Specials set to be welcomed to the Federation

22 March 2021

Humberside Special Constables should be able to become members of the Police Federation following the progress of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill last week.

The bill, which passed its second reading in the House of Commons on Tuesday (16 March), follows a decade of the Federation campaigning for Specials to have the right to become Federation members.

The chair of Humberside Police Federation, Pete Musgrave, described the bill as ‘a little bit of good news that will make a huge difference to our Special Constables’.

He said: “We have been fighting for this for our Specials for 10 years so we look forward to welcoming them as members and being able to formally represent them should they need us to.

“Special Constables volunteer their time to support policing and face the same risks and challenges while protecting communities that our regular officers face, including during the pandemic when their steadfast work was invaluable. Yet they have never been able to access the support of the Federation.

“The Government’s decision to now make this possible through this bill is a little bit of good news that will make a huge difference to Specials. It also shows that they are valued and respected members of our forces.”

Joining more than 130,000 regular constables, sergeants, inspectors and chief inspectors as Federation members, Specials will be able to receive support and advice from elected workplace reps and will also be able to call on expert advice and representation during performance and misconduct proceedings.

This will form part of the support package to ensure they know their rights and entitlements and means they will receive the right support if any workplace issues are encountered.

As Federation members, Specials will for also the first time be able to apply for legal assistance in criminal, conduct and civil cases as well as gaining access to Member Service offers.

The national Federation’s Special Constabulary lead Dave Bamber continued: ““Nobody has ever really fully represented the Special Constabulary regarding regulations or formal negotiations. Nobody has been on the side of Specials during conversations with key decision-makers - and now the Federation will be. It is a really proud moment for the Federation and a historic move.

“It is only right Specials receive the same legal protections, support with workplace grievances and negotiations over conditions as their regular counterparts.”

The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill is expected to continue to progress through Parliament before becoming law later this year.