Volunteers’ Week: Member’s teenage work experience inspired him to become a Special Constable

5 June 2026

A work experience placement with West Mercia Police as a teenager planted the seed for Special Constable Leon Williams’s future in policing.

More than 30 years on, Leon has volunteered around 4,000 hours over the past five years supporting West Mercia Police, and has become a Federation rep to help his colleagues.

As West Mercia Police Federation marks Volunteers' Week (1-7 June), Leon reflected on the experiences that inspired him to give back to the community through being a Special.

Leon, 49, said: "I had thought about applying to join the police full-time when I was younger.

Special Constable Leon Williams

“I did work experience with the police when I was about 15 and it really interested me.

"An elderly lady who was living with dementia had gone missing and was later found wandering around Telford.

“One of the things that struck me the most was how the police were there to help her and reunite her with her family. I remember thinking how wonderful that was."

Although he considered a policing career, Leon has forged a career in the water industry with Severn Trent Water, where he has now spent 24 years.

Missing persons

When the time came for Leon to give back to his community, he joined West Mercia Search and Rescue, a Lowland Rescue team, in 2015. He continues to volunteer there as both a land search technician and a swift water and flood rescue technician.

Working with police search advisers (PolSAs) and other police officers on searches for high-risk missing persons reminded him of his experiences as a teenager that had first drawn him towards policing.

He said: “That rekindled my interest and I joined West Mercia Police as a Special.

"I wanted to continue to do something meaningful and rewarding in my additional free time, something where I could help people and make a difference, and that also interested me.

“It’s a mix of helping people and potentially working on something quite exciting at times.”

Six years on, Leon continues to dedicate significant amounts of his spare time to the role.

While Specials are required to volunteer a minimum of 16 hours each month, Leon regularly volunteers over 60 hours a month.

Volunteering

“I’m really happy to do it,” he said. “It feels like I’m able to help people and support fellow officers as well.”

Balancing volunteering with a full-time career can be challenging, but support from his employer has helped.

Severn Trent Water provides him with 10 days Employer Supported Policing (ESP) leave per year, giving him additional time to carry out his policing duties.

"It can be a bit of a juggling act sometimes, but my employer is really supportive and that makes a huge difference,” Leon said.

He added that one of the biggest attractions of being a Special Constable was the variety that every shift brings.

“You get to meet the public and you never quite know where your shift might take you,” he said.

“Some people ask me why don't you spend more time just relaxing, but for me it’s a positive shift of focus. It is a way of resetting.

Specials

“In my day job, working on a project, I can live in my head quite a lot and be overthinking things, but on a response shift, you're often going from job to job, and there’s an immediacy to it.

“I find that really enjoyable.”

Leon has also spent the past two years serving as a West Mercia Police Federation representative to help ensure that Specials have a voice.

But he has found that he is also providing help and advice to regular officers.

Leon said: “I thought it was something I could do to support other Specials and that it would be other Specials who approach me.

“I’ve been surprised that I’ve had regular officers, coming to me for help as well.

"I'm still finding my feet and learning all the time, but it's given me a really good insight into how the Federation works and another opportunity to help."

Diary

June 2026