Staffordshire Police

The Staffordshire Special Constabulary has a vital role to play within the force, providing a visible uniformed presence that assists in increasing public reassurance.

Special Constables, or Specials, are volunteers drawn from local communities. They are responsible for helping regular officers ensure meet the demands of local communities and force objectives are met.

Recruits come from a variety of occupations and backgrounds. Many combine jobs, study and family commitments with voluntary activity. Currently there are around 330 Special Constables working for Staffordshire Police.

As well as giving something back to the community, Special Constables acquire transferable skills, gain valuable experience and learn a lot from their regular colleagues. The role offers a great opportunity to see first-hand what a career in the police service might be like.

Special Constables have the full range of police powers including making arrests and stop and search. They perform their duties with the support and supervision of their regular colleagues and provide a vital link between the regular force officers and the community.

The main focus of Special Constables is to provide a visible uniformed presence in communities to tackle issues that affect a community’s feeling of well-being. They are fully integrated into the force’s local policing teams.

As volunteers, Specials do not get paid but they do receive an allowance for duties performed and travelling expenses and are issued with a full uniform.

They receive thorough training in different aspects of police work.

There are no set hours but Specials are expected to work a minimum of 16 hours per month.

The role of a Special Constable can be a demanding one, requiring the physical and mental ability to cope with working hard under pressure. Above all, they must be of good character and repute. Being representatives of the law, Special Constables must display the very highest standards of honesty and integrity.

Our Specials were out in force during this year's Specials Weekend (19 to 21 November 2010) involved in a range of duties to make our communities even safer.  Between Friday evening and Sunday evening, 278 special constables were on the streets across the force area performing a variety of duties.

A bodycam videocast of one of the officers’ operational contribution to the weekend can be viewed below.