Special Constable makes policing a family affair

19 August 2024

Already bustling with responsibility, the life of West Mercia Police Federation member Richard (Rich) Rawson grew even busier when he decided the time was right to make his long-standing ambition of joining the Police a reality in 2022.

Deep into a professional journey away from the Force, Rich was nevertheless determined to realise his aim and, undeterred by a delay in his recruitment, saw the sights he had set on the Special Constabulary through to completion in October of the same year.

He had finished his training as a Special Constable and was soon out on the streets of Shrewsbury as part of West Mercia Police’s response team for the town’s centre and its surrounding areas.

“I was fascinated by the Police from a young age. I watched The Bill and I wanted to have the skills and sense of duty of a policeman,” said Rich, 44.

“I actually applied to join as a regular officer in 2008 but I wasn’t successful, and I went into engineering instead. The desire to give it another go was there, but it’s not as simple as that when your career goes down a different path – that’s why it took 14 years to do so.

“I finally gave some proper thought to becoming a Special and I realised I could still get a good insight to policing, which is what I always wanted.”

Rich, who is currently a project manager for a global professional consultancy in his day job, usually dedicates either a Friday evening or a day at the weekend to his force, and sometimes even both.

Work-life balance

The voluntary cop explained how he negotiates a work-life balance: “As much as people might say you should switch off from work life when you get home, I’ve found that involving my family in my police commitments reminds me that I’m choosing to do it because I enjoy it.”

Dad to Finlay, nine, and Lula, five, Rich will regularly walk through his front door after work as a Special to his children wanting the details of a shift finished minutes earlier.

“It’s lovely that they have enthusiasm for their dad being a police officer. I actually broke the news I was becoming a cop by giving them a package I received from branch, full of police gear like handcuffs, a helmet and a jacket. I wanted them to open it like a birthday or Christmas present and they were over the moon when they realised what it meant.”

Furthermore, the 44-year-old discussed a second factor helpful in juggling his extra responsibility. He credited the support systems he has found within policing, both in the shape of force and federation, for his development as an officer so far.

“It’s a really decent team I work with. They welcomed me in from day one and made me feel like a regular officer.

“It’s important to have that sense of trust from your colleagues, especially when you’re going out on response and into the unknown. Sometimes you fear the worst and it turns out to be fine, and then sometimes it’s vice-versa.”

Rich added that despite being regarded as equivalent, it is the lesser demand to carry crimes and incidents over to the next shift that separates him from regular officers and allows him his respite.

Federation support

“It’s also good to know as a Special that the Federation have your back. It gives you that security to go out and do the best job possible knowing you have the same protection as everyone else,” he continued.

It is a combination of these elements that have given Rich a satisfaction with his professional life – like many other Special Constables, he has been able to sustain his existing line of work while forging a long-awaited career in the police.

As a parent of a young family, however, the father-of-two revealed the decision to join the Special Constabulary was an opportunity that may not have been around forever.

“That moment to become a police officer may have passed. You never know what could have changed in my life if I had put it off by even a couple of years.