Questions & Answers Archive

What are the different powers of arrest? Do you carry a warrant card or some form of identity? Are you allowed to carry out a search on someone while not on duty?

Powers of arrest... these powers changed in January 2006, and are now as follows. Note that the law is complicated, and this is only intended as a guide.

Any person (i.e. a citizen) can arrest someone who:

1) is in the act of committing an indictable offence, or 

2) they reasonably suspect to be committing such an offence,

provided that:

• The offence is an "indictable" one (i.e. one of the more serious offences), and

• It is not reasonably practicable for a constable to make the arrest, and

• The arrest is necessary to prevent the person in question:

  • (a) causing physical injury to himself or any other person;
  • (b) suffering physical injury;
  • (c) causing loss of or damage to property; or
  • (d) making off before a constable can assume responsibility for him."

Police officers can in addition arrest someone who:

3) they reasonably suspect of having committed any offence, or 

4) is about to commit any offence, and

• provided that the arrest is "necessary" under certain criteria
  • (a) to enable the name of the person in question to be ascertained (in the case where the constable does not know, and cannot readily ascertain, the person's name, or has reasonable grounds for doubting whether a name given by the person as his name is his real name);
  • (b) correspondingly as regards the person's address;

  • (c) to prevent the person in question-

    • (i) causing physical injury to himself or any other person;

    • (ii) suffering physical injury;

    • (iii) causing loss of or damage to property;

    • (iv) committing an offence against public decency; or

    • (v) causing an unlawful obstruction of the highway;

  • (d) to protect a child or other vulnerable person from the person in question;

  • (e) to allow the prompt and effective investigation of the offence or of the conduct of the person in question;

  • (f) to prevent any prosecution for the offence from being hindered by the disappearance of the person in question.

There are other nuances to this but broadly speaking these are the "powers" of arrest. The first two everyone has, which is where the "citizens arrest" comes from.  This was overhauled and changed by a new law on 1st January 2006 as a result of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act.

Specials are issued with a warrant card just like regular officers. This is the police officer's authority to police - his or her "warrant". Without the warrant card, the officer would not be lawfully able to make arrests, etc. We have to carry ours at all times (except when in the bath of course). 

Regarding off-duty powers, this is a common topic of discussion! The Home Office recently clarified this (at last) -- Specials have the same powers as regular oficers on and off duty, the only difference being that Specials only have those powers in their own or adjoining force areas.

So whether a regular or a Special, you could make an off duty arrest, etc... but it's strongly advised against and really only for emergencies.  Think about it - when off-duty you wouldn't have a radio to call for help, aren't recognisable as a police officer, and the chances of ending up face down in the gutter mean it's really not a good idea.

Far better in those circumstances to act as an "expert witness", dial 999 and observe from a safe distance. The main exception is if someone's life is in real and immediate danger, but then any member of the public has a moral and civic duty to get involved in those circumstances anyway.

Back to questions 

I am only 16 and am thinking of signing up for the Special Constabulary, however I think you need to be 18... so in the meantime, do you have any information on voluntary placements to do with the Specials?

You do need to be at least 18 and a half to join the Specials in England and Wales, in Scotland it's a little different - some Scottish forces use 18 and a half for the minimum age (Grampian Police, for example), but others have the minimum joining age set at just 18 (for example, Central Scotland Police Force).  Check with your chosen force.

If you're younger than 18, a number of forces operate Voluntary Cadet Schemes for 14 to 18 year olds. There is more information about cadets here on our forum.

If you're interested to learn more about the police service generally, the best bet is to write to the area inspector at your local police station and ask if you could visit one day. Alternatively your school might be able to sort out work placement for you - ask your careers teacher for advice. 

There are lots of websites out there which offer more information about the police service - you can find some of them from my links page.

Back to questions 

Do Specials get paid? 

The topic of paying Specials comes up regularly, perhaps not surprisingly!

In the Police Reform Act of 2002 the Government provided for specials to be paid but left it up to individual police forces and police authorities to decide if, when and how much they might pay.  A number of trials were conducted into different methods of paying Specials and a number of Forces have now formally started paying Specials.  In Hull they took a different approach and offer Specials a 50% discount on council tax (see this story).

These payments and incentives are by no means nationwide and the majority of forces are still relying on their Specials to turn up for free. 

