Police Scotland have said a huge thanks to all police volunteers who worked tirelessly last year, side by side with regular officers and staff.
With a long and impressive history, the Special Constabulary is a part-time, volunteer body consisting of voluntary officers with identical powers to that of police officers.
Special constables work alongside regular police officers in their spare time – forging strong partnerships in the community, patrolling the streets, preventing crime, and interacting with all kinds of people to give back, keep the local community safe and make a real difference.
They can work full time and be a special constable in just 96 hours per year or a few hours a week. The role is diverse, demanding, and rewarding and could involve doing anything from policing a football match to assisting at a road accident.
Special constables also police major sporting and public events and provide an excellent bridge between the Police Service and the public, representing both the community within the police service and the police service within local communities.
They can act as a positive force for change – bringing with them an extensive pool of skills, talents, experience, local knowledge, and diverse backgrounds – as well as enhancing the overall level of service provided by the police.
Since the pandemic hit Scotland, numerous special constables sacrificed their time to work around the clock to keep our communities safe, in what was been an unprecedented year and are a true asset to the Police Service of Scotland
Do you want to #MakeADifference? Consider signing up to be a police volunteer
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
