Chair welcomes Specials move

10 February 2022

West Midlands Police Federation is looking forward to welcoming Special Constables for the first time when the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill passes into law in the coming months. 

The historic move means Specials, who serve alongside regular officers and often face the same issues, will soon be allowed access to the support and backing of the Police Federation.

The law-change giving Specials the right to join the organisation has been welcomed by branch chair Rich Cooke.

He said: “Specials really are worth their weight in gold, especially when they are integrated with regular officers and not left to work in isolation.

“The breadth of experience and knowledge they can bring is extraordinary and their importance to policing cannot be overstated.

“I worked with a Special Constable on my last team and he was a paramedic in his day job. His presence gave a real boost to the team and the first aid knowledge he passed onto us was phenomenal.”

New figures show Specials volunteered more than 87,000 hours with West Midlands Police last year.

The group of just over 300 Specials covered 15,200 duties throughout 2021 as they worked alongside a wide number of police teams.

This ranged from response to neighbourhood teams, to roads policing to Force CID as they carried out similar roles to our regular officers. 

Assistant Chief Constable Richard Baker said: “This is a phenomenal effort by our Specials who are a crucial part of West Midlands Police.

“They give up their time to help and protect others by working alongside regular officers to tackle crime and make our communities safer.

“They’ve been prepared to put themselves on the frontline during the pandemic which is testament to their commitment. We’re fortunate and grateful to have  so many such fantastic people.”