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The Special Constabulary is the part-time volunteer section of a statutory police force in the United Kingdom or some Crown dependencies. Its officers are known as Special Constables or informally as Specials. The Statute of Grand Duchy of Lithuania A statute is a formal, written law of a country or state, written and enacted by its legislative authority, perhaps to then be ratified by the highest executive in the government, and finally published. ...
Crown dependencies are possessions of the British Crown, as opposed to overseas territories or colonies of the United Kingdom. ...
Every United Kingdom territorial police force has a special constabulary except the Police Service of Northern Ireland, which has a Reserve instead. The British Transport Police (a "special police force") also has a special constabulary. In the Crown dependencies, the Isle of Man Constabulary and the States of Guernsey Police Service also have Special Constabularies, but the States of Jersey Police does not. The phrase Territorial Police Force varies in precise meaning according to the country to which it is related, generally distinguishing a force whose area of responsibility is defined by sub-national boundaries from others which deal with the entire country or a restricted range of crime. ...
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (Irish: SeirbhÃs PóilÃneachta Thuaisceart na hÉireann) is the police service that covers Northern Ireland. ...
The British Transport Police (BTP) is a non-Home Office national police service responsible for policing the railway system throughout Great Britain. ...
A Special Police Force is a designation used in various countries for differing purposes. ...
The Isle of Man Constabulary is the organisation responsible for policing the Isle of Man, an island of 70,000 situated equidistant of Ireland, Wales, Scotland and England. ...
The States of Guernsey Police Service was formed in 1915. ...
The States of Jersey Police is the professional police service of Jersey. ...
The strength of the special constabulary during 2005 in England and Wales was 13,000[1]. Special Constables are not the same as Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs), who are employed by police forces to provide operational support to regular officers, but with no powers of arrest. Special Constables usually work for a minimum of 16 hours per month (or 200 per year), although many do considerably more. Special Constables might receive some expenses and allowances from the police service, including a £1000 "recognition award" in Scotland, and some forces in England, but their work is otherwise voluntary and unpaid. A Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) is a uniformed civilian working with the police in England and Wales. ...
Special Constables have identical powers to their regular (full-time) colleagues and work alongside regular police officers, but most Special Constabularies in England and Wales have their own organisational structure and grading system, which varies from force to force; Special Constabularies are headed by a Commandant or Chief Officer, who are themselves Special Constables. Within Scotland, a number of forces in England and Wales, and the British Transport Police, Special Constables have no separate administrative structure and no grading system. Most of the police forces of the United Kingdom use a standard set of ranks, shown here in descending seniority from left to right. ...
History
While the idea of a populace policing itself dates back to Anglo-Saxon times, with English Common Law requiring that all citizens have the legal obligation to come to the assistance of a police officer, it was not until 1673, when Charles II ruled that citizens may be temporarily sworn in as constables during times of public disorder. This ruling was in response to rising public disorder relating to enforcement of religious conformity, and any citizen refusing to acknowledge the call would have been subject to fines and jail sentences. The 1673 act was enforced for centuries after, mainly used to call up constables in the north of England. [2] The famous parade helmet found at Sutton Hoo, probably belonging to King Raedwald of East Anglia circa 625. ...
1673 (MDCLXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ...
The name Charles II is used to refer to numerous persons in history: Kings Charles the Fat (also known as Charles II of France and Charles III of the Holy Roman Empire) Charles II of England Charles II of Naples Charles II of Navarre Charles II of Romania Charles II...
Public disorder of that nature was renewed during the industrial revolution in the 18th and 19th centuries, which was coupled with falling living standards and starvation. In 1819, mass meetings calling for Parliamentary reform took place across England, including 60'000 demonstrators rioting in Manchester where a special constable was killed. In light of these events, in 1820, an act was passed allowing magistrates to recruit men for the special constables. 1819 common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...
This article is becoming very long. ...
1820 was a leap year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...
In 1831, Parliament passed "An act for amending the laws relative to the appointment of Special Constables, and for the better preservation of the Police"[2]. This act, forming the basis of special constable principles to the modern day, and in particular allowed the formation of special constables outside of times of unrest, if the regular police force was deemed to be too small in a particular area. Specials were also granted full arresting powers like their regular counterparts at this time, as well as weapons and equipment to carry out their duty.
