VOLUNTEER police special constables have been paid in thanks for their efforts during the first national lockdown.
The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, David Jamieson, has given the green light to make a one-off payment of £150 for every 16 hours worked over by a volunteer.
One Shirley special constable Will Mott was furloughed from his normal job and stepped up and volunteered 100 hours as a member of the Shirley Neighbourhood Team in two weeks will be one of the first in the country to get a payment.
There are 220 such volunteers across the force and they supported the regular police and filled in when officers needed to self-isolate and suffered sickness during the pandemic.
Mr Jamieson wanted to recognise the efforts of those who went above and beyond at a time when the force was stretched.
He said said: “Our special constables play a key role in the work of the police all year round and are at the heart of the policing family.
“In this difficult year, our special constables really stepped up to the plate and gave the force the additional resilience that it needed at the height of the first coronavirus wave.
“Without them, we would have had huge gaps in the level of service we were providing to the public.
“That’s why I felt it only right to put measures in place to find a way to thank our special constables who went above and beyond for all that they were doing in helping us catch criminals and keep the public safe.”
Nicola Price, director of people at West Midlands Police, said: “This has been an extraordinary year and it was only right that we acknowledge the wonderful contribution our special constabulary has made during these testing times.
“There are so many stories of our specials stepping up and doing extra hours so that they could contribute to our Covid 19 policing response. In some cases we had colleagues from the special constabulary volunteering for a full working week while their regular employment paused.
“We are so very grateful for their efforts and we thank all of our special constabulary colleagues for their work at this time.”
