Information about the role of a special constable, including the role purpose, key responsibilities and the skills required.
About the role
A special constable is a core position within policing. It's a service deliverer role in the policing professional profiles. The special constable core rank profile outlines the basic requirements of the role.
Role purpose
This role carries the same legal powers as a police constable.
Special constables volunteer across policing and the criminal justice system. They work in partnership with local communities, stakeholders and colleagues to promote law and order, reduce the fear of crime, provide reassurance and build confidence to improve the quality of life for citizens.
Special constables can operate at different levels of autonomy. They are responsible for making decisions in accordance with the national decision model and Code of Ethics, and exercising professional discretion, as appropriate to the role, in line with legal frameworks and policy guidelines.
Special constables are required to meet and maintain the highest professional standards required of their role, by conducting all actions in a legal, balanced, proportionate and justifiable manner, to uphold the law and achieve the best outcomes in a wide range of situations/incidents.
Key responsibilities
Key responsibility statements show the accountabilities for someone in this role. They focus on what is done, not how it is done.
- Providing appropriate initial and ongoing response to a wide range of incidents that include complex and confrontational situations, assessing immediate risk, threat and harm to determine a proportionate response in line with the law, policy and guidance.
- Assisting police colleagues in working constructively with neighbourhoods/communities and partners to deliver an effective approach to preventing and addressing vulnerability and crime in line with the force's planned approach.
- Effectively engaging with victims, witnesses, suspects and the vulnerable, in accordance with equality, diversity and human rights considerations, to provide initial support, direct towards relevant services, establish relationships and gather information that prevents and reduces crimes.
- Maintaining awareness of potential and actual risks to individuals, taking appropriate action to protect and support those in need of public protection to pre-empt or effectively address safety/vulnerability issues.
- Making an effective contribution to investigations as requested, in line with the standards of investigation, to inform the development of high-quality case files and initiation of criminal justice proceedings.
- Gathering and handling information, intelligence and evidence, from a variety of sources, in line with legislation, policies and guidance. Taking the appropriate action to support investigations, law enforcement and criminal justice proceedings.
- Interviewing victims, witnesses and suspects in relation to crimes and investigations according to training levels achieved. Gathering information relevant to policing objectives.
- Helping to improve policing by applying critical thinking and problem-solving methodologies to identify solutions to problems. Applying evidence of what works and supporting evidence-based policing within area of work.
- Working effectively as part of a team, role modelling leadership skills and good practice. Demonstrating fairness, respect, integrity and accountability. Challenging unprofessional attitudes and actions, using feedback and self-reflection to develop skills and performance.
- Taking responsibility for actively engaging in continuing professional development. Reflecting on own learning and development, performance and aspirations. Seeking support from line manager, and others, through regular conversations, to enhance own professional development and maintain high performance.
Competencies, values and core skills
The competency and values framework (CVF) provides clear expectations for everyone working in policing. It describes the behaviours required by police officers and staff to be effective in their roles and uphold the Code of Ethics for policing.
Competencies
The CVF has six competencies, which are split into levels. These levels can be used flexibly to allow for a better fit with frontline and non-frontline policing roles, and at different levels of seniority. This ensures that there is consistency throughout all the policing professional profiles. Some roles may contain different CVF levels due to the specialist nature of the role. Those working at higher levels should also fulfil the requirements of the lower levels.
This role should be operating at or working towards the following competencies.
- We are emotionally aware – Level 1: practitioner
- We take ownership – Level 1: practitioner
- We collaborate – Level 1: practitioner
- We support and inspire – Level 1: practitioner
- We analyse critically – Level 1: practitioner
- We are innovative and open-minded – Level 1: practitioner
Values
The CVF has three values that apply to everyone in policing, regardless of their role or seniority.
Core skills
All roles in policing have nine core skills in common. These are split into levels that represent the different levels of policing. This role should be operating at or working towards the following core skills.
- Communicating and influencing – Level 1
- Problem solving – Level 1
- Performance management – Level 1
- Relationship management – Level 1
- Change management – Level 1
- Managing people – Level 1
- Managing resources – Level 1
- Planning – Level 1
- Use of IT – Level 1
Education, qualifications and experience
In-role education, qualifications and experience
The College of Policing has developed the special constabulary learning programme (SCLP) to support forces in the development, monitoring and progression of special constable (SC) learning over a period of time. Forces are recommended to incorporate this learning into their local processes, adding consistency and transferability of skills and learning across the special constabulary.
The SCLP learning is divided into five key stages. These stages are:
Phase one learning
To be completed on entry along with public and personal safety training (PPST), prior to moving to the accompanied patrol stage.
Accompanied patrol status (APS)
The SC is deployed to the operational workplace (the public arena), during which time they will be required to demonstrate basic operational skills of the SC role. The SC will always be accompanied by an experienced officer (either a police constable (PC) who has achieved independent patrol status (IPS) or a qualified special constable (QSC)).
Directed patrol status (DPS)
The SC has demonstrated sufficient competence in role (and associated evidence collated in their operational competence portfolio (OCP)) during the accompanied patrol phase. This evidence should be formally assessed by the tutor, signifying that the SC is able to function with some degree of independence, safely and lawfully in the workplace, under supervision. Achievement of DPS is the ‘progression gateway’ into the phase two learning element of the programme. The responsibility of confirming that the SC has achieved an appropriate level of professional development to justify confirmation of DPS rests with the force.
Phase two learning
During this phase, learners will undertake more advanced learning across all core areas of professional practice, equivalent to IPS through the police constable entry routes.
As with the previous phase one learning, appropriate assessment of the underpinning knowledge in phase two should be undertaken prior to the learner applying this learning in the operational workplace.
Qualified special constable (QSC)
Once the learner has successfully achieved phase two learning and associated knowledge based assessments they will progress to demonstrate full independent competence through work-based assessment against the QSC assessment criteria. On successful completion of their associated work-based assessment, and appropriate evidence collated in their OCP, the learner will become a QSC.
QSC is the end point of formal special constable learning and assessment. To achieve parity with IPS in the police constable entry routes (PCER), the SC must complete the learning and work-based assessment from all phases.
It is estimated that on average, SCs would be able to achieve full QSC in approximately two years following DPS.
The responsibility of confirming that the SC has achieved an appropriate level of professional development to justify confirmation of APS, DPS and QSC rests with the force.
Forces should refer to the SCLP for further information on the learning and experience requirements for each stage.
Continuing professional development
Continuing professional development (CPD) enables everyone in policing to develop and gain recognition for their professional skills, knowledge and competence. CPD ensures that we continue to provide high-quality policing to keep the public safe and help to drive career aspirations. Discussion of CPD is usually included as part of professional development review (PDR) conversations.
Learning and accreditation
- Complete all core training and learning required by the force.
- Any exemptions to learning and accreditation requirements are at chief constable discretion, in line with the local force policy.
Professional development
This role should consider the following CPD:
- maintaining an up to date understanding of police regulations and College of Policing guidance, best practice and any local policy applicable to the operational police context
- maintaining and updating key knowledge, understanding and skills relating to legislation, policy and practice across all functional areas of operational policing
- optional development for the SC, can be utilised through the enhanced learning and assessments in the specialist areas of policing, for example neighbourhoods, communities and partnerships, response policing
- maintaining knowledge and understanding of new approaches identified by evidence-based policing research and problem solving, test and synthesise these into working practice, championing innovation and changes to practice
- maintaining a working knowledge and understanding of new and evolving crime threats and priorities and current best practice to tackle these to enable a pro-active and preventative approach
Related roles
You can find other service deliverer roles in the: