Police Information

Cash for 'Specials'.

Thu, September 06, 2001

Source: Police Federation

Joint Central Committee of Police Federation agrees that Special Constables should be paid.

 

NATIONAL committee members of the Police Federation of England and Wales are today calling on the Government to pay Special Constables. 

And they are discussing ways in which the part-time volunteers, commonly known as ‘Specials,’ might be represented by the Police Federation as part of an extended police family. 

Members of the Joint Central Committee yesterday agreed in principle that Specials should be paid in order to raise their dwindling numbers from 12,000 and provide more support to regular officers. 

The suggestion to pay them is not new. It was first mooted at the Federation’s annual conference in May and mentioned during open meetings this summer. 

Discussing the ‘public reassurance’ area of ongoing police modernisation talks, Fred Broughton, Chairman of the Police Federation, said: “The historic distrust of the Special Constabulary, which affected the attitude towards this body in previous eras, has largely disappeared. There are, after all, hundreds if not thousands of police officers who began their careers as a volunteer special constables. 

“With the Government’s promise to raise police numbers to record levels, rather than use Specials to fill the vacuum left by insufficient police officers, we believe it is sensible to use them to provide a greater police presence on the streets.”  

Federation officials believe the only way Special numbers will grow, so they can become an established police auxiliary, is to give them an appropriate reward for their time and effort. 

They are also looking at ways to offer them the protection of the Police Federation when carrying out their duties.