Questions & Answers Archive
I'm interested in finding out more about
the Specials, and maybe I will join up. What's
next?
-
For a complete description of the recruitment
process visit our recruitment
resource page.
-
The Home Office PoliceCouldYou site has a section
dedicated to specials where you can get more details and also
apply for the forms online.
-
If you want to talk to serving regulars or
Specials, drop into your local police station,
tell them you're thinking of joining up and
ask to speak to an officer - I know this
sounds a bit daunting, but I am sure they
will be pleased to assist.
-
Alternatively, visit our
forum where there are lots of serving Specials
who can answer your questions and concerns.
There are a number of
books available for prospective Specials which you might find useful when considering
a police career and/or applying. -
For specific details of each police force's
Special Constabulary, visit their web site.
Most forces have one, and they are listed
here. You can also see a list of other more general
sites here.
Back to questions
Having been in the Territorial Army,
I have enjoyed serving my country so I have
considered joining the Specials.
I would like to know, how much of my time
must I devote to the force?
Specials are usually required to commit to
16 hours duty a month, that's equivalent
to 4 hours a week. A duty at the weekend
can easily run to this and to be honest there's
not much point turning up to work anything
less - by the time you've arrived, had a
cup of tea and a chat, had your briefing
and got ready to go out you'd be getting
ready to go home again! Seriously
though I usually perform between 8 and 12
hours a weekend, and it's no chore because
it's so enjoyable. Plus you will no
doubt be required to attend training which
will count towards your duty hours.
It's a reasonable requirement because if
you performed less hours than this then it
wouldn't really be a good return on the investment
in training, uniform, etc. that your force
had put in. Plus you need to build
experience to be safe and confident, if you're
not working much then you're not going to
be much use to anyone frankly!
Your local force will be delighted to advise you on
their particular requirements for joining -drop into your local
police station and ask for details. Alternatively check out
your local force's web site (there is a full list
here) and you should find details on how to apply
there, or give the force HQ a call and ask
to speak with the recruitment officer.
Back to questions
I have just completed my first week of training
as a Special Constable. I was wondering
if you can recommend any good books which
I could read to get a grounding in the basic
law I will need to know?
Firstly, congratulations on your appointment!
Check out my
recommended books
list for a some suggested reading - these
books are appropriate for new specials as
well as those with some service already under
their belt. You can also buy these books
online from Amazon from that page.
I also use
The Hughes Guide to Criminal Law (England and Wales only). It comes
in a loose-leaf format and you get twice
yearly updates which replace pages where
the law has changed, meaning it's always
up to date. This is a quite detailed guide and makes a super
complement to Wilson's book. Tell them you heard about their
book from PoliceSpecials.com!
Back to questions
Do British police carry guns?
British police are one of the few remaining
forces in the world who are not routinely
armed. However, every force has specialist
armed units who are typically on patrol 24
hours per day, and they will be sent to incidents
where firearms are used or thought to be
involved.
Remember that the UK has some of the toughest gun control laws in
the world. It is very difficult to get hold of a firearm and
there are a relatively small number of illegally held firearms.
There is no right to carry or own arms and the police are
responsible for approving licences to hold weapons. Many
classes of firearm, including handguns, are now prohibited anyway
after the horrific killings at
Hungerford and
Dunblane.
Most British police officers do now carry a CS spray, which
technically under the terms of the UK's Firearms Act is a firearm.
Some of the specialist firearms units are now carrying the Taser (a
sort of electric stun gun) as a less-lethal alternative to shooting
people. There is also some talk now of equipping all officers with
such a device but I'm not convinced the public are ready for that,
nor do I see the need for a national rollout.
If police
are regularly armed, it ups the ante generally
to a point where you have to consider that
everyone you come into contact with could
be carrying a lethal weapon (as in the US).
Back to questions
Maybe a kind of odd question but how did
joining up and now doing this kind of work
'affect' you? Basically, I find my job mind numbing!
For years I never gave my career a second
thought, I just got on with it but now I
wish I could do something meaningful and
worthwhile and a job as a special constable
seems right.
My only worry is that somehow it might start
to affect me and my marriage.
There's no doubt doing police work is stressful
and certain situations can be distressing,
I just don't want it to start eating into
to me. I'm probably sounding a bit soft but
I hope you understand what I mean! Do you
get used to the things you have to face?
