Bedfordshire’s special constables volunteer thousands of hours during lockdown

During National Volunteers’ Week and Specials Weekend, (June 1-7), the force saw the highest number of active specials contribute to frontline duties since the beginning of the pandemic, which resulted in a huge 771 hours volunteered to help keep Bedfordshire safe.

As well as making arrests and responding to 999 calls, activity over the week included conducting four warrants and taking part in 26 hours of motorcycle patrols.

Bedfordshire’s Special Constabulary is an incredibly dedicated cohort, with more volunteers than the national average for the size of the county’s population and who then volunteer more than the monthly required hours in just a week.

Chief Constable Garry Forsyth said: “The special constabulary has been a tremendous support for the force during the pandemic.

"They are an essential part of the force and haven’t let us down during this challenging time. We could not have delivered the way we have done without the support of the committed group of fantastic constables.”

Since lockdown began, volunteer officers have supported the force by attending 1,404 101 or 999 calls which included 39 calls for concern for welfare, carrying out 405 vehicle checks, dealing with 27 negotiation situations and contributing to the educate, explain, encourage and enforce response to help ensure the public complies with the Covid-19 government guidance.

Special Constabulary Chief Officer Clint Sharp said: “It is fantastic to see in just one week 50 per cent of our establishment devoting their time to get involved with National Volunteers’ Week and volunteering the highest number of hours in a week since lockdown began.

“Each special on duty has been volunteering an average of 18 hours a week, which is a huge contribution when the requirement is 16 hours per month.

"Our specials really have a positive impact on Bedfordshire and our regular officers.”

Special constables start their time at Bedfordshire Police with training sessions during evenings and weekends.

Once they pass training and gain their warrant cards, specials move on to spend six months in community policing and six months working with response teams.

There is also ongoing work to involve more departments within the force to open up more areas of deployment for volunteers.

If you would like to join Bedfordshire’s Special Constabulary, visit www.bedfordshire.police.uk/specials.