FROM managing sporting events to going out on the beat with regular officers, the Special Police Constabulary is a unique brand of workers.

Volunteers who juggle the demands of day-to-day jobs away from policing, before committing to help full-time officers keep our communities safe, the Special Police work alongside neighbouring teams carrying out policing duties and developing links between organisations and local communities.

With Specials having to commit to a minimum of 16 hours a month, these hard-working people learn to juggle their two jobs along with social and family lives, and with more and more people in Gwent looking to join the police force in this capacity, the spotlight is firmly on those volunteers.

So how do you become a Special Police Constable?

One man who knows all about this is Richard Jones. A special constable for 13 years, Richard joined Gwent Police last year from the British Transport Police and has progressed to become Chief of Gwent Special Police.

Explaining the proud history of the Special Police, he says: “The office of Special Constable is unique. Its history precedes that of the paid police officer by hundreds of years.

“However it wasn’t until 1831 that the Special Constables Act was passed, which granted Special Constables all powers, authority and immunities of a serving constable.

“In that time the Special Constables have become valuable sources of support to the regular force, both in times of war and peace.”

Having been a member of the Special Police for over a decade, it is clear that Mr Jones is very passionate about the force, and as Chief of Gwent is excited at the number of people interested in volunteering.

Trained in such policing areas as law, powers of arrest and rights of suspects, the Special Police is open to everyone with few restrictions preventing people to join, as long as they are from the European Economic Area and do not work in similar occupations such as security officers or with the armed forces.

As Special Police officers, police work varies from small scale events to more serious matters, including cases like the recent closure of a Blackwood pub after police found what they thought were drugs present in the building.

“We had 12 or 15 special officers working in Blackwood last week with regular officers, and our officers were integrated in to the regular officer teams, and then a few days later we had officers down at the Big Cheese festival in Caerphilly”, said Mr Jones, who also works as a HR manager at Newport firm Abbeyfield.

It is this varying nature of incidents and events which the Specials cover, that make the force such an interesting proposition for many, and with training recently under way at Gwent Police’s headquarters at Turnpike Road in Cwmbran, new recruits are already being put through their paces under the watchful gaze of Chief Richard Jones.

With 20 new recruits starting in September, training is crucial in developing their skills before they begin the real work.

From the arduous physical training of Beep tests, new recruits are quickly put to the test to see whether they can manage in what is often a physically demanding job.

With these new recruits soon to officially start, the juggling of multiple jobs and social lives will begin.

“Our special officers are committed to serving a minimum of four hours a week, yet most of our officers do far more hours in excess of that as they are keen to work and help regular officers”, Mr Jones adds.

All of this voluntary work also throws up the question of how special officers manage in their full-time jobs?

Answering the question, Richard Jones says, “It does help if you have an understanding employer and some employers do sign up to the Employer Supported Policing scheme, where they allow workers days off for policing duties, but I think the difficulty is juggling family life and I think that is something Specials must consider before applying”.

Having been a Special Police Constable for 6 years, Gareth Owen is one of Gwent’s more experienced Specials.

“I joined the Gwent Special Police force because I wanted to serve my community and also gain an insight into the policing world”.

Mr Owen – who has been working as a Special Inspector for 14 months now – also went on to describe what it was like working as a Special.

“Serving the community as a Special is very rewarding as it’s great to give something back to the community. Also it is great to work in a team environment with the other specials and on occasions the regular police force”, Mr Owen added.

A new training system was recently brought in at the end of 2014, whereby new recruits get training, along with experience with regular officers doing operational hours.

Describing the new system, Mr Jones said: “New recruits are trained in their basic skills, before they go out with a regular officer as a mentor to complete some policing tasks, before they then return for some more training. As a result new recruits are consolidating what they have learnt, are getting experience and we are keeping recruits motivated as they are not bored by doing 6 months of training straight up.”

Through 13 years of working as a special constable, Richard Jones has done and seen it all.

From covering rugby match-days in Cardiff to driving through the Severn Tunnel on a quad bike at night, working for the British Transport Police, Mr Jones says: “I feel very lucky and privileged to have had the opportunity to manage and handle big events through my work as a Special Constable.”

So with more and more people signing up to become Specials, the people of Gwent can be safe in the knowledge that their communities are being even better protected.

For more information please visit http://corporate.gwent.police.uk/careers/specialconstable/