The UK Police Force is a huge industry that involves many professionals in the field of crime fighting and effective policing. Aside from the regular officers such as constables, chief inspectors and superintendents, there are special constables.
Special constables hold special missions in their respective territorial forces. They aren’t regular members of the force however on specific occasions, their skills are needed and called attention for. Some of these tasks may involve explosive disposal technicians, court security, campus security or executive protection for diplomats. Special Constables hold full police powers and hold the office of the Constable. Some of them are paid employees and some can volunteer for sixteen hours a week whereupon all of them must take special courses and trainings in order to be qualified.
There are quite a number of voluntary/paid Special Constable Trainees nowadays since aside from the experience, rendering your services to those who are in need gives a rewarding feeling in the end. Once you’re qualified from your initial application, your training starts as soon as possible. Your 23 days’ worth of training includes the basics which are the various aspects of police work, including basic law, police procedures, officer safety, people skills and emergency life saving techniques. You have the choice of taking the courses during weekends if you have other jobs to do during the week or you can take the intensive five days a week that is only going to last less than a month.
Aside from the said courses, the UK Police training for Special Constables will also teach you how to achieve effective decision making, self-motivation, communication, leadership, integrity and more. To maximise your training time, you will be required to study course materials outside your training schedule. This course is a pass-fail method where your training officers will evaluate your overall performance base on three factors: knowledge examinations, practical assessment and written examinations.
Once you passed that certain course, you will be an attested officer where you will receive your warrant card. Your first duty of sixty hours will be on “coach patrols” where you will be working with regular officers. And when you’ve exceeded sixty hours, your local constabularies will let you decide on taking further trainings for a broader capability in providing policing services.
Though most special constables aren’t paid, they still get benefits. Some of these benefits are free travel on the London Underground, London Buses, Tramlink, Transport for London (TfL) operated Overground services and the Docklands Light Railway (DLR). Most people nowadays are getting involved in voluntary works because aside from helping others, you can earn new friends in your police force and the community and most of all, you have that sense of achievement that makes everything simply worthwhile.
