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Special Constables
1. Special Constables
Susie Lockwood-Taylor, Response Team Inspector and former Special Constable: So Special Constables are voluntary. They have all the powers of a police officer but it’s just on a voluntary basis. They have a minimum of hours they have to complete a month. The way that they help Response and Neighbourhoods, they will just help with demand on the day, sometimes just extra resourcing, but they also get involved in operations.
Lucy Allen, Special Constable: Being a Special Constable means I get to get involved with some really good events and one I’m really excited about in the future is going to the F1 to accompany the other PCs to make sure that people are safe and having a good time.
Chris Foulkes, Special Support Officer: I like my job. I’ve got a career that I’ve built over a number of years. And I enjoy doing this and I enjoy the sense of reward and being part of the team. I find with the teams I work in, which is predominantly the neighbourhood team and other areas within the police, people are grateful for what you’re doing in Northants Police, genuinely grateful, and I’m sure regulars will get that, but I like it as a Special. I like that gratitude for the time we are giving and volunteering and I keep coming back for more.
Susie: The more of us are out on the streets, the more visible we are to the community so I think that really helps. We know that people are having to balance it with a full time job most of the time, or children, we know that, so they only have to do about 16 hours a month.
Chris: It’s generally one shift a week for me and those shifts are when I want to do them. Often I’ll crew in Brackley with another Special down there and we’ll quite often do the Friday evening, so we’ll come in maybe 5 or 6 o’clock at night till midnight, and at one minute past six I could be herding sheep off the A43 or at the other end of the spectrum, so absolutely I think that variation is great.
Lucy: I would definitely recommend to other people joining the Specials because it’s just so varied and you get to do things that you wouldn’t normally do. There’s a lot to learn and there’s a lot of, sort of, paperwork and things that come with it but it’s really good, really good and rewarding to do.
Susie: We would never be able to provide that level of presence if we didn’t have the Special Constabulary to support us.
Are you self-disciplined, organised and able to take personal responsibility? Do you have good communication and interpersonal skills? #DoSomethingSpecial with your evenings and weekends and make a positive difference in your local community by becoming a Special Constable for Northamptonshire Police.
Special Constabularies are a vital part of all Police Forces across the country, supporting and enhancing the work of regular police officers. At Northamptonshire Police, we recognise the immense value that Special Constables add.
We want people to join us, help make a difference and make our county a safer place.
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What is a Special Constable?
Special Constables are part-time, voluntary police officers with all the same powers as full-time regular police officers. They come from all walks of life and join us for a variety of reasons. Becoming a Special Constable really is one of the most exciting and rewarding voluntary opportunities available.
Special Constables work across a variety of teams and, when fully trained, can attend the same incidents and have the same powers as a police officer. Their main responsibilities include:
- building and maintaining community relationships
- developing professional relationships with colleagues, external partners, and members of the community
- attending events and operations where needed
- all the same responsibilities as a regular police officer, including paperwork, risk assessments, task delivery, and incident management
What are the benefits of being a Special Constable?
As a Special Constable, you will learn new skills, meet new people and help make a difference in your community. You will be fully trained to give you the knowledge, skills and confidence to handle even the most difficult of situations.
- Gain new skills and confidence
- Learn to work as a team with people from a variety of different backgrounds
- Experience events that are unique to policing
- Learn transferrable skills
- Support the police and make a difference in your community
Becoming a special is also a good foundation for joining the regulars. Learn more about joining as a police officer.
As a Special Constable you will be reimbursed for your mileage within Northamptonshire and for any out-of-pocket expenses.
Meet some of our Special Constables
