Becoming a special constable

A special constable is a volunteer police officer with the same legal powers as a regular constable, including the power to arrest. Specials wear the same uniform, go out on patrol, attend incidents and give evidence in court, but they are unpaid and fit duties around their main job or studies. Each force sets a minimum number of hours a month, and you join after a selection process and initial training broadly similar to regular officers’. Many regular constables started as specials.

What specials do

Specials mostly work on response and neighbourhood teams, alongside regular officers. A typical shift might include answering emergency calls, patrolling a town centre on a Friday night, dealing with shoplifters, assisting at road collisions or policing a local event. Experienced specials can work independently, and some forces have specials on roads policing, rural crime or marine units.

The work is real police work, with the same risks. You will deal with violence, drunkenness, distressing scenes and people who resent you being there. You are trained in personal safety and carry the equipment the force issues, but it takes more commitment than a casual hobby.

How many hours

Forces set their own minimum, usually expressed as a number of hours each month, and most specials do more than the minimum. Shifts can be on weekday evenings, weekends or days if you work part time. Many forces also ask specials to cover big events such as football matches, festivals and New Year’s Eve.

You can choose when to volunteer within the force’s rules, but training, refresher courses and fitness take up time too.

If you work for an employer that supports police volunteering, they may give paid or unpaid time off. There is no statutory right to time off for special constable duty. Employees in Great Britain do have a day-one right to request flexible working, and an employer must decide within 2 months and consult before refusing. Flexible working requests covers how to ask.

Joining

The process looks a lot like regular recruitment:

1. An online application with eligibility questions, including nationality and residence.
2. An assessment, often online, based on the Competency and Values Framework for policing, sometimes followed by an interview.
3. A fitness test, usually the same shuttle run regular officers do.
4. A medical, including eyesight and hearing standards.
5. Vetting and references, with biometric checks.

Eligibility rules on age, nationality and residence are broadly the same as for regular officers, and the force’s recruitment page lists them. Specials are not police employees, but vetting is just as thorough. A criminal record does not always rule you out, but you must declare it. Some jobs and some business interests are incompatible with being a special, for example certain roles in private security or licensed premises, and the force will ask about these.

The practical side deserves thought before you apply. Specials are expected to stay fit, be available for a minimum number of shifts and attend training, which can be hard to fit around shift work, young children or a demanding main job. Some employers are wary of staff being called to give evidence in court during working hours. Talking to your employer early saves surprises later, and many forces list employers who support specials with time off.

Training

New specials complete initial training before going out on patrol, usually spread over weekends or evenings so people with jobs can attend. It covers law, police powers, safety training, first aid and procedure. You are then attested as a constable and work with a tutor or experienced officer until you are signed off for independent patrol. The length and timetable vary by force, and many now link specials’ training to the same learning standards used for regular officers. Specials also do annual refresher training in personal safety and first aid to keep their authorisation to patrol.

What you get from it

Forces reimburse reasonable expenses for travel and meals while on duty, and supply uniform and kit. Some forces pay an allowance or run a council tax discount scheme for specials, though these vary and are not universal.

It is also a way to see policing from inside before deciding on a career. Experience as a special is useful evidence in an application for a regular constable post, and some forces give specials a faster or streamlined route into regular recruitment. Regular constables appointed since 2013 are paid between £32,255 and £52,015 from 1 September 2026; the routes are in how to become a police constable.

The PCSO job is the paid alternative in neighbourhood policing, without the warrant. For other ways to build up experience for public sector work, volunteering to get experience for public sector jobs lists more.

Scotland and Northern Ireland

Police Scotland has special constables with full powers and its own recruitment. The PSNI does not run a special constabulary in the same form; check its website for current volunteer roles.