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Hi all, hope everyone is safe and well during this time. I had applied to GMP as a special constable and had passed all of the assessments. Interview, situational judgement test, written exercise, fitness and medical. I was given an offer and a start date. Unfortunately I had moved to London by the time my start date was given as I had waited such a long time for a start. When I moved to London I attended an open day for the Met to ask a few questions regarding applications and if I would need to do everything from the start, assessments etc. I was told that because the specials assessment is the same across all UK forces, I would only have to do the medical and fitness this time around. Should I clarify this with the college of policing? I have applied to the Met as a special and have been given dates to go for assessments. I asked them the same questions just to be clear and they have said that I would have to do everything all over as they do not know how GMP carries out the assessments as it could be different to the met. I'm a bit confused after being told other information. Any information/input anyone could offer? I would be very grateful. Kind regards, Brian.

Simon Macartney was employed by South East Ambulance NHS Trust as Driving Standards Manager and was responsible for the driving standards of Ambulance drivers who attend 999 calls. https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/man-who-lied-qualifications-job-14449837

A Special Constable who is awaiting sentencing for a string of serious criminal offences has been dismissed without notice. Met Police News This is Local London News

I'm unsure where this post would fit best, so please move it as you see fit, Moderation Team. This question I am sure has come up time and time again, however I have been recently asked this by a friend of a relative who is a serving Special in a shire force in the South - and I'm completely confused myself so cannot answer! With regard to 'Travel Concessions' which most police officers get (subject to a nominal fee via the Fed on a monthly basis), why is this specifically excluded for Specials? I understand the legislative part surrounding joining the Fed (although only just!), however I am told the Fed extend olive branches have come to 'understanding of representation' extending to Specials without fee, also extending to those not in company of a regular officer. I asked them to check with their respective Force and their policy. The question was asked and they were told you have to be a 'police officer' to qualify and it was an agreement with their local rail operators. After various Google searches, some rail operators and the TfL does indeed say 'Police Officer' - with some then going on to say "except Special Constables". I understand there is a fee payable and there was once an argument about Specials not wanting to pay the fee (?) so they couldn't join officially - however what if this individual does want to join for full membership, and have the travel concession? I guess, most importantly, when is a Special Constable a Police Officer, and when are they not a Police Officer? Surely it would be easier to say 'Police Constables' only, rather than the exclusion.

I may be taken for granted, but there's nothing like being a special constable I’ve been a volunteer cop for more than 20 years, often without thanks from the public or regular officers – but I get a real kick out of making a difference... http://www.theguardian.com/public-leaders-network/2016/feb/27/special-constable-volunteer-police-officer A good little read from an anonymous SC I stumbled across today. I think a lot of the words will resonate with many of us who give up our time. Hopefully the writer is with us here!

Newcastle Falcons' Rob Hawkins becomes special constable 20 November 2015 From the sectionTyne & Wear Image copyrightNorthumbria Police Image captionRob Hawkins is a hooker for the Newcastle Falcons A professional rugby player will try to tackle crime in his new role as a special constable. Newcastle Falcons player Rob Hawkins has completed his first shift as a volunteer officer for Northumbria Police. The 32-year-old hooker, who previously played for Bath and Leicester Tigers, said he is considering a career in the force when he retires from rugby. Northumbria Police said they hope he will inspire others to volunteer. Ch Insp Sarah Pitt, said: "We're really pleased that Rob has joined us as a special constable and we hope it encourages other people to think about getting involved. "Our volunteers are a vital link between us and the communities we serve and we welcome the different skills they bring from their own professions." Stats of a special constable Rob Hawkins in numbers 85 Appearances for Bath Rugby, Leicester Tigers and Newcastle Falcons 5ft 11 in (1.8m) tall 15.7 stone (100kg) weight 32 Years old 2 Trophies won, the Aviva Premiership in 2011 and LV= Cup in 2012 Source: ESPN Getty Images SC Hawkins said: "I'm probably in my twilight years with my rugby career, so I'm starting to think heavily about the transition into the real world and I've always been interested in the police. "Whilst I've got the opportunity to give it a whirl as a volunteer I decided to try it. "I've played in front of 80,000 people before but I don't think I was as nervous then as I was starting my first shift. "I've been getting a bit of a ribbing. I'm not looking forward to seeing a few of the boys in town when they've had a couple of jars as I'm sure they will probably try to steal my hat and other pranks, but I've told them they'll be in trouble." Image copyrightGetty Images Image caption Rob Hawkins previously played for Bath and the Leicester Tigers before joining the Newcastle Falcons in 2014 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-34878360

