Chair pleased at Specials move

14 September 2021

Derbyshire branch chair Tony Wetton says he’s looking forward to the day he can welcome Special Constables into the Police Federation.

The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill is going through Parliament and includes provision to permit Specials to become members. The bill is set to become law early next year.

Tony said: “Our Specials have done an invaluable job throughout the pandemic and beyond. They’ve been working alongside our full-time colleagues and facing the same dangers and risks. However, they’ve not had the same benefits and support of Federation membership.

“As a Federation, we’ve been campaigning for a number of years for Specials to be able to become members. This is a real success story for the Federation and I look forward to the day when we can welcome them into the Federation family.”

Tony’s comments have been echoed by Dave Bamber, secretary of the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) Special Constabulary Working Group, in a website blog.

Dave said: “Specials won’t be treated any differently when they join PFEW. They will have parity with the existing membership, and exactly the same expert support, representation, and rights to vote and stand in elections. Nothing will be any different from any Special and an existing member.

“As volunteers though, we are keen to offer as much support as we can – especially for Specials who might not earn a lot in their day jobs or are struggling financially.”

Read the full blog.