Police volunteers to receive extended powers

Home Secretary Theresa May has announced that police volunteers are set to receive additional powers, aimed at helping police officers keep their communities in order.

Under previous regulations, volunteer special constables have held all the powers of a constable, where police support volunteers have held none. However, the reformed Policing and Crime Bill will enable volunteers to have powers without the need to become a special constable.

The new measures will include: enabling chief officers to designate a wider range of powers on police staff and volunteers; enabling volunteers to be designated with powers in the same way as staff; and abolishing the role of traffic warden under the Road Traffic Acts.

The changes are expected to allow volunteers and staff to work together more closely with officers, helping them to police communities more effectively. Furthermore, the reforms will bring in new skills and expertise to policing, freeing up police officers to concentrate on core policing tasks.

For example, Hampshire and Gloucestershire forces have launched a plot to attract volunteers with digital skills in order to support police digital investigations by providing technical expertise to the force’s cyber teams.

May said: “Police officers across the country carry out a wide range of duties, keeping the public safe and ensuring justice for the most vulnerable members of society. We value the essential role they play, but they cannot do this on their own.

“We want to help forces to create a more flexible workforce, bring in new skills and free up officers’ time to focus on the jobs only they can carry out.

“At the same time, we want to encourage those with skills in particular demand, such as those with specialist IT or accountancy skills, to work alongside police officers to investigate cyber or financial crime, and help officers and staff fight crime more widely."

Chief constable Dave Jones, National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Citizens in Policing, said: “The new approach to designating police powers will help the police service be more flexible when it comes to attracting and deploying volunteers with valuable skills, especially in situations where the full powers of a constable are not necessary.

“The onus on chief constables is to use the powers wisely, ensure they fit the needs of local policing and provide appropriate training so that they help us keep our communities safe.

“A new strategy for citizens in policing is being developed; as part of this we are seeking the views of all volunteers across the police forces of the UK, looking at their roles and experience in the past and planning for the future. The new powers will form part of this strategy and give us more opportunities to harness the great appetite for volunteering in the UK.”

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