Residents volunteer over 10,000 hours as special constables with Bedfordshire Police

Since the beginning of this year, people have volunteered more than 10,000 hours as special constables with Bedfordshire Police.

Special constables are members of the public who volunteer in their spare time as a warranted police officer. They wear the same uniform, have the same powers and work alongside regular officers.

More than 6,500 hours were spent patrolling Bedfordshire streets with the specials also completing 1,372 duties which included making 33 arrests.

Chief Inspector Mark Farrant, who heads up Bedfordshire Police’s special constabulary, said: “Special constables are a vital resource for the force and we can’t thank our volunteers enough. Their support hasn’t wavered in the past year with all the new challenges we are facing and we are very grateful for all their hard work.

“Our specials make a huge impact on our policing teams and really make a difference to our officers and the community.”

Bedfordshire Police’s special constables work in airport policing, community teams and response units.

Special constables start their time at Bedfordshire Police with training sessions during evenings and weekends. Once they pass training and gain their warrant cards, specials move on to response teams.

Visit here to find out more about being a special constable.