# Labour blunders again: Special Constables **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 20, 2008, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/labour-blunders-again-special-constables/460698 "2008-08-20T18:33:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2008, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/labour-blunders-again-special-constables/460698/1 "2008-08-20T18:33:03Z")
[This](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7572259.stm) is Labour’s Law & Order ploy. £2.25M sounds a lot of money, doesn’ it? Especially as Special Constables are volunteers, but let’s do the maths: they want 6000 more Specials and are spending £2.25M. That’s £375 per Special Constable. I doubt that even pays for the uniform and equipment. And reading between the lines, it’s £2.25M over several years - it’s a favourite trick of Labour to announce several years’ spending as one lump sum - so in reality, it’s probably just enough to buy their boots. The sooner we’re rid of this shower, the better. Trouble is, I doubt any of the other lots are much better. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2008, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/labour-blunders-again-special-constables/460698/2 "2008-08-20T19:15:24Z")
Around here, NYPD Auxiliary officers, also unpaid volunteers, can’t even get themselves issued bullet-proof vests, even after two were fatally shot in the line of duty. ETA: England apparently has a city named Tooting. I wonder if the local cuisine has lots of beans. ---
**Author:** ![Petrobey\_Mavromihalis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bcef8e/32.png) [@Petrobey\_Mavromihalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Petrobey_Mavromihalis)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2008, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/labour-blunders-again-special-constables/460698/3 "2008-08-20T19:30:01Z")
[QUOTE=friedo] England apparently has a city named Tooting. I wonder if the local cuisine has lots of beans. [/QUOTE] Part of South London rather than a city in its own right. And it’ll be the curries rather than beans. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2008, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/labour-blunders-again-special-constables/460698/4 "2008-08-20T23:21:05Z")
Special Constables are a total waste of time - they have virtually no powers and only a fraction of the responsibilities of uniformed police. That and I’ve yet to see any evidence that their introduction has had any impact on crime (either its level or severity). ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2008, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/labour-blunders-again-special-constables/460698/5 "2008-08-21T00:51:10Z")
Moving thread from IMHO to MPSIMS. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2008, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/labour-blunders-again-special-constables/460698/6 "2008-08-21T06:26:01Z")
[QUOTE=Illuminatiprimus] Special Constables are a total waste of time - they have virtually no powers and only a fraction of the responsibilities of uniformed police. [/QUOTE] Actually, they, like all normal citizens, have almost full police powers. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2008, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/labour-blunders-again-special-constables/460698/7 "2008-08-21T08:24:13Z")
[QUOTE=Quartz] Actually, they, like all normal citizens, have almost full police powers. [/QUOTE] I meant powers other than that of normal citizens i.e. there is little to distinguish them from normal people. So why bother? ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2008, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/labour-blunders-again-special-constables/460698/8 "2008-08-21T08:33:23Z")
[QUOTE=Illuminatiprimus] I meant powers other than that of normal citizens i.e. there is little to distinguish them from normal people. So why bother? [/QUOTE] They’re visible (a big deterrence factor), they have radios, and they have training. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2008, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/labour-blunders-again-special-constables/460698/9 "2008-08-21T09:47:02Z")
Special Constables in Northern Ireland get to carry guns. I know of someone who excused themselves from attending an event because they had forgotten to return their firearm to their station :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2008, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/labour-blunders-again-special-constables/460698/10 "2008-08-21T09:52:07Z")
[QUOTE=Illuminatiprimus] Special Constables are a total waste of time - they have virtually no powers and only a fraction of the responsibilities of uniformed police. That and I’ve yet to see any evidence that their introduction has had any impact on crime (either its level or severity). [/QUOTE] Are you maybe getting Special Constables and Police Community Support Officers confused? The latter are the useless ones, the former are very much like part-time Police Officers and have been around formally since 1831 and informally for centuries before that. ---
**Author:** ![tagos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@tagos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tagos)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2008, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/labour-blunders-again-special-constables/460698/11 "2008-08-21T10:13:40Z")
[QUOTE=Quartz] [This](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7572259.stm) is Labour’s Law & Order ploy. £2.25M sounds a lot of money, doesn’ it? Especially as Special Constables are volunteers, but let’s do the maths: they want 6000 more Specials and are spending £2.25M. That’s £375 per Special Constable. I doubt that even pays for the uniform and equipment. And reading between the lines, it’s £2.25M over several years - it’s a favourite trick of Labour to announce several years’ spending as one lump sum - so in reality, it’s probably just enough to buy their boots. The sooner we’re rid of this shower, the better. Trouble is, I doubt any of the other lots are much better. [/QUOTE] You’re forgetting that they’ll be announcing it again and again in numerous different ways until it seems like the entire GDP is being spent on Specials. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2008, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/labour-blunders-again-special-constables/460698/12 "2008-08-21T11:10:34Z")
Ain’t that the truth. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2008, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/labour-blunders-again-special-constables/460698/13 "2008-08-21T11:21:05Z")
[QUOTE=tagos] You’re forgetting that they’ll be announcing it again and again in numerous different ways until it seems like the entire GDP is being spent on Specials. [/QUOTE] It will seem as if the entire GDP is spent on press releases about Specials. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2008, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/labour-blunders-again-special-constables/460698/14 "2008-08-21T19:33:31Z")
[QUOTE=Struan] Are you maybe getting Special Constables and Police Community Support Officers confused? The latter are the useless ones, the former are very much like part-time Police Officers and have been around formally since 1831 and informally for centuries before that. [/QUOTE] Ah, yes, that is in fact what I’m doing. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2008, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/labour-blunders-again-special-constables/460698/15 "2008-08-23T12:41:32Z")
Special Constables around our way do a bloody good job,they seem keener then the full time Police but I’ve been told that they often get given the none glamorous jobs that the proffessionals feel are a little bit beneath them. I was under the impression that they have full police powers including holding a warrant card but maybe I’m wrong. ---
**Author:** ![DCTrekkie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dctrekkie/32/18862_2.png) [@DCTrekkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCTrekkie)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2008, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/labour-blunders-again-special-constables/460698/16 "2008-08-24T15:56:44Z")
A friend of mine is a special constable. He has more or less the same powers as a normal officer, however they generally just have the general training, for example they aren’t response trained so he can’t use the siren/lights or any pursuits. Officially they aren’t even supposed to use the lights to pull people over at normal speeds. Apparently though there are trials in some parts of the country with offering the various training courses to specials who do regular shifts and have been active for a couple of years and to be fair I don’t think that all of the regular officers get that sort of training. He gets all the same equipment as a regular officer, stab vest, asp, whatever the replacement for CS spray was(parva?) and often uses the patrol cars/van. Essentially he’s just an unpaid policeman.