Chief Officer of the Special Constabulary retires after more than 25 years’ service

Chief Officer Mike Maywood retired from Northamptonshire Special Constabulary yesterday (Sunday, February 28) after almost 26 years of voluntary policing service.

Mike started his policing career with Cumbria Constabulary in April 1995, before transferring to Northamptonshire in January 2008, and has completed more than 10,000 hours of duties during the past two decades.

He spent the first part of his career in Cumbria however, his day job took him to Buckinghamshire which resulted in his voluntary role being restricted to weekends only.

When Mike and his family relocated to the Northamptonshire area, he successfully applied to join our Special Constabulary in 2008 and was posted to Towcester working as part of the response team.

A year later, Mike was assigned to the Northampton Proactive Team as sergeant, and in 2010, he graduated from the Special Constabulary Leadership training course at the policing college at Ryton.

In 2011, Mike was promoted to Special Inspector and returned to Towcester. This was short-lived as in late 2012 Mike was promoted to a new leadership role of Special Superintendent and went on to receive a formal CMI Level 6 certification.

Mike was presented with the Maureen Wilson Memorial Award on behalf of the Special Constabulary in 2012, and finished runner up at the national Lord Ferrers Award a year later, receiving a certificate of recognition from the then Home Secretary, Theresa May.

In 2014, Mike became the Chief Officer of Northamptonshire Special Constabulary and has made his mark steering the Specials through challenging times.

Mike said: “Would I recommend joining the Specials? Of course, my advice to anyone who is thinking about becoming a special constable – stop thinking about it and just do it! You will never look back.

“I have recently taken on more commitment in my day job after being appointed a Director at the end of last year, and with the Special Constabulary in a reasonably stable and sustainable place, it feels the right time to step away.

“Working alongside Police Sergeant Sue Torrance for the past five years has been brilliant. We’ve had lots of challenges and dealt with them as a team. Watching our officers develop, succeed and ultimately grow has been a superb and humbling experience.

“I have had the pleasure of working with some fantastic, dedicated and supportive people - both specials and regulars, and I am especially proud of the number of special constables who have gone on to join the regulars.

“Since I became the lead in 2012, a total of 302 special constables have left us to become regular officers – the majority with our Force, but also some into other forces.”

Mike’s leaving statement is one of gratitude to everyone who has supported the Special Constabulary and to the specials themselves who deliver year on year over 80,000 hours of duty supporting the community.

Northamptonshire Police Chief Constable Nick Adderley and Northamptonshire Police, Crime and Fire Commissioner Stephen Mold thanked Mike for his dedicated and loyal service to the communities he served.

Chief Constable Adderley said: “I would like to thank Mike for his loyal and unswerving support to policing here in Northamptonshire and more broadly across the country.

“Giving his time for free, for nearly 26 years, to protect the public is highly commendable but to do it with such dignity and flair is remarkable.

“I have really enjoyed working with Mike and Northamptonshire is all the safer from having benefitted from his leadership and strategic influence across the Special Constabulary.

“I wish him well for the future and now look forward to carrying on the great work Mike has done with his successor.”

Mr Mold added: “I’m in awe of the contribution which Mike has made to the safety of this county and on behalf of everyone who lives in Northamptonshire, I’d like to thank him for making Northamptonshire Special Constabulary a force to be reckoned with.

“Mike has played a key role for a significant period and over the years he has always pushed for ever better performance. I send my congratulations to Mike on his retirement and thank him again for his years of great leadership.”

Anyone interested in joining the Special Constabulary can find more information on the Northamptonshire Police website at www.northants.police.uk/careers