The following recollection is purely approximate and occurred several weeks ago. Facts and certain details may be altered or omitted due to memory constraints and data protection. The following what I did on duty post is short and unique to a situation about an off-duty intervention. Rank: Special Constable Length of Service: 1.5 years Type of Shift: Unplanned Location: Merseyside Police 1240 Booked off-duty after completing a module for the PNC from my training centre. It was a hot summers day and I was driving my personal vehicle back home. Visibility was great and I had my windows down with soft music to complement a rare weather event. 1250 No more than ten minutes into my drive, in the far distance I caught a mobile patrol van blocking the opposite oncoming lane of the road with blue lights on. Traffic was light and on a semi-residential street with two-lanes in each direction; the nearside lane was blocked on each side by parked vehicles. Focusing on a distant object, I can sort of make out the infamous body armour and white shirt of a police officer, sprinting. I slow down on the brakes, checking my rear mirrors before doing so and analyse the situation. It was clear now, an officer was pursuing a male who was running in the middle of the road. At this time there were no vehicles on the road apart from the police van and my vehicle. I flipped the hazards on and It didn't take long before the foot pursuit of the suspect was within a 200 meters. At this point made a decision to decamp and assist but before doing so I did contemplate using my vehicle to block the path of the running suspect. This was not within my powers and policy to take this action after dynamically risk assessment based on the NDM. I quickly turned off the engine and decamped to assist, not forgetting my keys. My adrenaline was in full-release mode and I started sprinting towards the suspect shouting "OFF-DUTY POLICE OFFICER. STOP NOW!" The uniformed officer was about 15 meters behind the male and as I closed in on the male after yelling my warning, head on in the middle of the road, I went in for a tackle. I grappled onto his rucksack, which slipped away unfortunately and began to spring after him. Without any kit or body armour to slow me down, I felt like Usain Bolt. A second grapple was successful and I tripped the male to the asphalt onto his back. Screaming like a maniac, ordering him to stop resisting and face the floor. At this point he was reaching for something in his waistband. Before he could get anything, the officer decided to do a rugby dive and saddle his back like a horse and the both of us restrained him. He was subsequently handcuffed to the rear and after a brief conversation between the both of them, I gathered that the male fled after being detained section 1 PACE search. The officer continued with GOWISEL(Y) and a PCSO came running over out of breath and started to record details on their PNB. Forgetful me, forgot to show my warrant card and informed everyone that I was a police officer. I noted the time down on my wrist with a pen and the collar number of those present. The search ended with a lock-knife being discovered in his waist-band (yes the one he was reaching for), several ID documents, credit cards and about £700 in cash. He was arrested for possession of an offensive weapon and suspicion of possession of articles used for fraud (s4 fraud act). 1330 Trip to custody involving a lengthy MG11, use of force statement and a full PNB entry. Shortly followed by a phone-call to the duty special supervision to inform them of my actions and emailing my supervision briefly explaining circumstances. Couple weeks later, I was invited to a meeting with my supervision. Discussed at length not to obstruct public roads with my vehicle according to my MG11 and not to intervene unnecessarily whilst off-duty due to threat to police officers.

Looking for a job within the police? Any force or a specific one? What kind of job? Police? Staff? Special Constable? PCSO? To help you with your recruitment interests we now have a completely new area dedicated solely to the recruitment status of every force. We have listed all the forces in England, Scotland and Wales and each one shows the current position on recruitment. You can see at a glance if a specific force is actively recruiting for any of the four main roles, Police Constable, Special Constable, Police Staff or PCSO. Each force specific area has a link to that forces recruitment and latest vacancies pages. If you want to actively monitor a specific force (or many if you wish) you can click the 'Follow This' button in the top right of each individual page or for the whole of the recruitment area and this will give you notifications when something changes. If you see any incorrect entries or you have some alternative information then please do let a mod know and we will update it asap. If you wish to comment in the recruitment section for a force then please feel free to do so. Our new recruitment section can be found at the top of each page under 'Recruitment' or by clicking THIS LINK. Cheetah

