Meet Special Sergeant Ryan Calvert – he’s volunteered a staggering 1,000 hours in the last year policing the streets of Nottinghamshire.
From patrolling the streets, engaging with the community, and attending events, to chasing after stray dogs – Ryan does all that without getting paid.
Becoming a special in his own words was “the best decision I’ve ever made,” he still works his full-time job but spends any spare minute keeping our communities safe.
Specials are volunteer police officers who work with and support paid officers around the force.
They work as part of response, operations, and events teams, and even work with some of our specialist units all adding to the number of boots on the ground.
Life as a special means the officers will often work a 9-5 job and volunteer for the force on weekends, night shifts, and any spare time they may have around their full-time careers.
Specials come from all walks of life, some may be uni students, work at distribution plants, work in an office Monday to Friday, or even be retired.
A special constable has the same power, same uniform, same responsibilities, as a regular officer – the only difference being they work on a volunteer basis.
The only rule is you must volunteer at least 16 hours per month.
No two days are the same for our specials. Just like our regular officers, they’ll deal with situations and incidents that most people will never encounter, they’ll help their community, protect them, investigate crime, and help prevent it.
Special Sergeant Calvert said: “I love it, it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
“You get so much experience from it, different activities you can take part in. Blue light runs are always amazing, speaking to members of the public, engaging with them, and meeting people from all different walks of life.
“I’m out on patrol in the community one day, or I could be working in the city centre on a Saturday night making sure everyone’s safe on a night out.
“I’ll work engagement events and football matches or family fun days, I’ll head to crimes such as burglaries or shop thefts, and even help in the search for missing or wanted people.”
Speaking about juggling his job and policing, Ryan added: “I was studying professional policing at the University of Derby and they offered an addition to the course to become a Special.
“I was 19 at the time and I’ve always wanted to help people, so I went for it, didn’t think I’d get it, but I did.
“It’s been the best thing for me and it’s a great way to work my way up the ladder to get into my dream career and work for different teams across the force.
“I go to work at my day job, finish that, and can then log on for a shift on an evening or a weekend so have a bit more freedom with what I do.
“It’s such a varied role. I tell everyone to look into it and sign up, get the training, and come and work alongside us, two shifts are never the same that’s for sure.”
If you want to find out more about becoming a special constable follow the link: Special constables | Nottinghamshire Police
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