Can you put those things behind you when
you come home? Like a lot of people, myself
and my wife go to work, come home and live
our lives. If I/we are in for a big upheaval
by taking on a job in the Specials, maybe
I should forget it.
I want to do something positive, I like the
sound of the Specials, what's it really like
'mentally' ?
Not an odd question at all, in fact a very
sensible one!
Firstly, being a Special is an incredible
window on the "other side" of life,
a life that most people don't even know exists
and are unlikely ever to come into contact
with. You will see people at their very worst
(and sometimes at their best). You will have
to use your strength of character and common
sense to deal with incidents ranging from
missing persons to burglaries, assaults and car
accidents. These experiences are of course
going to change you and the way you view
life. You will "harden" to them
as you become more experienced, but occasionally,
you will do and see things that may really
upset you (like attend a fatal car crash,
or help an abused child). These are times
when you need the support of your family
and friends to talk it through. (By the way,
the police will also offer free, confidential
counselling should you ever feel you need
it).
Secondly, you will quickly find that some
of your friends and family will treat you
differently... at best, this will mean almost
universal leg-pulling about help with speeding
tickets or whatever. At worst, some people
will decide that you've done something akin
to becoming a devil worshipper and won't
want to know you. Well get used to the leg-pulling,
that's a major part of police life! And as
for the people who reject you, ask yourself
if you really wanted to be friends with those
sort of people anyway. You'll also find you
become the acknowledged expert on all things
legal, from neighbourly disputes to advice
on the legality of personalised number plates!!
Finally, once you join the police and start
working alongside colleagues, occasionally
in very stressful or dangerous circumstances,
you will really feel a sense of belonging
and of bonding in a team. This probably sounds
all woolly and pathetic but it's an amazing
feeling of being on the side of "the
good guys" and really doing something
that is making a difference. It's very
hard to explain but you may find the police
camaraderie becoming an important part of
your life -- it's certainly a wonderful source
of new friendships as well as lots of social
events!
Being a Special is usually interesting, sometimes
boring, occasionally dangerous and sometimes
frustrating. But I almost always find it
hugely rewarding as I hope I have explained
on the web site. You need to have a robust
sense of humour and plenty of common sense
and to try to avoid getting too cynical (difficult
sometimes!).
In summary, there's no doubt that joining
up as a Special will change your life. You
will see, hear and do things that you are
unlikely ever to experience otherwise. Friends
and family will treat you differently. You
will become part of a team unlike any other
and at times will feel an overwhelming sense
of camaraderie. At the same time you will
gain an insight into life that no other occupation
could give you. You will be doing something
worthwhile and rewarding. But you will find
it hard without the support of your family
so be sure you have that first.
I hope this has been useful, reading back
through it I don't suppose I've helped you
decide either way (in any event only you
can do that after talking with your wife)
but I think I've given you some more to think
about!
Back to questions
I have been accepted into the Essex Police
as a Special Constable, but have not yet
commenced my training. I have a query
regarding the process for being "sworn-in".
Does this involve a Bible and a Judge, or
an oath of allegiance to the monarchy or
some other ceremony e.g. a type of passing-out
parade? Can you enlighten me?
Your swearing in will be in front of a magistrate,
possibly at court but more likely at your
HQ or somewhere similar. You will almost
certainly be sworn in with a big group of
officers, Specials and regulars. Quite simply,
it involves reciting the following oath of
allegiance to the Queen:
"I [SAY YOUR NAME] do solemnly and sincerely
declare and affirm that I will well and truly serve the Queen in the
Office of Constable, with fairness, integrity, diligence and
impartiality, upholding fundamental human rights and according equal
respect to all people; and that I will, to the best of my power,
cause the peace to be kept and preserved and prevent all offences
against people and property; and that while I continue to hold the
said office I will to the best of my skill and knowledge discharge
all the duties thereof faithfully according to the law."
This is a very important oath - it summarises
very elegantly what it means to be a police officer
- especially "with fairness, integrity, diligence and
impartiality". This oath was updated from 1st October 2002 to
reflect the increased awareness of people's fundamental human
rights.
Don't worry, you will recite it line by line
as prompted so there's no need to learn it
off by heart. You won't have to swear on
the bible.
The swearing in will probably be followed
by some sort of welcoming speech from senior
specials or regulars and in many forces they tend
to go off afterwards for photos and nosh.
You may also be able to invite your family
to be present if you wish so they can see
you take this solemn but exciting step!
Back to questions
I was arrested several years ago under the
Vagrancy Act... will this prevent me from
becoming a Special?
