Special Constable, Kelly

Can you tell us about your Special Constable role?

I am now coming into my 4th year as a Special Constable. I work on a response team in the Eastern District Policing team covering Waterlooville, Havant and Hayling Island, I’m lucky to work with E shift and have an amazing supportive Sergeant and a group of other great Police Officers who work as a great team.

How does the role fit into your life and full time job?

I have a busy, demanding, full time job working as a Director of Operations. I plan my diary two months in advance and when I can, I sign onto shifts. Some of these will be with my normal shift and others will be on special operations, some led by the Specials team and others with other teams that need our help. It’s a juggling act at times but I manage to fit it in.

How many hours do you work?

I normally do between 16-24 hours per month.

What would a standard shift as a Special look like for you?

My shifts can be very different as I am part of a response team. We tend to go the 999 calls as and when they come in. Before we get deployed to a job, the shift starts with a team brief where we go over what has been happening on our patch. We review any specific intelligence that has come in in our area, review how many people are in custody and have a general chat about what needs to be on our radar. At this briefing we find out who we will be crewed with, our call sign which corresponds to a police vehicle and anything specific the Sergeant wants us to take care of throughout the shift. A typical shift could be looking for a missing person, attending a domestic incident, pulling over a suspicious driver, going to deal with a burglary or breaking up a fight in a pub. There isn’t really a standard shift as every day is different – an opportunity to learn something new.

Are there any particular skills you require to do the role?

I think you need to be a good communicator to do this role, you have to have patience and resilience, and above all be curious. You will need to be good at assessing situations, making decisions and be prepared to do a little studying so you know your police powers. 

What is the best part of your Special Constable role?

I really enjoy meeting new people in my community and being able to help and advise them when they need it. In this role, I don’t have to line manage anyone so that’s really nice for me. I find going to jobs on blue lights exciting as you never know what you are going to find. I like to put new skills in my toolkit and Policing has taught me lots.

What advice would you give to someone considering becoming a Special Constable?

I would say give it a go, as you won’t regret it. Book onto an observer shift to see what a shift might look like. I’ve met new friends through the regular police and the Specials team which has been really great too. I report to a Special Sergeant who is really supportive and brings our team of Specials together so we always have a support network in place.

To find out more and book an observer shift, please follow this link: Observer Scheme | Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary