ITEM 4(b) APPENDIX B

Plans for Hertfordshire’s Special Constabulary

Appendix B

Special Constabulary Data – MSFs to Hertfordshire

FORCE / No. of Specials / No. of
Regulars / Ratio of Specials :Regulars / Plans to
expand / How are Specials used?
Bedfordshire / 225 / 948 / 1:4 / Yes to 270 by March 2012 and to 325 by March 2013 / Deployed exactly the same as our Regular Officers via the Control Room. No other specialisms stated.
Hertfordshire / 406 / 2022 / 1:5 / Yes by 10% each year for the next four years / In a number of roles (some specialist) including Intervention, SNT, ANPR, Economic Crime, Crime Management, Events Management, Rural Crime, Manhunt and Licensing.
Essex / 620 / 3636 / 1:6 / No plans at present – to be reviewed August 2011 / The majority of specials are deployed through neighbourhood policing or response. They are currently looking at additional ways for deployment including rural specials for which they currently have approx 20 officers in the middle of a pilot scheme.Also looking at other areas for deployment including TST (territorial support group) – this is in the early stages at present with a job description and draft advert prepared at this time (but not actively advertising this yet until a number of internal questions have been answered).
TVP / 546 / 4000 / 1:7 / Yes to 700 by March 2012 / Neighbourhood Policing
Response
Operations/Events
Force Reserve (major incidents/operations)
They also have a Roads Policing unit which is working very well and are in the process of establishing a High Tech Crime Unit team which should be up and running in the next few months.
Ethos is to offer a wide variety of deployments to aid motivation and retention therefore we have not gone down the route of pigeonholing our officers to working solely on Neighbourhoods etc.
Hampshire / 490 / 3584 / 1:7 / Yes to 550 by 2012 and to 650 by 2013 / Specials are mainly deployed on targeted patrols (alongside a core shift) and sometimes within Safer Neighbourhood Teams. A small number are also attached to Roads Policing and Crime Management teams.
Sussex / 305 / 3219 / 1:10 / Yes to 500 by 2013 / Assigned to Neighbourhood Policing Teams (NPT) across Sussex Police however recent developments have officers within the Roads Policing Department (RPD) and many work on the Neighbourhood Response Teams (NRT). Deployment of SC across the force is subject to decisions by individual District Commanders (Chief Inspectors) and have been engaged in both policing operations and event management.
Kent / 299 / 3717 / 1:12 / Yes / Respond to all calls alongside core shift and SNT officers predominantly. Unsure yet how this will look as force is being re-structured. Specials are also used on RPU in a limited capacity and on marine unit.
Avon & Somerset / 502 / 7530 / 1:15 / Yes to 700 by 2013 / A mix of neighbourhood teams and response. Now operating some on CID and RPU and Ops with a view to increasing the roles specials perform.

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