Leicestershire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Sir Clive Loader, set the force a target to recruit 1000 volunteers by March 2017 - 400 of them to the Special Constabulary.
In line with the priority outlined in the Police and Crime Plan 2013-2017, Leicestershire Police has today launched a recruitment campaign to increase the amount of special officers across the county.
The #COULDYOU campaign is designed to encourage members of the public to make a valuable contribution in their community by joining the Special Constabulary.
Specials are volunteer police officers with the same powers as regular officers and typically spend around four hours a week, or more, working alongside and supporting regular officers to tackle crime in their communities.
Assistant Chief Constable, Phil Kay, said: “We are fortunate to have some fantastic specials with a wide range of skills who contribute to keeping Leicestershire safe. They have a number of roles within the organisation from neighbourhood policing to patrol and resolution teams.
“The Special Constabulary has been around for decades and is a valuable resource in delivering and improving our service to the communities of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.”
A promotional video has been launched to support the campaign, featuring six serving specials who offer their time for the benefit of their communities and the people who are part of it.
It shows how they combine being in full-time employment or bringing up a family with being warranted officers, helping to protect the communities they serve while developing their personal and professional skills.
Special Sergeant John Blagden joined the specials over three years ago. He said: “I get an enormous satisfaction out of being a special; helping in my community and developing my personal skills.”
A number of companies across the UK support their employees to become specials, including police staff in Leicestershire. Employer Supported Policing is an effective partnership between employers, their staff and the police service which helps to support specials in their duties to increase public safety and confidence by working proactively together.
Leicestershire Police hold regular information seminars which give people the opportunity to find out first-hand what it is like to be a special with advice from serving specials and the chance to be involved in role-plays.
For more information on the role of a special or to register for an information seminar, please visit: leics.police.uk/couldyou
Join in the conversation on social media by using #COULDYOU
Posted on Monday 9th May 2016