Don't put a down-payment on the Bentley just yet though, even those who are paying are only offering around £2,500 a year for specials performing a certain number of duty hours.  Any such pay will almost certainly be treated by the Inland Revenue as taxable income of course which further complicates matters!

For the latest updates on this topic, see our long-running discussion here on our forum about paying Specials.

Back to questions 

What happens when you go out on the streets? Do the specials have to wait for 'authorisation' from the regular before making any arrests or anything? Are you ever on your own dealing with situations? 

I live in Scotland and spoke to a sergeant who said there will always be a regular officer with you, you will never be on your own. Is that true? Even if you go out and get split up? 

Firstly I should say that I my experiences are only with serving in an English police force and that Scottish police forces do things a little differently - not least because the law is different! So I can tell you what happens in my experience but you should ask a Scottish officer for the definitive answer. 

Specials working in England and Wales are police officers with full powers. They do not have to get authorisation from a regular officer before making arrests or doing anything like that.  Specials typically fall under the command of regular police sergeants so do what I am told when they ask me. Many Specials are independent so will sometimes work on their own out on the street, so they are making decisions for themselves based on their experience and understanding of the law. 

In Scotland I guess they use specials a little differently, it's my understanding that officers always work in pairs so it seems likely that you would always be with a regular officer, or maybe a special. I can see circumstances where you would get split up so I don't know what happens in these cases - I guess common sense prevails!

Back to questions

I live in Greenock which is covered by Strathclyde police. I have applied for the Special Constabulary having just turned 18. Would you say I am too young??

You need to be 18 and-a-half years old to apply, but ask yourself if you have the necessary maturity... much of being a police officer is about relating to other people, and this is a skill which really only comes with life experience... of course, being a special will bring you lots of that very quickly! 

Could you enlighten a 51 year old as to whether he is too old to join the Special Constabulary please? 

Until the introduction of the Age Discrimination Act in 2006 I would have said that 51 was too old, as most forces set the cut-off at 45 or 50. However your age may no longer be a bar provided you are fit and healthy and able to peform the duties of a constable.  It is worth talking to one or two forces in your area (full list here) to see what they say.

Back to questions

I have applied to join the Specials and have now been invited to attend a test at the police HQ. What can I expect when I get there? 

I think the test to which you refer is really the assessment - effectively a half-day extended interview which many forces use.

They not trying to catch you out, but will put you through a series of exercises and role plays to see if you are made of the "right stuff". Obviously they don't expect you to know any police stuff at this stage but they want to see if you have strength of character, moral fibre, that sort of thing. They may also ask you to do a written test (to assess your handwriting and literacy) and will probably get you to do a short 5-min presentation to your fellow candidates... really to see how confident you are.

They are looking for evidence that you have the characteristics needed in a police officer - including confidence, listening skills, common sense, an ability to express yourself and relate to people, initiative, maybe even a degree of moral and/or physical courage. 

If some or all of these things don't come easily to you, then maybe being a police officer/special isn't for you. However if you are still sure then make sure during the role plays that you look and listen, assess the situation, then deal with it as confidently as you can. They don't expect you to know law, or even how a police officer would react, rather they want to see how you react. For the definitive answer have a chat with the recruitment officer at the force's HQ.

Back to questions 

I have just been accepted as a Special but can't work many Fridays and Saturdays as I have to look after our 1 year old daughter... I wanted to maybe work a couple of nights during the week and maybe all day Saturday. Do you think that my force would have a problem with that when I finish my training? 

The main requirement of you as a Special is that you work a minimum number of hours per month (usually 16, although your force may differ slightly). When you work those hours is up to you - the regulars will appreciate the extra manpower whenever you are able to come in and help. 

The only issue I can think of is that you may be assigned to a Specials tutor and for the first few weeks/months will have to work with him or her - clearly you will need to find times when you are both available which may make things a bit tricky. My advice would be to discuss it with your section officer, it is his/her responsibility to ensure you get trained and deployed properly so s/he will just have to work around your availability.

Back to questions 

I've just joined the Specials... am I allowed to take my uniform home? I wanted to show it off to my parents, make them proud of me!

