Special constables are numpties to thick to be in the real police and desperate enough to become pretend cops for free. On the positive side they don’t get or require the same training as proper police officers get and are usually the most reactionary and racist part of the police force. So it makes perfect sense that in order to save money, several police forces now want their recruits to come from their ranks:
The Metropolitan Police Authority today debates a contentious plan to recruit most new police officers from volunteer special constables to help slash costs at a time of tight budget constraints.
The scheme would see most new applicants working for 18 months as volunteers without pay. According to a paper being considered by the MPA – which scrutinises the Metropolitan police – at a meeting today, this would save up to £20,000 per appointment thanks to lower salary costs. Currently, police recruits receive 25 weeks of training regardless of previous qualifications and on-the-job experience. They are paid a salary of about £23,000 during their first two years.
The MPA is being asked to endorse the new guidelines to help save up to £2m for every 100 appointments.
“The proposal for the new model of recruitment and training of police officers represents an innovative and significant shift in traditional recruitment, development and training,” says the paper.
Now of course in the publishing world, not to mention in politics it’s quite normal that people “pay their dues” by working for free for a couple of years, ensuring that only those whose mummy or daddy can afford to support them for that time get a job there, which explains a lot about the dire straights both find themselves in. Do we really want that to happen to the police too, which is already bad enough? Do you really want the people who get a kick out of wearing the uniform to be paid for their hobby?