Devon and Cornwall Police are recruiting Special Constables but you’ll have to be quich as you only have until Sunday (September 24) to apply. People become a Special Constable for many different reasons. Some want to develop their skills and life experiences, others want to give something back to their community, and some are looking for a challenge outside of their day-to-day life. Special Constables work on a voluntary basis at the front-line of policing and the criminal justice system. Working in partnership with local communities, stakeholders, and colleagues they promote law and order, reduce the fear of crime, provide reassurance, and build confidence to improve the quality of life for citizens.

Becoming a volunteer police officer opens up a world of opportunity for professional and personal development. Undergoing the training and then performing the role is rewarding and can provide a welcome break from day-to-day life. Although you won’t be paid, your training and duties will give you unique experiences, new and valuable skills, plus a tremendous sense of achievement of doing something worthwhile for your community. They pay expenses so you will not be out of pocket for giving your time. The requirement is four hours a week/16 hours a month and these hours are flexible to fit in with your work and home life.

Under the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 this post is politically restricted.

Apolitically restricted post prevents an individual from having any active political role either in or outside the workplace and will automatically be disqualified from standing for or holding elected office. They are also restricted from canvassing on behalf of a political party or a person who is or seeks to be a candidate, and speaking to the public at large or publishing any written or artistic work that could give the impression that they are advocating support for a political party.

You will gain new skills and training when you join, which will continue throughout your journey within the police family. As you progress there are a variety of specialised and voluntary supervisor roles which you could try. You will meet so many new people and build lifelong friendships. Being part of the police family means you are part of a very big team which opens up a variety of opportunities. The role will keep you active and help to keep your fitness levels up. You will get to make a difference to peoples lives and protect the most vulnerable in our communities which you will find incredibly rewarding and you will feel a huge sense of achievement. You will be pushed out of your comfort zone, no two shifts are ever the same. It’s not all glamour, but your team will always be there as support. You will learn new skills which you could use in your work or home life. The Special Constabulary has a rank structure so if you have good management and leadership skills there are opportunities to utilise these in supervisory roles and it will allow others who wish to progress the chance to gain great leadership skills as well.

No shift will ever be the same and you will certainly be busy! As a SC you will be required to respond to dynamic incidents, provide victim care, prevent and detect crime, protect the vulnerable, assist in operations and much much more. As long as you are over 18 years old, fit and healthy there is no upper age limit. Don’t be put off by the fitness test. You will be required to do a bleep test up to or over level 5.4 where you need to run continually for three minutes 35 seconds with gradual increase in speed at each level.

You will also be required to carry out a push and pull test and be able to swim - nothing that a bit of advance training can’t solve.

For more information you can contact: https://tinyurl.com/rxebwhwj