February 9, 2010
National Specials Weekend
National Specials Weekend took place this weekend with a huge total of 916 hours worked by Volunteer Officers in Bedfordshire.
Special Constables were involved right across county in the annual event which aims to raise the profile of Specials across the county.
They are drawn from all walks of life – some have full time jobs and fit volunteer policing in at the weekends, and some look after families and fit their Special role in around the kids.
Their role is to provide extra resources and resilience to policing. They wear the same uniform as regular officers and share the same powers. The only difference is they volunteer their services to work in their community for free for at least 16 hours a month.
Around 60 of these very Special people were on duty over the three days, with the theme for Bedfordshire being Education, Enforcement and Prevention on the roads.
Some of their activities included:
- Luton Road, Dunstable - Driving offences enforcement day on Friday involved Specials working with the regular Automatic Number Plate Recognition Team and other agencies including VOSA, HMRC and UK Border Agency.
- Specials helping the above operation by staffing the control room part of the operation.
- Vehicle crime prevention and defects advice given at supermarket car parks in Luton, Dunstable, Bedford, biggleswade, and Flitwick.
- Extra patrols at Luton Airport around the car parks and terminal to provide advice for motorists and deterrents against potential car crime.
- Nine arrests and 27 vehicle checks
Local MP Andrew Selous and Police Authority member Peter Hollick also visited the Specials while they were on patrol in various locations round the county.
“The event was a real success and were well supported by Specials and the public across the county. Hopefully we will be able to make our work with the regular officer in the Roads Policing Unit a monthly event which means that more dangerous vehicles and drivers will be taken off the public highway,” said Special Chief Supt Wayne Humberstone.
Safer Neighbourhood Officers, who work with Specials closely in the community, did their part too by staging a simultaneous “Operation CAPS” at Dunstable. CAPS is an on-going scheme where police will fit tamper proof screws to number plates to prevent them being stolen and used in crime and fraud. A record number (sixty) were fitted by the SNT on Friday.
Bedfordshire is actively recruiting Special Constables at the moment and you can find out more by visiting our website www.bedfordshire.police.uk, or call 0800 5870111 to find out when the next of our regular information evenings is.
There’s a comprehensive training programme for those who are successful in their application to join the force and some employers give time off for performing this valuable public duty.