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-30870020

A strange and regrettable decision has been taken by the British Transport Police. Today’s Sun on Sunday reports that it has decided to dispense with the services of two special constables, David Davies, the MP for Monmouth, and Philip Hollobone, the MP for Kettering. Our legislators are often accused of being cut off from ordinary people. It is to Davies and Hollobone’s credit that between them, they have accumulated 15 years’ service as specials: a form of public service very different to being an MP, and certainly a way of experiencing the world from a different angle. Last year, a new code of ethics was introduced for police officers, which says they “must not take any part in politics”. But chief constables are allowed to exercise discretion in individual cases. It seems, to say the least, a great pity that Paul Crowther, chief constable of the British Transport Police, did not decide to keep Davies and Hollobone. It happens that the two MPs concerned are Conservatives: but the Sun On Sunday reports that Brian Donohoe, the Labour MP for Central Ayrshire, who is himself a former special, has described the chief constable’s decision as “a mistake”. Mike Penning, the policing minister, has urged a re-think, while Davies himself has said he did not want to leave. No police officer, whether full-time or part-time, should allow his party political convictions to affect the way he carries out his duties, but there is absolutely no suggestion that these two MPs were doing so. It is ridiculous and unjust to imagine that parliamentarians are unable to behave in a strictly unpartisan manner when carrying out roles which require such conduct. Even at Westminster, they quite often have to do that. It is no good accusing MPs of being cut off, and then stopping them from serving as specials. This decision should be reversed. http://www.conservativehome.com/parliament/2015/01/davies-and-hollobone-should-be-reinstated-as-special-constables.html I posted the above article rather than the BBC one http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-30768583 as they have not quit as the BBC states but rather been asked to resign. Also this article provides more discussion and opinion for us to comment on.

Just out of interest, are there any Detective Special Constables out there anywhere, as I know some specials can specialise.

Here's one for you folks... How many Special Constables does it take to change a lightbulb.... Eh hang on wrong question With all of the austerity cuts that affect the servuce at the moment many departments have been reduced in size. I know our Roads Policing Unit has sustained a number of cuts with staff who have either retired , not replaced or alternatively moved back to district policing. To some degree not completely their places have been back filled by the use of Special Constables which in the case if my force is a new move towards further integration of regs and specials in specialised areas, where previously they were predominantly working within neighbourhood policing roles. Now ours haven't been given the authority to drive the RPU vehicles but in time this might change but it's early doors. I just wondered what it's like in other forces really. Does your force provide opportunities to specialise in RPU for instance and if so, what's your role like. Do you have greater freedom. What do you actually do or allowed to do. I'd be interested to know your thoughts. Thanks folks.

“YORKSHIRE born and bred”: it’s an often heard remark that sums up the strong sense of identity that is felt in this, our unique part of the country. It’s used by many who, like me, left for places further afield and then came home again. In my case it was a return to policing rural Yorkshire after 10 years in the Metropolitan Police. I returned to Yorkshire because my heart is here. I was lucky to be able to police the communities and places I have a strong attachment to. Today I speak to police officers the length and breadth of Yorkshire on a daily basis. Many, like me, are born and bred in God’s Own County. If you listen to the almost daily media stories about our police, you would be led to believe that they are all corrupt, and doing a terrible job. They aren’t. Don’t get me wrong, policing in Yorkshire has had its fair share of criticism and in some cases rightly so. The historic failings associated with the Miners’ Strike, Hillsborough, Savile and Rotherham have impacted on public confidence and it is only right and just that those responsible for any wrongdoing or inaction should be held to account. What we must recognise is that the vast majority of police officers across North, West, South Yorkshire and Humberside had no involvement in these events. Some weren’t even born when they took place. I always take the view that we need balance. For 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, the men, women and civilian staff of our police forces in Yorkshire are quietly getting it right. This unrecognised work and commitment is something very dear to me and I bend over backwards to highlight the hard work, bravery and dedication that often escapes the mainstream media. Being open and honest to the public about getting it wrong is called “transparency”. Getting it right is an expectation that we deserve from our police service. I personally think that promoting their day to day achievements and successes is something that the police could do much better, and in my own way I try to redress the balance. Believe me, there are far more incidents of getting it right than there are of getting it wrong. Only recently, and a matter of days after a sterling police investigation saw the conviction of the youth who murdered Leeds teacher Ann Maguire, I saw criticism in the media of how scruffy some Yorkshire police officer uniforms were. Once again the pendulum swings from good to bad in a heartbeat. Before you snipe at scruffy police officers, you must remember that the police operate in an environment of procurement and tendering for uniform and kit. Faced with decimating cuts and huge financial constraints, it’s no surprise that their uniforms often come from the provider who bid the lowest price. You get what you pay for, as they say. A recent example of getting it right in Yorkshire was the hugely successful Tour de France, a major policing operation not only in terms of security but also in terms of making it run safely and smoothly. Because it wasn’t a high-profile crime investigation the efforts of the police went largely unnoticed, but the fact is they were tasked with enhancing the reputation of Yorkshire. They rose to the occasion magnificently. They excelled at dealing with people face to face, re-affirming the unique relationship that they have with the public in this country – the “tradition of trust”. Maintaining this tradition is at the heart of the service and it is best done by visible policing which means police officers connecting with the public they serve. Swingeing cuts have led to the loss of hundreds and hundreds of police officers with yet more to come over the next few years. It is manifestly unfeasible to expect the same level of visibility in our communities, particularly rural parts. Inevitably the village bobby and the police station in the town have nearly all but disappeared. Police chiefs are desperately trying to maintain a police presence in the rural communities with only handfuls of police officers and PCSOs. I spoke in Cumbria recently, another rural force. A local town police station had had to be sold off and was now one of a chain of cheap and cheerful pubs. It’s almost heartbreaking. I do worry for the future of the multiple forces in their current form and wouldn’t be surprised if the next few years saw an amalgamation into one large Yorkshire region force. Although I see the benefits, my concern is that it is crucial to maintain that local link. In 2015 and beyond I want to see greater co-operation between our four forces. Make the most of each other’s skills and assets, with the ability to move resources across borders to identify and tackle crime hotspots. We need to build up our volunteers who work with our farm watch and country watch schemes, having dedicated points of contacts within policing and having better methods of receiving and sharing intelligence, again cross-border. I’d also like to see the expansion of our special constables right across the Yorkshire forces, in particular concentrating on retention and making best use of any specialist skills they bring with them. Why have a computer expert on the books, and not have them working on complex issues such as cyber crime? Another area which can be improved is making smarter use of social media. It’s clear to me from my own use of Twitter that I can very often find out what our police are doing in Yorkshire and elsewhere, long before it hits the mainstream media. With real police officers posting messages about what they’re doing, it brings out the human side of policing, and a better understanding of what they do. Finally I would urge our four police crime commissioners and chief constables to place officer and staff morale at the top of the agenda. The constant bad press weighs heavily on those very men and women we turn to when things go wrong, and are often left having to make life-changing decisions. I’m also working hard in 2015 to highlight the exceptional work the 99.9 per cent of our police service do daily. I wish you all a safe and happy Christmas. • Mike Pannett is a retired police officer and author of A Likely Tale, Lad, published by Dalesman Publications, price £14.99. http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/debate/columnists/mike-pannett-quiet-commitment-deserves-our-respect-1-7002247 Good article, not sure about the advert