A further act in 1835 redefined the Special Constabulary as a volunteer organisation, and expanded its jurisdiction. The Constabulary was redefined for the last time into the organisation which exists today during World War I, where they were instructed to safeguard water supplies from German infiltrators. Combatants Allied Powers: Russian Empire France British Empire Italy United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary German Empire Ottoman Empire Bulgaria Commanders Nikolay II Aleksey Brusilov Georges Clemenceau Joseph Joffre Ferdinand Foch Robert Nivelle Herbert H. Asquith D. Lloyd George Sir Douglas Haig Sir John Jellicoe Victor Emmanuel III Luigi Cadorna...
Uniform and insignia Special Constables generally wear identical uniforms to their regular colleagues. In some constabularies, their shoulder number may be prefixed with a certain digit or they may have additional insignia on their epaulettes which is usually a crown with the letters SC underneath it (although some forces just use the letters). Formerly, male special constables in English and Welsh forces did not wear helmets while on foot patrol but wore patrol caps instead, but in most forces they now do wear helmets. Some forces also issue special constables with a different hat badge from that of their regular counterparts although this is now extremely rare. Epaulette pronunciation: Ä•p-Ç-lÄ•t, a French word meaning little shoulders (epaule, referring to shoulder), originally meant only one type of ornamental shoulder piece or decoration used as insignia or rank by military or other organizations. ...
Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification - by Athelstan AD 927 Area - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK) 50,346 sq mi Population - 2006 est. ...
This article is about the country. ...
Equipment Special Constables all carry the same personal protective equipment (PPE) as their regular counterparts, such as handcuffs, batons, incapacitant spray (CS spray, Pepper spray, or in some forces a solution called PAVA) and protective vests. The issuing of equipment varies from force to force with financial factors being the main reason behind the differences. In some forces protective vests, or body armour, may be personally issued to an officer, made to measure, however many other forces cannot afford this practice and instead the use of pool sets is prevalent. The same practice is also seen with regard to radios: although many forces provide Special Constables with personal radios that they keep in their locker, other forces may only have pool sets. Hiatts Speedcuffs in holster, as used by UK police A model wearing handcuffs, waist chain, and thumbcuffs Old handcuffs Handcuffs are restraints designed to secure an individuals wrists close together. ...
A club, cudgel, truncheon, night stick, or bludgeon is among the simplest of all weapons. ...
CS gas (commonly called tear gas), or chlorobenzylidene malonitrile, is a usually non-lethal riot control agent. ...
This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...
Powers and jurisdiction Whether on or off duty, Special Constables in England and Wales have the same powers and responsibilities as their regular colleagues. In Scotland, Special Constables are "members of a police force" as defined by the Police Scotland (Act) 1967 and have full powers on or off duty throughout Scotland.[3]
Special Constables attested in England & Wales now have jurisdiction throughout England & Wales, in the same way as their regular counterparts. Prior to April 1st 2007 they only had jurisdiction within their force area and any adjacent force areas.
Duties As well as patrol duties, specials often police events such as sports matches, carnivals, parades and fêtes. While this event policing is the stereotypical image of a Special Constable, it only represents one of the wide range of duties undertaken. Many police Forces in England and Wales have introduced Neighbourhood Policing Teams and the Special Constabulary has been incorporated into this concept[4]. Fête is a French word meaning festival or holiday, which has passed into English as a label that may be given to certain events. ...
The City of London Police recruits accountancy specialists to work directly for its Fraud Squad. City of London Police The biggest Fraud squad is run by the City of London Police who are responsible for policing Londons and the UKs main financial hub. ...
Special operations Many Special Constables have taken the opportunity to join specialist teams within their constabularies such as marine support, dog units and roads policing. Warwickshire Police[5] has for a number of years training some of its Specials to work with the Road Policing Unit, including response driving; this has been expanded and some Specials are now working with the force's Criminal Intercept Team[6]. Warwickshire Police is the police force which polices Warwickshire in England. ...
Hertfordshire Constabulary RPU Vauxhall Monterey // Road Policing Unit is the modern term for the Traffic Department of UK Police Forces/Services. ...
