Police numbers have topped 140,000 for the first time, a record number of officers, Home Office Minister Hazel Blears has announced.
An extra 1,500 newly recruited special constables were on the streets at the weekend to mark the third National Specials Weekend, thanks to the Home Office’s ‘Could You volunteer?’ recruitment campaign, with a further 2,500 applications being processed, ensuring the Home Office is on track to recruit 14,000 special constables by 2006/07. This is the first time specials numbers have risen since the Second World War.
These volunteer officers will join a police service boasting 140,135 police officers, more than ever before, and 4,599 community support officers. This is part of an ongoing drive to increase officer numbers and ensure they are freed up to do the job they trained to do, according to the Home Office. In addition, a £19m Home Office strategy for a healthy police service has led to less sickness absence, with the average days taken for sickness per officer falling from 10.4 days in 2003 to 9.6 days in 2004 – returning an equivalent of 492 officers to full duty.
Visiting Salford police – see is a Salford MP – to see the work of specials, Home Office Minister Hazel Blears said: “Special constables contribute an enormous amount to their communities. They are an integral part of our modern police service, supporting police officers and community support officers in providing high visibility patrols and public reassurance.
“Thanks to the Home Office’s £2.5 million national recruitment campaign ‘Could You volunteer?’ we have an extra 1,500 new recruits and a further 2,500 applications are being processed to bolster the service even further.
“These newly recruited special constables will join community support officers and a record 140,000 plus police officers in tackling crime and anti social behaviour in all our communities. But we won’t stop there. This week we have launched a new ‘Could You volunteer?’ campaign which I hope will see the numbers of specials increase even more and raise awareness of their valuable role.”
ACPO say
Peter Fahy, chief constable of Cheshire constabulary and Association of Chief Police Officers’ lead on specials, said: “This is an exciting time for the special constabulary. The number of specials has been in long term decline since the Second World War but now we are seeing the numbers increase and what is most important is the quality and the professionalism they are showing. They are a crucial element of local neighbourhood policing.
“For many hundreds of years local people have assisted in keeping their neighbourhoods safe – long before the creation of a full time professional police force. The special constabulary is a reminder that policing can only be carried out with the consent of the public and the fact that local people can come forward with all the powers of regular officers and take on the role of a constable is the most powerful sign of that fact.
“This weekend we are aiming for every one of our specials nationwide to carry out some form of duty but we need to remember that they are out there every week performing what is one of the most amazing forms of voluntary service you can imagine. We hope that the current national advertising campaign will see even more local people come forward."
The ‘Could You volunteer?’ campaign will run until 21 March and will include television commercials alongside adverts in regional press, national press and radio.
Police forces will be running promotional events to raise the profile of special constables and encourage more people to sign as volunteers. Anyone wishing to attend events can contact their local police force to find out more. To find out more about the role of a special constable and how to apply:
