Could you do something special?
Special Constables are volunteer police officers who work in some of the most important areas of policing and help us create a safe and confident Staffordshire.
Being a Special Constable is a great opportunity for you to do something special for you and your community. Being a Special Constable means you will be on the frontline, making a valuable contribution to our communities, working alongside police officers, PCSOs and police staff in operational policing.
Special Constables are given the same powers, uniform and equipment as police officers as they are doing the same job and making a difference in our communities. This is an extremely rewarding role with a variety of responsibilities such as:
- Ensuring public safety
- Community engagement
- Preventing and tackling crime
- Investigating crime
Special Constables are asked to volunteer a minimum of 16 hours a month. However, you can volunteer your hours around your day-to-day life, whether that be around your career, hobbies or childcare – this role has the flexibility to suit your lifestyle.
Staffordshire Police are fully committed to supporting equality and diversity and aims to recruit a workforce that is representative of the communities we serve.
How to become a Special Constable
Skills and experience
We need people who are:
- Good at communicating
- Working as part of a team
- Able to take the initiative to resolve issues
- Good at dealing with unpredictable situations in a calm and decisive manner
- Good at decision making and time management
- Community-focused and keen to make a positive contribution.
Eligibility
There are some minimum entry requirements you need in order to apply such as:
- Age 18-years-old or over
- English and Mathematics qualification
- Good physical health
You can find out more about the recruitment process on our eligibility page.
Benefits to being a Special Constable
- Develop new skills whilst being free to continue your career or other commitments
- Meet new people and work as a team
- Get involved in new experiences
- Protect and help people in our communities
- Work with specialist teams such as road policing, public order and intelligence
Training and development
Special Constables receive full training which help them complete their duties efficiently, effectively and safely.
The training programme will help you gain a level of knowledge the law and policies and procedures as well as the skills and confidence to handle a range of situations. Training will take place over nine weekends and includes:
- Personal Safety Training
- First Aid Training
- The powers of arrest, search and enter
- Stop and Search Procedure
- Airwave radio
- Body worn video
- Public order
- Criminal damage
- Domestic violence
- Drugs
- Theft
- Custody
- Evidence preparation
- All force IT systems
Take a look at what our specials have been up to this month:
Number of active officers is just over
130
36,754
hours were volunteered between March 2023 and March 2024
198
arrests made
696
anti-social behaviours attended
121
stop and searches complete
277
road traffic collisions attended
1,008
concerns for safety attended
Frequently asked questions
A Special Constable is a part time, voluntary Police Officer who works in some of the most important areas of modern policing.
As a fully trained Special Constable, you will have full police powers, wear a police uniform and work alongside regular police officers and police staff to reduce crime, help communities and provide investigative assistance.
Special Constables do everything regular Police Constables do.
Duties vary day-by-day. They can include: responding to incidents, foot patrols, tackling anti-social behavior, assisting on operations, house-to-house enquiries, providing security at events, engaging with local communities and much more.
Special Constables receive high quality training to ensure they are equipped and have all of the necessary skills to perform their duties.
Yes.
PCSOs are salaried uniformed civilian members of police support staff who are employed to work alongside Police Officers.
Special Constables are fully warranted Police Officers who give their time voluntarily to work for the Police.
Yes. You must be 18 to become a Special Constable.
No. Providing you pass our recruitment process, which includes a medical and fitness check.
You don’t need any specific qualifications to apply for this role, instead, we are looking for people with relevant skills and experience to confidently work in local communities on a voluntary basis.
No. The role of Special Constable is voluntary. However, we will cover your travel expenses when travelling to and from shifts (from within the county).
Aside from being one of the most exciting voluntary opportunities available, you will also enjoy benefits from being part of Staffordshire Police including: thousands of pounds worth of training invested in you; ongoing training and development; full uniform and kit the same as a Regular Officer; a career-voluntary opportunity; the chance to specialise in specific areas of policing; and much more!
As a Special Constable you are required to conduct a minimum of 16 hours per month. Many of our Special Constabulary enjoy their duties so much that they volunteer to do many more hours than the minimum. But there is no expectation for this, we are extremely flexible!
No. This is a voluntary role and there is no minimum length of time required. We’re confident that you will enjoy the role of Special Constable, however if you don’t, then you can resign at any time. So if it sounds like the role for you, it really is worth giving it a go!
Please see the eligibility section of our website.
Whilst there are no guarantees, the experience and exposure of being a Special Constable will certainly give you great insight and understanding into what a career as a Police Officer might look like. Many of our Special Constables go on to become regular, fulltime officers and we are always willing to support anyone that wishes to move on.
Applications open
Applications for Special Constables is now open. Visit our current vacancies to apply.
We’re also hosting a number of familarisation events at Headquarters throughout the year for you to find out more about being a Special Constable, the recruitment process and to have your questions answered. Register your interest below: