Specials making a real difference to policing in the county

9 May 2025

At a time when the numbers nationally of special constables in policing are falling, Derbyshire Constabulary is bucking the trend.

The latest figures show that 512 specials left police forces in England and Wales in the 12 months to September 2024, a fall of 8.1 per cent.

But Derbyshire has put a real focus on its specials and recruited 13 more officers to the Special Constabulary in the same period – a 20 per cent increase.

Sergeant Mark Smith is Derbyshire Constabulary’s Special Constabulary co-ordinator and is the link between the Force and its Specials.

 

Sergeant Mark Smith.

 

We caught up with Mark to learn more about how the Force has changed its approach to the recruitment of volunteers.

Mark said: “We took our foot off the ball six or seven years ago with volunteer recruitment.

“Back then, there was limited recruitment strategy, the training was poor, there was no investment, and nobody was doing my role in Force.”

Mark was put in post in 2023 and inherited around 80 specials.

Strategy

He admitted that some were not really contributing to the Force, so he resigned a number in the first few months.

“At one point, we got as low as 53 Special Constables for a period over the summer of 2023,” he said.

“We were prepared to take that hit because we were trying to rebuild on concrete as opposed to sand.”

All of which has led to a change in the Force’s focus on Specials and how it invests in them.

A recruitment strategy was put in place with the ambitious aim of recruiting around 200 Special Constables, which would make them form 10 per cent of the Force’s total number of police officers.

Special Constables already received the same training and powers as full-time police officers, but to take it further, Derbyshire also gave Specials the same laptops, mobiles and personal issue kit.

Progression

To help with retention of the volunteers, it also invested in more opportunities for progression, such as the chance to gain Taser training should they want to.

Starting from this year, Derbyshire is giving blue light training to Special Constables, noting it was something the Force got a lot of questions about at recruitment events.

Mark continued: “It’s fantastic for our Specials, but it also shows the Force is investing in them and that it values the transferrable skills they bring.”

The Force is now also looking to offer training such as public order to it’s Special Constables, noting that it adds new avenues around how they deal with public order in Force, and how it can support mutual aid out of Force.

Mark said, “I did some mutual aid just before Christmas in London and it was refreshing to see two Specials there from Lincolnshire.

“They were all trained and fully integrated with the PCs, and that’s what we’re trying to achieve too.”

Special Constabulary

Derbyshire Constabulary’s Assistant Chief Constable Michelle Shooter, who was a Special Constable herself before joining the regulars, has played a key role in the turnaround in the Special Constabulary.

Derbyshire Police admits it is far from finished and has high hopes of continuing to achieve the best it can for its Special Constabulary.

In 2023, Derbyshire’s Specials volunteered 14,500 hours. Last year, with a similar number of Specials, they volunteered 19,500 hours – an increase of 5,000 hours.

Mark added: “As a team we feel that the number of hours our Specials have volunteered has increased due to the increased investment we’re giving to them. We’re working hard in showing all our volunteers how valued they are.

“On the frontline we’re also seeing a lot of positivity, with local inspectors now coming to us and asking us to get them as many Specials as possible. They see the benefit and value they bring to policing.”

READ MORE: Pay and Morale Survey makes for 'heartbreaking reading'.