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Police Special Recruitment, Jobs As Police Specials

Police Special Recruitment - Jobs At Police Special

The Special Constabulary is a force of trained volunteers who work with and support their local police force. There are around 330 Specials in Kent.

'Specials'come from all walks of life- they are teachers, taxi drivers, accountants and secretaries- and they all volunteer a minimum of four hours a week to their local police forces,forming a vital link between the regular (full-time) police and the local community.

At first,they are asked to spend some weekends training. Later they will take part in regular evening and update sessions working through the national training curricula.

Once they have completed their training, they have the same powers as a regular officer and wear a similar uniform.

Kent is one of a few forces that use Special Constables in parish constable roles. This position involves working in a small area among tight-knit communities.

In most forces Specials carry identical kit (baton, handcuffs, CS spray, etc.) to their regular colleagues and are provided with access to safety equipment including stab vests. Different forces carry varying equipment - for example, some use a side-handled baton while others use the extending "ASP" baton.

Specials come from all walks of life and usually no formal qualifications are required. You need to be a European Economic Area citizen (or have unrestricted right to remain in the country), and you must be at least 18 years and 3 months, or under 50 at the time of application (this upper age limit seems to vary between forces, so check with your chosen police force).

Potential specials need to have reasonable reading and writing skills, and of course must be law abiding, respectful of others and community focused. A healthy dose of common sense is very much called for too! See our recruitment information page for more details.

More details about becoming a 'Special', Kent Police Jobs, emergency service jobs.