How to be a special constable

Special constables come from all walks of life and have to commit to volunteering for a certain number of hours a month. Generally they are unpaid, however their training and duties provide unique experiences, a sense of community involvement and new and valuable skills. Here Fiona outlines how she became a special constable and what the role involves.

If anybody had said to me two years ago that I would be spending some of my Friday nights breaking up fights and attending domestics, I would have just laughed. I was a 40-something mother of 10-year-old twins, with a day job as a freelance management trainer. But two years ago, I started wondering: in 10 years’ time would I regret not having done something else? When I was 18 I had wanted to be a police officer, but ended up working overseas. It all seemed impossible.

My best friends would have told anyone who listened how unfit I was and the shift system of a regular officer seemed to be too complex to juggle alongside my family life. I looked on the Thames Valley Police website and read about being a Special Constable. It seemed an ideal way of testing out a new role, gaining new skills and still being able to do my day job and look after a family.

I applied online and shortly after was invited to an assessment day, so I started to prepare. I was apprehensive about the maths as it had been a long time since I had had to do any timed maths questions, but the practice papers really helped. I arrived early on the day of the assessment and sat in the car park wondering what I had let myself in for. But I told myself that there was nothing worse than looking back and wondering “what if?” As it turned out the day was great fun.

There was a short maths paper, a dictation, a short, fairly informal interview and finally a couple of group exercises. I had thought that these were going to be difficult, but they were quite relaxed and on subjects that everyone can talk about.

When I found out that I had passed I was delighted, but equally terrified as it meant I then had to pass the fitness test. The fitness assessment day came a month after my assessment centre. For this I had to go down to Sulhamstead, the Thames Valley Police training centre. I needed to be able to pull and push 35 kilos, and reach level 5 on a bleep test. For somebody who had previously been very unfit, my first stop was to get to the gym and ask for a programme to help me achieve this.

Within a month I had became a lot fitter, and managed to pass the test. The great side effect of this has been to kick-start me into getting fit, which I have managed to keep up…although walking about on foot patrol for eight hours is also a fantastic way to keep fit!

The training took up eight weekends over the next four months. We had a general introduction weekend, three weekends on law, one on first aid; then came the two weekends on officer safety training which included getting a six-foot man in a padded suit down to the ground. The techniques that we were taught made me realise that I could do more than I thought I could! During the final weekend we did a number of highly realistic role plays and then came our attestation which my whole family attended.

My first shift was pretty nerve-wracking. As I walked into the station I glanced in the mirror and realised the officer in uniform was me! In the early days there was a great deal of support, and I was always crewed with an experienced officer, either another special or a regular officer. Each shift is different, and I am still learning and facing new situations. Being able to work flexible shifts is a great advantage when balancing family and work life. There are times when the children are at school and I can join neighbourhood officers during the day, or I can opt to work late night shifts. Sometimes when I have finished at four in the morning, and the children come and wake me at seven, I lie there wondering if I can get another 20-minute nap … but I wouldn’t change a thing. The skills and experiences I have gained over the last 18 months have given me more confidence and a totally new perspective on life. Some people ask me why I do this without getting paid, but I’m getting so much back I can’t believe I haven’t done it before.

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