Special Constables Part 2

Earlier this week, I wrote about how PCC candidates are planning to use (or misuse) Special Constables. I ended that blog by saying that the role needed to be radically rethought to cope with modern demands.

I've had a few thoughts since then. It's as though it's been brewing inside me for years.

The most obvious thing is that there needs to be some way of balancing the flexible needs of the Specials with the needs of the organisation, to know that people will turn up when planned. Fire brigades manage it with retained firefighters, so it can't be beyond the wit of man.

Secondly, Special Constables need a damn sight more protection than they currently have. There can be few jobs where the dividing line between being the hero, and being nailed to the wall by your Force, the Courts and the Press is so thin. To do so from a voluntary standpoint, on the face of it, makes no sense at all. Why would ANYONE do this? The Police Federation have never looked fondly upon Specials for several reasons I won't go into here. There needs to be a national body to look after the interests of Specials.

Special Constabularies really need to differentiate between those who are really looking to get stuck in (whether as a route to the regulars or not) and those who wish to retain the status quo as assistants to the regulars. Bedfordshire was doing something similar by around 2003 but it didn't go far enough.

My last point is a bit more political. I mentioned how Specials felt exploited compared to the TA or fire. How on earth does this Government expect to be able to recruit & retain people to fill, voluntarily, a gap in policing that THEY created, whilst a series of millionaire politicians (who have mostly never done a days real work in their lives, and will never have wondered how they will afford their kids' shoes) bang on about the evils of a 'something for nothing' culture. The irony seems to have completely escaped them.

"Come and work for free to help us silly old twits out of a hole. We do seem to have cocked up rather. Oh, I should probably mention that if you stuff up in any way you'll be completely on your own and will probably end up in court. If you need us we'll be over here demonising people whose jobs we destroyed for claiming benefits."