Special Constable Grout

Why did you choose to join as a special constable?

As a full-time parent returning to work, I am unable to complete a regular shift pattern. I have always been interested in a career within the police, however it is not something I'm able to fit around my personal life.

Joining as a special has been a great opportunity to experience a career I'm interested in, whilst being able to fit it around my family.

How have you found the training?

The quality of training has been brilliant, and the training staff have been so supportive with helping me to fit my studying around childcare.

How have you benefited from being a special constable?

Carrying out shifts as a special constable has improved my skills and confidence around returning to work. It has provided me with many examples to speak about in recent interviews and highlighted areas of interest for future career paths.

In more general examples, it’s really helped me to develop my decision making skills. Being able to use my training and experience to talk through recent examples within interviews using the police decision making model has been a great help. I have also been able to answer interview questions around working with others, particularly around assisting other teams. As a special I have been able to work with a range of teams in a short-period.

With interview questions around communication skills, I have been able to utilise my training around speaking to victims and witnesses, for example ensuring I don’t use police jargon and providing assistance with communication barriers.

Volunteering as a special constable has also provided positive mental health benefits, having time to achieve something for myself outside of family commitments.