Blog of the Blogs

Special Cases

Firstly, apologies for the time since last posting - I've been on a bit of a break, but I'm back now.

I've been thinking about this post for a while, and apologise to Lennie Briscoe for not answering his query in one of my earlier comments before. I made a comment that basically said "Most policeman moan endlessly if crewed with a special." Lennie, being a special (and from reading his blog, a very competent one) quite rightly felt a little put out by the comment. I'll start off by mentioning that (from my humble experience) it is true. Most police officers I know don't like being paired with a special. It is not the case for all of us though. I don't mind being paired with a special at all, but I also quite like tutoring probationary constables, so maybe I am better suited to it.

So why don't most of us like working with specials? Well, the normal reasons given all tend to boil down to a lack of training. Specials (in my force definitely) are given very little training - I believe it is near to two weekends worth - before being handed CS, a baton, a warrant card and sent out into the world to try them all out. A new special is not going to be in any position at all to assist you in a matter unless you have explained to them what they need to do, and with the workload thrust upon response officers, many don't want to spend that extra bit of time breaking everything down and explaining things. Which is understandable.

So why don't those officers moan about being paired with probationers? They need everything 'explaining' just as much? True, but the thing about a probationer is that they will normally only be paired with experience tutors for a while, who won't mind training them on the job. After that, you know that the probationer is still going to come in the next day, and practice their new skills again, and again, until you don't need to re-teach them. Specials can have a long wait between shifts, meaning they simply don't get the same chances to practice and hone their skills.

Theres one further problem as well. Specials are not paid. They give up their own free time to do the job; they are keen. Very keen. Most of them will shout up for every job going - but they aren't the ones who will get the paperwork that goes with it. Not for them the long, extensive follow up enquiries. No, thats for their partner of the day.

As always, the above isn't true for everyone. There are specials I know who are actually better than some regular officers, but on the whole... I dunno. I can only speak from my own experience, and as its not fair to judge every special in England on the ones that come to my nick, I'll not draw any certain conclusions. My own personal opinion of specials is that I have no problem with them, I don't mind working with them, and they can be useful if used correctly, and not just sent straight out to wander the streets, on their first shift, with no supervision.

I have once spoken to a respected member of society (vague enough for you? ;) Hope so!) who thought that specials should quite simply not exist. Their argument was why allow members of the public with very little training access to a firearm (CS), a deadly weapon (baton), and put them into a situation where they could get attacked, insulted, shouted at and generally hurt, paying them nothing and expect them to act 100% professionally. The arguement that 'we need the extra numbers they provide us' didn't cut it with him, as his reply to that was "Hire more police then. If the specials really want to help the community, why not swear them in as those community officers. No police powers, non confrontational, but still helpful to society as a whole, and less risky for everyone."

posted by A non mouse