GMP Police Support Volunteers & Special Constables: Research Findings and Recommendations

This report sets out the headline findings and key recommendations from the Institute for Public Safety, Crime and Justice (IPSCJ) research conducted over the past four months with Police Support Volunteers and Special Constables in GMP. The IPSCJ is committed to forming strategic research partnerships with police forces nationally and internationally to develop the evidence-base across police volunteering and, most importantly, to help translate that evidence-base into real improvements in experience and impact. The emphasis within this report is not only on presenting findings from the research, but also on how those findings can be translated into new policy and practice. The report is structured into four chapters, each reporting back in turn on one of the four main streams of work encompassed in the research activity undertaken over recent months: - A review of the current Police Support Volunteer model within GMP. This included an online survey of volunteers (33 responses) and two workshop events, as well as a review of data and documentation; - A small-scale study engaging female Specials, in terms of their experiences in role. An online survey of female Specials was undertaken, with 22 responses; - A study of the perspectives of Regulars and PCSOs. Again, this involved an online survey, completed by 298 Regulars and 87 PCSOs; - A study of ‘career’ Specials. This work involved an online survey (39 responses), and a workshop. It also encompassed GMP Specials being asked to identify themselves as ‘Regular pathway’ or ‘career’ Specials, and then data analysis being undertaken based upon those two identified sub-cohorts of Specials within the force. Each chapter begins with a summary of key findings and completes with a summary of recommendations. There is also a summary of findings and recommendations at the beginning of this report. Whilst this document is quite lengthy, in effect it still provides summary rather than detailed findings across what has been a large and detailed programme of research, with four constituent research projects.