So Special Constables are not allowed to be members of the Police Federation? I read somewhere that there was a debate last year and it was agreed in principal that Specials could join but nothing moved forward from that. The real question here is if a Special Constable needs legal representation for a Constabulary related matter who does he/she turn to? A private Solicitor which will obviously cost! Are we really this under represented considering that we are open to the same disciplinary procedures as our regular colleagues. I agree that we should be subject to the same disciplinary procedures but also think that we should be afforded some sort of legal representation. Does anyone have thoughts on this or an answer to be legally represented should we need to be?

Here's a thread to discuss pay made to Special Constables and Volunteers. You can discuss anything relating to Payment, bounty's, expenses to the volunteers in the Police service. Discuss what you already get, what you would like to get, what you think you should get, what you've heard others get.....you get the picture. Frankly, after my pay doubled on promotion to S/Insp I have no complaints. Of course, double nothing is still nothing, and I never wanted any pay for the role, I was even reluctant to claim expenses for a while until I was convinced to do so for budgeting reasons. Go for it.

Special Constables are to be invited to join the Police Federation as full subscribing members after a favourable vote at the body's Annual General Meeting. The conference motion stated Specials wanting to join will be "required to pay the same rate of subscription to the voluntary fund as serving officers in order to access the full range of membership services." This currently stands at £21.58 a month. John Apter, chairman of Hampshire Police Federation, said: "Today we have made the right decision. As a former Special Constable and somebody who can see the real benefit our Special Constable colleagues bring to policing it is right and proper they are welcomed as Federation members. "Special Constables are an integral part of our business, they carry a warrant card and provide invaluable support to our members. This is a great result and one I am proud to support." There are presently some 18,000 Special Constables in England and Wales. Only 12.5 per cent of Special Constables responded to a federation online survey last year asking whether they wanted to join the Staff Association. Of those that responded 2,356 (94 per cent) said they would choose to become a member of the Police Federation. Earlier in the conference, Ian Miller, a City of London Police Special and a member of the Association of Special Constabulary Chief Officers (ASCCO), said that this low turn out was possibly a reflection of the fact that the conference has consistently voted no to allowing specials to join. "I don't think the vote was a true picture," he said. "They are aware of the 'no' vote from the last conference and when it is discussed among Specials there is a feeling that 'they wont vote for us anyway.'" DCC Michael Banks, from Durham Police, who leads nationally on Specials, told the conference that volunteer officers worked four and a half million hours for the police service last year. This was the equivalent of £75 million in manpower costs. So what's your thoughts? Would you consider joining the Police Federation and having the luxury of all the protection for the legal services , representation for your welfare and of course a free diary each year ?

Personally I quite like the idea of wearing my uniform to work - it will show my manager a thing or two about who's really in charge!