Special Constabulary
The Special Constabulary is the part-time volunteer section of statutory police forces in the United Kingdom and some Crown dependencies.
Special constables might receive some expenses and allowances from the police service, including a £1,100 "recognition award" in Scotland and some forces in England, but their work is in the main voluntary and unpaid.
While the idea of a populace policing itself dates back to Anglo-Saxon times, with English common law requiring that all citizens have the legal obligation to come to the assistance of a police officer, it was not until 1673 that Charles II ruled that citizens may be temporarily sworn in as constables during times of public disorder.
This ruling was in response to rising public disorder relating to enforcement of religious conformity, and any citizen refusing to acknowledge the call would have been subject to fines and jail sentences.
[3] Public disorder of that nature was renewed during the industrial revolution in the 18th and 19th centuries, which was coupled with falling living standards and starvation[citation needed].
In 1819, mass meetings calling for parliamentary reform took place across England, including 60,000 demonstrators rioting in Manchester where a special constable was killed.
In 1831, Parliament passed "An act for amending the laws relative to the appointment of Special Constables, and for the better preservation of the Police".
[4] This Act, forming the basis of special-constable principles to the modern day, and in particular allowed the formation of special constables outside of times of unrest, if the regular police force was deemed to be too small in a particular area.
Specials were also granted full powers of arrest like their regular counterparts at this time, as well as weapons and equipment to carry out their duty.
The constabulary was redefined for the last time into the organisation which exists today by the Special Constables Act 1914 just after the outbreak of World War I, during which they safeguarded water supplies from German infiltrators.
During the Second World War, besides their normal duties, they were trained to deal with a range of eventualities such as first aid in case of injury, initial coordination of the security of aircraft crash sites, clearing people from the vicinity of unexploded bombs, handling of unignited incendiary bombs and checking compliance with lighting regulations.
[7] Special constabulary epaulettes frequently bear the letters "SC" (with or without a crown above) to differentiate them from regular officers.
Some forces also issue special constables with a different hat badge from that of their regular counterparts although this is now extremely rare.
The management task is to ensure there are enough working pooled radios available in a command area to meet any "surge" need.
[49] Whilst not lawfully excluded from doing so, specials do not carry firearms due to enhanced vetting and the training commitments required.
Depending on where they are attested, they have full police powers throughout one of three distinct legal systems - either England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.
While this event policing is the stereotypical image of a special constable, it only represents one of the wide range of duties undertaken.
[54] Many special constables have taken the opportunity to join specialist teams within their constabularies such as marine support, dog units and roads policing.
[57] A number of special constables are trained in public order duties, including policing of football matches and demonstrations.
[60] While this idea would have created a much safer environment for the Olympic celebrations, the plans came under fire from the police federation, which said that "volunteer special constables could drop out at the last minute, causing significant staffing problems".
In 2013, they were renamed in memory of Rt Hon Lord Ferrers, the former Home Office minister who created the awards in 1993.
