Leicestershire Police says ‘thank you’ during National Volunteers Week

Leicestershire Police is taking the opportunity to say ‘thank you’ to their 800 volunteers this National Volunteers Week (1-7 June).

This year the force’s volunteers have collectively contributed an incredible 101,710 hours of their time to helping the force to keep the communities of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland safe.

Special constables, cadets and police support volunteers will come together in a host of activities throughout the week, including the fifth annual Volunteers in Policing Awards Night on Wednesday 5 June.

Chief Constable Simon Cole said: “The contribution made by our volunteers is incredible, and they’re all hugely inspiring individuals. They choose to give up their free time to come and help us, and it’s an honour to work alongside them and witness the impact of their generosity first-hand.

“We appreciate our volunteers every day, but National Volunteers Week gives us a chance to formally recognise all the excellent work they do. I look forward to celebrating with them at our Volunteers in Policing Awards Night on Wednesday.”

The awards ceremony will celebrate fantastic work of all of the Volunteers in Policing. Hundreds of volunteers will be recognised for donating their personal time to the force, and have been invited to attend the evening with their family and friends. There will be 20 awards presented and scores of certificates for long service and hour’s recognition.

The Police and Crime Commissioner, Lord Willy Bach, will join Chief Constable Simon Cole to enjoy the celebrations. Leicester City Football Club, Leicester Riders and De Montfort University are just some of the many local organisations that will be sponsoring various awards that will be presented during the night.

This weekend (1-2 June) Leicestershire’s Special Constabulary will also be celebrating National Specials Weekend. (link to Specials article)

Leicestershire Police’s 280 specials have volunteered more than 60,000 hours this year, which is an impressive average of 18 hours per officer per month. Volunteers Week will see the specials showcasing the diverse range of specialist roles they undertake, including knife crime operations, roads policing and an intelligence led crackdown on drink driving.

This year 165 people have joined the force as police support volunteers increasing the team to 236, and collectively they’ve volunteered 24,153 hours. New specialist roles have been created, such as support to the Management of Sexual Offenders and Violent Offenders (MOSOVO) team and supporting our economic crime unit.

During Volunteers week volunteers will have the opportunity to take part in a range of activities, including speed monitoring in areas where local residents have reported speed as an issue, and carrying out ‘home security visits’ to help homeowners protect their homes from burglary.  

The force’s Volunteer Police Cadet programme has grown from strength to strength, and 150 new recruits are set to join this September. A group of cadets have also completed their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Awards and will receive their certificates at the awards evening next Wednesday.

To keep up with the activities of our specials, volunteers and cadets during National Volunteers Week, please follow the following twitter accounts: @LeicsSpecials @LeicsVolunteers @LeicsCadets

Anyone interested in joining Leicestershire Police as a volunteer is encouraged to visit the website to find out further details and the relevant application form - https://www.leics.police.uk/police-forces/leicestershire-police/areas/leicestershire-force-content/careers/Join-us/