rewarding 'Specials' for their time-guaranteed assistance, we are discussing ways they might be represented by the Federation as part of an extended police family. Our annual conference agreed 'in principle' to allow 'Specials' membership of the Federation.

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