Special Constable

The Special Constabulary consists of Volunteer Police Officers who give up some of their spare time to assist with the policing of their community and increase the effectiveness of local police initiatives.

Special Constables are a vital part of the UK police service, helping to divert crime and interacting with the diverse communities that they serve.

Greater Manchester Police believe that ‘Specials’ are an integral part of our police family, and by working alongside regular Police Officers and Teams, they provide a flexible, visible, responsive, and committed resource.

As a Special Constable, you’ll be provided with full Training, Uniform, and Equipment, and have all the powers and authorities of a regular Police Officer. You will also receive out of pocket expenses.

GMP are looking for long-term Special Constables to join our current establishment, who are committed, motivated, flexible, have good interpersonal skills, as well as the ability to think on their feet in challenging situations.

We welcome individuals from all walks of life and backgrounds. Being a Special Constable allows you to bring along and transfer relevant skills, experience, and knowledge from your day job and/or previous life experience and give something back to the communities of Greater Manchester.

The Expectation

We ask our Specials to volunteer a minimum 16 hours of their time per month.

Training to be a Special Constable takes place over 10-12 weekends across a 3-month period, and Personal Safety Training over 8 consecutive weekdays (Mon-Fri and Mon-Wed).

Please consider the commitment necessary for the role before applying for this role

The Recruitment Process

We are recruiting intakes of Special Constables during 2023/24, so any applicants will be processed in line with our training start dates.

The Special Constable recruitment process consists of the below stages, as follows:

• Online application
• Initial Application Sift – Against the Eligibility Criteria (see below) or can we provide a link to the eligibility criteria instead if it’s listed on the website
• College of Policing National Online Sift
• GMP in-house interview - evaluating your values and behaviours aligned to the standards and expectations of a Special Constable
• Pre-employment checks - which includes Proof of ID and Address, Fitness Test (5.4 bleep test), Medical, Biometrics (fingerprints & DNA), Vetting Checks and References.

Eligibility

To be eligible for appointment as a Special Constable:

• You must be a British citizen or a citizen of a country

that is a member of the European Economic Area (EEA)
or Switzerland. Commonwealth citizens and foreign
nationals are also eligible but only if they are resident
in the UK free of restrictions. After 30 June 2021,
nationals of the EEA or Switzerland will also need to
provide evidence that their stay is free from
restrictions. In the context of EEA nationals, we are
content that pre-settled status counts as free from
restrictions.

• You can apply aged 17 but must be 18 on appointment

• You must be Resident in the UK for 3-years prior to

applying

• If you have been out of the country for more than 6-

months in the last 3-years, then you will have to
provide sufficient information for consideration for us
to carry out necessary security vetting checks

• You must be a British citizen, member of EC or EEA,

and resident in the UK free of restrictions with an
indefinite leave to remain

• You must have No outstanding County Court Judgments

– must be satisfied

• If registered as Bankrupt, you will only be considered

after 3-years from discharge date

• You must have no visible Tattoos on your Hands, Face,

or Neck

• You will Not be considered if you have any convictions

for Theft, Dishonesty, Violence, or Public Order
Offences

• Drink Driving Conviction – 10-year preclusion
• Driving Without Insurance – 5-year preclusion
• You must have No Cautions or Juvenile Convictions for

recordable offences within the last 5-years

• Security roles are a potential conflict of interest so you

may not be eligible

Please check that you are eligible to apply and meet all the criteria above before applying for this role and read through all the attached documents.

If you have any queries or require further information with regards to your eligibility, please email gmprecruitment@gmp.police.uk before you apply to the Special Constabulary.