You might find you have no choice - locker space is always at a premium in police stations and Regulars always seem to get priority over Specials for lockers.  So forces do allow you to take it home, and what you do with it there is up to you - no worries if the proud parents want to take photos of you. You won't be allowed to take your CS spray home though, that will be kept in a secure locker at the police station.  The only caution I would give is that uniform is a lot safer at a police station (think burglaries) so unless there's a no other choice (e.g. no locker space at the nick) I wouldn't advise it long-term.

Back to questions 

First enquiry: My father was a Special during WW2 and was awarded at least one service medal. I recall that it had a blue coloured ribbon but, alas, it has long since disappeared. 

Second enquiry: I am trying to do some research into my father's early life - he was a Special Constable in the 1920s, and although I don't know the exact dates, I do know he was an Inspector and that he served during the General Strike (1926).

Are there any archives for the Special Constabulary? Could you point me in the right direction to find out more details about his service? 

I don't have any sort of records or archive myself, but I think a good place to start would be the police force with which your relative served. You can find a list of contact details here.

The Police Federation represents full-time rank and file police officers in the UK, however they might maintain some sort of register of medals, etc. You can contact them via their web site. 

Failing that you could try contacting the Home Office, who are the government department responsible for the police service in the UK and who should also hold copies of records from the war. 

My final suggestion would be to post your question on our forum where many police officers both Special and Regular contribute. They may have other ideas which could help your quest.

Back to questions 

I want to join the police as a full-time officer, and am now considering joining the special constabulary to see if I would fit in before making the commitment to join the force full time. In your experience, is this a wise decision? Do many special constabulary officers take this path?

Quite a lot of Specials these days seem to join the regulars within 2 years of joining up... so it's certainly not an unusual path to take. There's no doubt that being a Special is a very good way of telling whether the job of a full-time police officer is for you... as a special you will be doing almost exactly the same job as the regular officers you work alongside. So you'll have the chance not only to observe and learn but also to ask questions of the people really doing the job. So most specials who go on to become regulars have a pretty good idea of what they are letting themselves in for! 

It's not a shoo-in though, the interviews and assessments for appointment as a regular are often just as tough whether you've been a special or not. Having said that a number of forces - for example Essex and Hampshire - are now offering an abbreviated recruitment procedure straight from the specials into the regulars. Of course, being a special will give you some insight into what the force is looking for, as well as much more of that all-important life experience! 

The only thing to watch out for might be that forces are getting a bit more careful about taking on Specials who aren't going to stay long -- because they invest in uniform, training etc. and they want to get typically at least a year or two out of you in return. As a result I know some forces actually ban their Specials from joining them as regulars within the first two years. Best bet is to talk to the recruitment officer at your chosen force and see what s/he advises.

Would a degree in Law help me get into the police force? 

There are no formal qualifications required to join the police service, so someone with a degree has as much chance as someone without.  The old graduate scheme has been replaced by the High Potential Development Scheme (HPDS) which is open to all officers, it provides an accelerated and guided promotion path for exceptional officers, which means you can make sergeant after a couple of years, then inspector after a few more, and so on... in theory faster than if you aren't on HPDS.

Back to questions

I am at present training to become a chartered accountant which involves periodic intensive studying.  I have only my finals to sit but when I start studying for these I will require all my time after work and all weekends to study for a few months.  My question therefore is would I be able to take some time out of my duties to study?

Also my main interest is to help protect our nation especially against terrorist threat.  As a Special and with my skills as an accountant (which principally involves using numbers to investigate assumptions and opinions) do you think it may be possible to help in this role or is this limited to MI5 employees only?

I think you would have to consider whether now is the right time to join up as a Special... I mean, what's the point if you are going to be too busy studying to go out on duty? Anything you have learnt during training will quickly go out of your head if you don't put it into practice every week... so perhaps delay joining up until after your finals?

Every police officer on the street is helping to protect our nation against terrorism, whether simply providing reassurance, acting as a deterrent or by specific involvement in operations which disrupt terrorist activities.

I'm not sure though you will get the chance to use your accountancy skills as a Special though - as you say this tends to be a specialist activity and not usually one done by police officers - e.g. if CID are looking into a complex fraud they may well call in an outside consultant to help understand the figures but wouldn't think to look closer to home.  In my experience Specials' "real life" skills are not really drawn on that much, which is probably a mistake but there you go!

Back to questions