Special Constables
We are currently recruiting for Special Constables
Questions about being a Special Constable?
Become a Special Constable
Being a Special Constable is one of the most personally rewarding, challenging and diverse volunteering opportunities available to you; a role that offers a great sense of pride by helping and protecting those within our community.
Special Constables take part in frontline policing, either as part of a District Policing Team or with our Neighbourhood Policing Officers.
The duties of a Special Constable will include:
- responding to 999 calls
- foot and vehicle patrols
- tackling antisocial behaviour
- road safety initiatives
- house-to-house enquiries
- helping ensure public safety and security at both local and major events
- presenting evidence in court
- taking part in ‘hotspot’ operations to tackle underage drinking, criminal damage, nuisance and public disorder
- offering crime prevention advice and promoting property marking initiatives
The work you carry out on duty can vary from one shift to another, the below sets out some of the types of tasks you may be involved in.
Being a Special Constable provides the chance to learn more about your community by seeing it from an entirely new perspective. It gives you the opportunity to give something back to your local area, making it safer and enhancing relationships between the public and the police.
Why become a Special Constable?
Although there are no financial rewards for being a Special Constable, we can promise you that you’ll get a real sense of satisfaction from making your community a better place to live whilst making new friends and developing skills which can be transferred into day to day life:
- Communicating and negotiating effectively
- Staying calm under pressure
- Conflict management
- Problem solving
- Decision making
- Teamwork
- Leadership and management
- Responsibility
The experiences you share in working closely with others as one team, can lead to lasting friendships. You’ll learn more about life and human nature than most people will ever see.
Positive Action
At Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary we are committed to being diverse and inclusive and we value difference. We strive to be reflective of the diverse communities we serve. We welcome and encourage applications from people from all backgrounds. To ensure every potential candidate has an equal opportunity of fairness, we offer support and guidance from the start. The Equality Act 2010 allows us to promote equality within Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary by adopting Positive Action. Whether you are just thinking about a role within the Constabulary or have already applied, the Positive Action Team are here to assist you.
For more information please email: positive.action@hampshire.police.uk
You can contact this team at any time, whether we are actively recruiting for a particular role or not.
Applicants with previous experience as a regular officer or Special Constable
If you are a current officer or have experience in the role as a regular officer or Special constable within the last 5 years. Then we have a bespoke process which will enable you to re-join us as a Special Constable. This will still include an application form and attendance at our assessment centre however following this you will complete a training needs analysis which will assess any skills fade and enable us to identify a bespoke training package to suit your needs.
If you would like to discuss this further then please email specialsrecruitment@hampshire.police.uk to find out more.
Application Process
There is a selection process you must pass in order to become a special constable; this process may appear daunting but we will provide you with all the information you need to prepare for each element.
A brief summary of the selection process is as follows:
Completion of our Pre join Checks including National Police Vetting, Occupation Health Screening and Reference checks.
Attendance at an online recruitment awareness seminar for those who would like to find out more about the role and application process. Our seminars also give you the opportunity to speak with current serving Specials and ask any questions you may have. If you would like to attend one of our seminars please click on the following link below or you can email us at specialsrecruitment@hampshire.police.uk
Submission of an application form
Completion of the National sift. This comprises of an online situational judgement test and behavioural style questionnaire
Attendance at an Assessment Centre where you will complete a Competency based interview, job related fitness test and provide your Identity and Right to work documents.
Eligibility
Standards for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Special Constabulary are high and the recruitment and selection process is thorough. We can only select applicants who reach the standard set by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary. Before progressing an application with us you should check to see if you are eligible for the role.
- Age – You must be at least 18 years old when making your application
- Nationality – You must be a British citizen or citizen of country within the European Economic Area. Foreign nationals are eligible to apply but only if they have indefinite leave to enter or remain in the UK.
- Candidates must have been resident in the UK for the last 3 years.
- Be in good health, and of good character
- Be able to speak and write English competently
There are a number of occupations that are not compatible with also serving as a Special Constable. This may be due to factors such as the nature of the work, the industry or sector, roles and responsibilities or regulatory powers that may be attached. For a more detailed list of our eligibility criteria please see our Special Constable briefing pack.
Training
The training phase takes several months and can be very time consuming. There is an expectation that candidates will commit to attend all of the training course dates they are given.
At the start of your the training phase you will receive your uniform, warrant card and be sworn in as a Special Constable.
Our Initial Training is split into 2 parts:
- Initial training Phase 1 (Law Theory)
Phase 1 consists of 11 workbooks and workshops covering Police powers and common offences. At the end of this course, you will be required to take an exam, which you must pass in order to progress.
- Initial Training Phase 2 (Practical Skills)
Phase 2 takes place over 20 classroom and gym based sessions. It includes your Personal Safety Training, Emergency First Aid, Airwaves and Statement taking. Again, you will need to pass an assessment in order to progress.
All training takes place at our Southern Training and Support Headquarters in Hamble (for IOW students this takes place on the Island) over the course of several months and will involve both weekend and evening classes; you must be able to commit to attend all of the training course dates you are given.
There will be things that you will be asked to learn and prepare at home prior to the training sessions. There will also be exams and practical assessments to pass, so we can ensure that you are ready to begin operational policing.
Tutoring
Following your Initial Training Phase, you will be assigned to a policing team who will look after you during the next stage of your development. You will be working with an experienced officer at all times until you have achieved Independent Patrol Status; to achieve this you will need to demonstrate your practical abilities in a number of set areas. We will support you in your development to achieve this.
Employer Supported Policing
Employer Supported Policing (ESP) is a partnership scheme in which employers in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight allow their staff to train and patrol as special constables. Employers provide paid leave for some of the minimum 16 hours that special constables are require to contribute.
Allowing staff to become special constables offers huge benefits to the organisations in terms of staff development – benefits that cannot be bought commercially. Transferable skills include communicating and negotiating effectively, staying calm under pressure, problem solving, decision making, team building, leadership and management and responsibility.
There are a number of employers that operate in the Hampshire area that offer ESP to their staff, these include;
- Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary
- Ministry of Defence
- Red Driving School
- Babcock International
- ACRO Criminal Records Office
- Marks & Spencer
- Solent Stevedores Ltd
- University of Portsmouth
- University of Southampton
- UK Power Networks
- HM Prison Service
For more information about ESP, please email special.constables@hampshire.police.uk
Virtual Awareness Seminar
If you are interested in applying for the special constabulary, it’s recommended that you attend one of our virtual awareness seminars before applying for the role.