Federation chair welcomes latest cohort of Specials

10 February 2023

Gwent Police Federation chair Matthew Candy said he was looking forward to working with the seven new Special Constables who have made their oath to the King and joined the Force.

The new recruits, who will be supporting policing teams across the county, were formally welcomed by Chief Constable Pam Kelly and senior officers.  

Specials have been allowed to join the Police Federation since last July under new laws set out in the  Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022. 

As members, they have access to Police Federation services and the support of trained and accredited workplace reps, legal service providers and other experts who have experience in representing officers. 

They will also have access to many other benefits provided locally and nationally by the Police Federation’s network across England and Wales.

Matthew said: “We’d like to extend a warm welcome to the new Special Constables that have joined Gwent Police and look forward to working with them in the future.

“Specials are volunteers who give up their time for free to protect their communities and they  have always been very important members of the policing family.

“They have a long and rich history of service within society and bring their own unique set of life skills into policing.

“They are very much appreciated by regular police officers and members of the public for the amazing work they do and we were very pleased when the law was changed to allow them to join the Police Federation.

“It is only right that they have the same protection, support, and experience as their full-time colleagues when they need it.” 

The Special Constabulary was formed in 1831 and in 2020 volunteered three million hours for free.