In 1995, SCs from Cheshire Police assisted officers from the Ministry of Defence Police with a surveillance operation at the former Royal Ordnance Factory at Radway Green near Crewe[7]. Cheshire Constabulary is the Police force covering the English county of Cheshire and the independent areas of Runcorn, Widnes and Warrington. ...
The Ministry of Defence Police (or MOD Police; MDP) is a non-Home Office police force in the United Kingdom. ...
Royal Ordnance Factories (ROFs) was the collective name of the UK governments munitions factories in and after World War II. Until privatisation in 1987 they were the responsibility of the Ministry of Supply and later the Ministry of Defence. ...
Map sources for Crewe at grid reference SJ705557 Crewe is a town in south Cheshire, in the north west of England. ...
Public order As with their full-time counterparts, many Special Constables are trained in public order duties, including policing of football matches and demonstrations. In West Yorkshire Police, 24 Specials have received Level 2 PSU - Police Support Unit training, and have become part of the 'Operation Target' team. [8] Operation Target has now disbanned, but West Yorkshire Police have kept the service of the specials in there own Operational Support Unit. West Yorkshire Police is the police force covering West Yorkshire in the United Kingdom. ...
A Police Support Unit or PSU is a group of police officers working in a section or serial with specialist training and skills in public order duties and offences. ...
West Yorkshire Police is the police force covering West Yorkshire in the United Kingdom. ...
Acceptance Historically, Special Constables were often looked down upon by regular officers and resented, as they were sometimes seen as 'hobby bobbies' and not proper police officers, and were often considered to be preventing 'real' regular officers from earning overtime pay. Nowadays, they now have a much closer relationship with the regular police (many regular officers now having started their police careers as Specials) and are a supplement to understaffed police forces [9]. Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours; these may be determined in several ways, by custom (what is considered healthy or reasonable by society), by practices of a given trade or profession, by legislation, or by agreement between employers and workers or their representatives. ...
A sizeable proportion of regular officers have served as Special Constables before joining the regular force, which is encouraged by recruitment departments. Most police forces will appoint Special Constables from the age of 18½ at the time of acceptance onto the training course.
Allowing Special Constable to be paid for their work has been a historical issue, with mixed comments from all sides, with some people thinking that as specials are doing much the same job as regular officers they should be paid the same, but others thinking that this would attract the 'wrong' type of person (those motivated by monetary gain as opposed to those who are community minded).
See also // The Auxiliary Constable performs a similar role to their UK counterpart in the Special Constabulary. ...
A CISCO Security auxiliary police officer stands guard beside an armoured truck while his colleagues deliver high-valued goods to and from commercial clients at Raffles Place, Singapore. ...
The British police are a group of similar but independent police services which operate in the United Kingdom. ...
A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. ...
The Hong Kong Auxiliary Police Force (HKAPF), established in 1914, provides additional manpower to the Hong Kong Police Force during emergencies and other incidents. ...
The MASHAZ המשמר האזרחי (Ha-Mishmar ha-Ezrachi) is the Israeli Civilian Guard. ...
Metropolitan Police redirects here. ...
A Police Support Unit or PSU is a group of police officers working in a section or serial with specialist training and skills in public order duties and offences. ...
The Jurong Police Division Headquarters at Jurong West Avenue 5. ...
The Special Constabulary is the auxiliary wing of the British police. ...
Special police is a term which can mean a number of things in different countries. ...
Most of the police forces of the United Kingdom use a standard set of ranks, shown here in descending seniority from left to right. ...
Please wikify (format) this article as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ...
References - ^ Peter Fahy, ACPO lead on the Special Constabulary & Chief Constable of Cheshire Police, Specials Magazine (Autumn 2005)
- ^ a b Police Specials website: history (accessed 03 Nov 2006)
- ^ Scottish Statue Law (accessed 26/03/07)
- ^ Commitment to the Community, 'Specials' Magazine published by Story worldwide for the Home Office (Summer 2006)
- ^ Special Beat
- ^ Specials magazine Autumn 2006
- ^ Special Beat magazine (produced on behalf of the Home Office for Special Constabulary members in England & Wales), no longer in print
- ^ Specials magazine Autumn 2005
- ^ Operational officer
External links - Community site for Special Constables
- Home Office Special Constabulary website
- The British Transport Police Special Constabulary website
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