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Special Individuals targeted in advertising campaign.
 An advertising campaign to recruit more Special Constables in the Thames Valley has been launched.
Thames Valley Police is appealing to people from all walks of life to join them as volunteer police officers.
Posters will be appearing in health clubs, bars and restaurants in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire.
Posters feature one of four Thames Valley Special Constables working in their normal job, in full police uniform. There will also be adverts in football matchday programmes and on commercial radio stations.
Nigel Woodley, Chief Officer of Thames Valley Special Constabulary, said: "Special Constables are simply normal people who spend their spare time doing extraordinary things.
"Most of us have full-time day jobs and spend a night a week or more working with neighbourhood teams, patrolling town centres or working on reactive calls.
"It is not about policing on the cheap. It is about allowing people to help keep their community safe by volunteering a few hours a week.
"Many members of the public don't know they can join the police and make a difference to where they live, and this campaign is about changing that."
The advertising campaign is also part of a force-wide drive to have 300 Special Constables by the end of March 2009, compared to just 240 in May 2008.
Special Constable Alastair Job from Pangbourne and Special Chief Inspector Nina Tanner from Newbury helped launch the advertising yesterday (21/8).
SC Job said: "I joined the Special Constabulary because I always wanted to become a police officer and this was an excellent way of seeing what the job is like.
"I soon realised I had gaps in my knowledge and experience which I needed to fill before becoming a regular officer, but being a Special is allowing me to address this."
Special Chief Inspector Nina Tanner, aged 41, is a single mum of one and also works as an office manager. She has been a Special Constable for 13 years. She said: "I also wanted to become a regular, but I was unable to because of the height restriction which applied to female applicants at the time. Then I had my son, Tom, and another career and have just continued to work as a Special because I enjoy it so much."
To be a Special Constable, you must be aged 18 or above, a citizen of the UK, EU or Commonwealth countries and have no criminal record.
For more information, or to order a recruitment pack, call 01865 846612 or log on to www.thamesvalley.police.uk/specials. |
