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You may already have a career you love, yet you still seek a challenge or an opportunity to develop new skills. We can provide this opportunity if you can offer some spare time. If you can commit 16 hours a month and stay calm under pressure, we want to hear from you.
As volunteer police officers, special constables have full police powers, uniform and equipment, and work alongside full-time police officers and CSOs to keep Gwent safe.
We are holding a number of online recruitment events in 2022. If you’d like the opportunity to learn about the role of a Special Constable and ask questions to current Specials Constables, sign up by clicking here.
We are committed to achieving a workforce that is representative of the communities we serve. In doing so, we encourage individuals from our BAME, disabled and LGBT communities to consider future opportunities. For more information, please contact our positive action team.
Volunteers for the Special Constabulary come from a diverse range of backgrounds and communities. You may be at home, caring for family, or driving a career in a very different industry. The variety of experience held across the Special Constabulary supports the police service and aims to represent the communities they serve.
As a special constable, you will deal with a range of incidents. There will be times when you will experience confrontation; you will arrest suspects and attend distressing events. You will be there for people in need and make a valuable difference to the community of Gwent. You will receive a comprehensive training package that will give you a broad range of knowledge and skills.
Specials support the police to tackle crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour and to build relationships with communities. They usually volunteer around 16 hours of service per month, which are arranged flexibly, according to personal and work commitments.
Specials are supported by dedicated teams within each force, who will encourage volunteers to put in enough hours to ensure their confidence, skills and experience grows.
We welcome applications from people from all different backgrounds, cultures, religions, ages, gender and sexual orientation. However, there are some eligibility conditions that all applicants will need to meet, so you need to check that you meet our requirements before submitting an application:
Special constables do not get paid as they work on a voluntary basis. You will, however, be able to claim back out-of-pocket expenses. In addition, you will receive:
If you are successful in the recruitment process you will be asked to attend a modular training programme. This will start with training to learn the basics. Once you have passed the first exam you will be sworn in as a special constable. You will then leave training for a few weeks to perform duties alongside a mentor, completing a personal development plan as you go. This process is then repeated until you have passed all of the necessary elements required to become a special constable.
Further to your assessment centre, there are various in-force stages you will also be required to successfully complete:
Fitness test
Drugs and biometric testing
Vetting and references
Medical assessment
Due to the nature of police work, good health and fitness is paramount. However, applications are welcome from people with disabilities and every effort will be made to make reasonable adjustments if required. There are certain medical conditions and disorders that may have a detrimental effect on your ability to conduct the role effectively; each case will be considered carefully as part of the medical process.
The Home Office sets BMI standards for police officers. The current Home Office circular 59/2004 outlines this as between 18 and 32. Applicants who do not meet this standard may find their application delayed and / or will not be appointed.
Police Officer applicants with a BMI over 32 will not be considered fit unless their body fat percentage is less than 30% for men or 36% for women.
These pre-appointment checks can sometimes take between three and six months. Please be aware that you must attend any appointments in your own time, including your uniform fitting appointment.
Once you have completed all pre-employment checks, you will move to the next stage of the process.
For uniformed roles, you'll be allocated a place on the next available intake and allocated a uniform fitting appointment.
For staff roles, you will receive information about a start date, be provided with an offer letter, the terms and conditions applicable to the role and receive contact from your line manager.
Our equality and diversity objectives are enforced through an established Equality and Diversity Board. This demonstrates our commitment to ensuring we consistently treat our colleagues and public with fairness, dignity and respect.
Our employee assistance programme is provided by CareFirst, is free to all and available 24 hours a day all year round, providing confidential support for problems that can affect performance, health, and mental and emotional wellbeing.
We offer an Occupational Health and Welfare Unit to help maintain both your physical and psychological health while at work. The service is confidential and includes a counselling service.
The Occupational Health team aims to support attendance and effectiveness by working proactively to minimise health risks and to promote individual responsibility for health, fitness and wellbeing. You are also eligible for a free eye test.
There are many sports teams for you to join from running, hockey, fishing and football. There are also free gym facilities at a number of our sites.
There are a range of associations, networks and groups supporting our workforce and Gwent Police has a range of initiatives and schemes to help colleagues develop.
Our staff networks offer support and friendship to our officers, staff and the local community alike. They work to support and advise colleagues nationally and we are proud of the active part they play in influencing policing across the UK.
The networks and associations include:
Only Police Officers can join the Police Federation, if you opt to join the Police Federation, you can choose to join a life insurance scheme with awards payable to your spouse or partner, and to any dependents. In addition to accessing crucial illness and sickness cover, you can take out insurance, at a preferential rate, to cover any legal expenses connected to your job, and also benefit from the best rehabilitation facilities.