Lincolnshire Police recognise vital role played in the Force by volunteers

To mark Volunteers’ Week, which started on Monday, they have outlined the several ways in which those who volunteer make a huge difference.

Assistant Constable Chris Davison, who began his career in policing as a volunteer police Cadet in 1991, said: “We really value our volunteers because they play such diverse and important roles across the organisation.

“Whether you are a Cadet, Special Constable or one of our police volunteers, you are giving up your time to help the public and keep them safe.

“Our volunteers bring valuable skills and expertise to police teams, and create closer and more effective relationships with our communities.

“We thank them for their insight, support and hard work, and celebrate the really positive role they have at Lincolnshire Police.”

Volunteers gave more than 45,000 hours of their own time to support staff, officers and different teams across the Force throughout 2024. Every volunteer brings new ideas, different perspectives, skills and enthusiasm to help keep Lincolnshire the safest place to live, work and visit.

Police Support Volunteers

There are more than 70 Police Support Volunteers in a variety of roles supporting teams across the Force.

One of the most recognised roles is Special Constabulary.

The Special Constabulary are volunteer police officers who carry out policing duties in their spare time. They come from all walks of life and careers, joining for a variety of reasons including:

• To give something back to the community.
• To learn new skills and gain valuable experience.
• To seek new challenges.
• To learn first-hand about the police force before committing to a full-time job.

Special Constables have the same powers as a regular police officer, wear the same uniform, and receive initial and continuous training to support their role. They can take on a diverse range of tasks including conducting local, intelligence based patrols; taking part in crime; prevention initiatives; policing major incidents; conducting inquiries; assisting at scenes of collisions; safeguarding the public at local and major events; tackling anti-social behaviour; spending time at local schools to educate on safety; and providing operational support to regular officers.

Volunteer Police Cadets

The Volunteer Police Cadets is the nationally recognised police uniformed youth group throughout England. It is open to teenagers from all backgrounds aged between 13 and 18.

The aims of the VPC are to promote a practical understanding of policing amongst all young people; encourage the spirit of adventure and good citizenship; support local policing priorities through volunteering and give young people a chance to be heard; and inspire young people to participate positively in their communities.

Cadets join officers in Bourne, Boston, Grantham, Lincoln, Skegness, and Spalding every Wednesday evening during term time to learn about Lincolnshire Police and develop their knowledge on a variety of policing topics; meet different people and make new friends; help reduce crime by taking part in local policing operations and representing Lincolnshire Police at community events; help to make a difference in their communities through positive engagement with members of the public and social action activities; gain and develop valuable skills that can support them in life, school, and their future career; gain a sense of social responsibility and become a role model to others.

How to get involved

• Help develop and inspire young people by becoming a leader and sharing your knowledge, skills, and expertise. Leaders facilitate and deliver weekly sessions on a variety of topics and support cadets during extra duties. Commitment can be flexible to an individual’s needs and each corps has a great group of volunteer cadet leaders who work together to organise their availability. Find out why others became a cadet leader and read how the experience has helped them here.

If you would like to learn more about the role and what is involved, email [email protected] or visit the website.

Guest speakers

• Cadets are always interested in hearing about different job roles and specialisms within policing. Presentations, talks, and interactive demonstrations are a great way to bring these different roles to life, provide a unique insight into policing, and inspire young people to explore new careers and opportunities. Get in touch if you would like to support leaders by delivering a session or activity, to discuss an idea, or to share any resources.

Events

Cadets are able to support a variety of public engagement activities and policing operations such as test purchases, leaflet drops, education events; Speed checks, litter picking, community gardening, service days, community fetes, attestations, charity work and fundraising and social visits or drop-ins. Police cadets are always looking for new and interesting activities that they can support. For more information, email [email protected]