Staffordshire branch chair Phil Jones says he’s looking forward to the day he can welcome Special Constables into the Police Federation.
The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, which passed its second reading in Parliament on Tuesday (16 March), includes provision for Specials to subscribe to the Police Federation for the first time.
Phil described it as a success story for the Federation, which has been campaigning for Specials to be able to have access to its support for almost a decade.
“The work of our Specials has been invaluable throughout the pandemic,” said Phil,“They’ve been on the frontline throughout, supporting our regular officers so facing the same dangers and risks but without the benefit of Federation membership.
“We’ve been campaigning to give them that membership for nearly 10 years now so this is a real success story for the Federation and our Specials.
“I look forward to the day when we can welcome them into the Federation family.”
Joining more than 130,000 regular constables, sergeants, inspectors and chief inspectors as Federation members, Specials will be able to receive support and advice from elected workplace reps and will also be able to call on expert advice and representation during performance and misconduct proceedings.
This will form part of the support package to ensure they know their rights and entitlements and means they will receive the right support if any workplace issues are encountered.
As Federation members, Specials will for also the first time be able to apply for legal assistance in criminal, conduct and civil cases as well as gaining access to Member Service offers.
The national Federation’s Special Constabulary lead Dave Bamber said: “Nobody has ever really fully represented the Special Constabulary regarding regulations or formal negotiations. Nobody has been on the side of Specials during conversations with key decision-makers - and now the Federation will be. It is a really proud moment for the Federation and a historic move.
“It is only right Specials receive the same legal protections, support with workplace grievances and negotiations over conditions as their regular counterparts.”
The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill is expected to continue to progress through Parliament before becoming law later this year.
