Release your potential
The Special Constabulary, or 'Specials' as they are often referred to, has been around for around 177 years working with, and supporting regular police officers.
Each of the 43 police forces in England and Wales has its own Special Constabulary with over 14,000 Specials volunteering for duty and giving at least four hours of their time a week.
Members of the Special Constabulary are just that - special people who want to put something back into the communities where they live and work.
Specials have the same powers as regular officers, wear the same uniform and receive full training in the many aspects of police work including powers of arrest, preparing evidence for court and self defence.
Special constables come from a variety of backgrounds including teachers, students, engineers, builders, and accountants, they may be bringing up a family, between jobs or retired. Hours are flexible but we ask that Specials offer their time for at least four hours a week on average.
For those considering volunteering for the Special Constabulary, no formal qualifications are required to join but we ask that you have good spoken and written English, reasonable numeracy skills, honesty and integrity, a sense of humour and the ability to cope with the unexpected.
Initial training is at weekends and includes training in law and police powers, evidence and procedure and officer protection. Once the classroom phase is complete your training will move out into the communities where you will work with an experienced constable.
How to find out more
Leicestershire Constabulary holds regular seminars for people interested in joining the specials.
They include presentations and discussions on the role of the volunteer constable, training, duties and responsibilities. It is an ideal opportunity to meet with people who want to make a positive difference.
You can look on the diary dates section of this website for news of special recruiting events, where you can find out first hand what it's like to be a member of Leicestershire's Special Constabulary.
If you are interested in attending one of the seminars, you can contact the Recruiting Team on 101 ext. 2657.
Special Constables recruiting information seminars
We would prefer candidates to initially attend a recruiting seminar before submitting their application form to ensure they have a full understanding of the recruiting process, the role and the responsibilities of a Special Constable.
How ever if you feel you are ready to apply and you meet all of the eligibility criteria then you can download an application form here.