National Volunteers Week: Sussex Police Recognise 'Vital Work' Of Special Constables

“It is extremely rewarding being able to go home after a shift and feeling proud of the difficult situations you've had to deal with.”

That is the view of Lei Andrews, who has shared her experience of volunteering as a Special Constable with Sussex Police as part of National Volunteers Week.

She is one of 81 Special Constables working on the force, helping to support frontline officers and communities here in Sussex.

Sussex Police say Special Constables are vital to operations, conducting a range of tasks and duties which include supporting Neighbourhood Policing Teams, Response teams, Rural Crime, Safeguarding, Tactical Enforcement and Roads Policing teams.

They have the same powers and responsibilities as regular police officers and take the same risks when they go out on shift, and since May last year have contributed more than 19,000 hours to support operational policing.

Sussex Police is sharing the experience of SC Lei Andrews and SC Michael Jacobs to highlight the "incredible" work they do.

Lei joined the force in 2016 as a Contact Officer and a year later became a radio controller but said she has always been interested in the wider work of the force.

“I love volunteering,” she said. “It’s something I've always involved myself with since I was a teenager.

“The role of a response officer has always intrigued me, not only to obtain a better understanding and better my skills for my full-time role, but also to be able to be part of a team that can make a difference in the front line.”

Lie began her training as a Special Constable in October 2022, and was attested in May last year.

Since then, she has become part of the Response team on E Section and is working towards obtaining her independent patrol status.

She said:

“The team is like a well-oiled machine and such a close-knit family. I’m really proud to be a part of it.

“I love the adrenaline that comes with responding to 999 calls, but more so love being able to really make a difference to vulnerable victims of crime, giving them support, safeguarding them and seeking justice for them.

“Policing is a role where you always deal with others' misfortune, however it is extremely rewarding being able to go home after a shift and feeling proud of the difficult situations you've had to deal with.”

Meanwhile Michael Jacobs joined as a Special Constable in 2008 and says his desire to help was inspired by a family tragedy after losing his uncle in a violent knife attack in Southend in 1994, with the offender jailed for murder after "outstanding" work by colleagues in Essex Police.

He said:

“We lost a father, son, brother, grandfather and uncle, he was the central person in our close-knit family and was taken too early.

“The officers investigating the case were exceptional and compassionate. From day one they were dedicated to catching the man responsible and getting him convicted.

"This was my first experience of the police, and from this it really made me want to join the police and give back in a way where I could make a similar difference to other people that the police did for us all those years ago.”

But Michael initially took a different career path, but recalls how shortly before his 30^th birthday, his older brother joined Sussex Police full time.

He said:

“As someone I always look up to, it brought back the fire in my belly to take the plunge. While I enjoyed my day job, I learned about the Special Constables.

“My grandfather had been one in the Metropolitan Police, so the prospect of being able to continue my day job and join the police was the perfect outcome.”

As a Special Constable Michael worked with Response officers in East Grinstead and across Mid Sussex, before joining the Local Support Team in Brighton in 2012.

“I was offered the chance to get a few days worth of experience with the team in Brighton, and I never left. It opened doors to specialist training and now carry skills.

“As a result, I now work with the Tactical Enforcement Unit where I have been since its inception, and like all the previous roles I’ve been involved with, I feel like a part of the team, no different to a regular officer. I am treated no differently, I get exposed to so much, sometimes things I cant unsee, but many things I enjoy.

“I always wanted to be at the cutting edge of policing to help bring down drug gangs and the most violent of people that can cause high harm and risk to the public.

“It’s a real privilege to work alongside such excellent police officers, all of whom are for me the best at what they do, and hopefully they feel the same towards me.

“I enjoy every minute of the role. The most satisfying part is writing my statement at the end of the job, and listing all the items, seized, the rational for arrests and all the work that has been done to that point, and I pinch myself sometimes and think ‘I did all that’.” 

Both Michael and Lei described how their volunteering has helped make a difference not only to Sussex Police, but also to themselves.

Michael, who was awarded the Chief Constable’s Special Constable of the Year Award in 2023, added:

“Police work gives me daily contact with people which I don’t have in my day to day job, and the camaraderie and togetherness really is rewarding for me and makes it even more worthwhile.

“I like to think that the shifts I do, and the hours I give, like all other Specials who are amazing makes a huge difference. It helps get more boots on the ground and it helps prevent crime and protect the public.

“If that one shift helps to prevent a crime or to apprehend an offender, that’s one that might have got away if I wasn’t on duty, and in my uncle’s honour it makes me feel proud.

“It is something to be proud of being a special, and I would 100% recommend volunteering as a special constable as you get out of it as much as you put in, and the feeling is like nothing else I have done before.”

Lei said:

“I couldn't recommend becoming a volunteer with Sussex Police more, it's part of my identity now and it's made me really appreciate the life I have and the people I have within it.

“Becoming a Special Constable has connected me with people from a multitude of different backgrounds, expanded my knowledge, awareness and understanding of the communities we live in, has improved my confidence and given me a real sense of purpose.”

How to volunteer with Sussex Police:

If you, a family member or friend is interested in volunteering opportunities visit: 

https://www.sussex.police.uk/police-forces/sussex-police/areas/careers/jobs/volunteers/

Or contact the volunteer team: [email protected]

More information about National Volunteer Week is available online here.

Look out for Sussex recruitment for future cohorts of Special Constables online here.