The first thing to say is that your chosen
police force will carry out extensive checks
into your background so they will turn up
anything like this. So the best (and
only!) policy is total honesty - be sure
to declare this up front on your application
form.
I don't believe that all convictions will
stop you from joining up, and I suspect
that forces consider these sort of situations
on a case by case basis, taking all the circumstances
into account.
To save time and potential embarrassment
it would be worthwhile giving the recruitment
officer at your chosen force a call.
He or she should be able to answer this sort
of question very quickly one way or the other.
A few years back, during a huge brawl in
my street, I was vindictively pointed out
as being the perpetrator of an assault (I
was in my house at the time!) Apparently,
to diffuse the situation, I was arrested.
Two days before the six month limit was up,
I got a summons for common assault, which
duly went to court and was thrown out as
no case to answer.
My question is, should this be brought up
on application? I could ask the recruiting
team, but obviously don't want to raise unnecessary
questions or provoke detrimental opinion.
Neither do I want to withhold anything that
I should be saying. And if I do raise it,
do you think it would preclude me from becoming
a Special?
My advice would be to declare fully the circumstances
of your arrest as you have outlined above.
According to this explanation, it sounds
like you were not convicted of any criminal
offence, so you do not have a criminal record.
Simply having been arrested is not a bar
to joining the Specials.
The danger of not declaring is that you can
be sure the Force will check the criminal justice records
and it is quite possible that your arrest
will come to light. If it does, then you
will be put on the defensive explaining yourself
(or they will just reject your application
without further consideration because you
did not declare it).
Moral courage is required to do the right
thing... luckily that's one of
the things
the police are looking for in
a Special so
this is your first test perhaps...!
Update: this person did declare the circumstances
of their arrest, and was accepted
as a Special constable in an English police
force.
Back to questions
I'm wondering how much of your time on duty
is spent doing the exciting stuff we see
on TV. Is it all rushing around with
blue lights and sirens? Do you ever
get bored?
The simple answer is no, and yes! The
very nature of police work means that it
is often unpredictable and I have spent a
few eight-hour shifts bored out of my tiny
skull with not a job in sight! Other
shifts fly by with barely a moment's rest.
But a typical shift is more likely to be
a mixture of jobs where you are actually
doing things and a fair amount of time spent
patrolling, doing paperwork, reading briefings,
and just generally waiting for the next job.
It must be said that the "blues and
twos" jobs are relatively few and far
between for a Special in a rural location (obviously
if you're a Special in central London then
they are far more common!). If you join
up expecting to be flying around in police
cars and saving the world then you will be
in for a disappointment! Have a look at my
description of a typical duty - it will give you an idea at least of what
we get up to.
Back to questions
How do the regular police officers treat
Specials? I've heard that they really
resent you because you take all their overtime.
Is this true?
I think it's true to say that relationships
between Specials and Regulars have improved
enormously since I first started as a Special in the early
90's. Then - in my experience - there
was very much a "them and us" mentality,
Specials turned up, were briefed separately
by their supervisor, went out, walked the
town and really never had that much contact
with Regulars unless it was at a specific
job. As a result, there was some friction
between the Specials and the Regulars, born
as much as anything out of ignorance.
The situation is significantly different
these days and certainly where I am based
Specials are completely integrated with our
Regular colleagues. Specials turn up and
are briefed and allocated as though they are Regular officers. This means much more
varied duties which in turn means that most
of our Specials are better experienced and
so more capable and able to help their Regular
colleagues. In part, this much closer
working relationship is because the full-time
officers are very grateful for the extra
officers, especially on a Friday or Saturday
night.
Now it must be noted that the experiences
of Specials varies widely throughout the
country. Not every force is so progressive!
Every police force will have its share of
"old school" officers who will
always resent Specials for any number of
reasons. This will never change and
has to be taken as a fact of life.
These people will fall out with anyone, not
just Specials! Fortunately they are
a dying breed. New, probationer officers
are working operationally with Specials almost
from day one of their service, so they take
it for granted (in the best sense of the
phrase).
At the end of the day, how you are perceived
by your colleagues, both Special and Regular,
is down to you. Act like an arrogant
idiot and you will quickly run out of friends.
Be willing to listen and watch, eager to
help, ready to learn from your mistakes and
from other officers actions and above all
to maintain a robust sense of humour and
you are much more likely to succeed as a
Special.
Back to questions
|
