The Special Constabulary: Recruitment Policy (Hansard, 9 July 1981)

§ Baroness Trumpington
My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Home Office (Lord Belstead)
My Lords, the special constabulary is not a national force. Special constables are recruited by each police force on local initiative. The Government give every encouragement to local efforts to recruit more special constables, who make a valuable contribution to local policing. This year marks the 150th anniversary of the special constabulary, and many forces are taking this opportunity to promote the activities of special constables in their community.

§ Baroness Trumpington
My Lords, I thank my noble friend for his reply. Would he not agree that tribute should be paid, particularly in this 150th anniversary year, to the work and devotion to duty and enthusiasm of the special constabulary? Having said that, may I ask him why the total number of special constables has consistently decreased? Would he agree that in 1975 there were 23,011 special constables of both sexes, but by the 31st December 1979 that total had fallen to 15,960? Would it be right to say that the total has again fallen since that date? May I ask, in those circumstances, what steps are being taken to promote recruitment?

§ Lord Belstead
My Lords, I entirely agree with my noble friend that tribute should most certainly be paid, particularly in this the 150th year of the start of the special constabulary, to the work that the special constables do. My noble friend is right. Numbers have declined over the last five years. A significant factor in this has been that the report of the 1976 working party on the special constabulary included a recommendation that the retirement age should be reduced to 55, with an option of five years more service at the chief constable's discretion in any particular force. We have found that, although it is true that numbers have very much gone down, the number of hours of duty performed by many special constables has increased. Finally, yes, in most forces, 823 of course, it follows from what we have been saying that numbers have gone down; but I should say to my noble friend that I had the opportunity to visit Merseyside a fortnight ago, and there the numbers of the special constabulary are increasing.

§ Lord Alport
My Lords, may I ask my noble friend whether he would agree that service with the special constabulary is one of the most important and valuable forms of public service that can be undertaken at the present time? May I ask my noble friend how far is his answer influenced by the views of the regular police who have, for a long time in the past at any rate, been opposed to the expansion of the special constabulary? What action is the Home Office taking to change this attitude, to ensure that the special constabulary is strengthened at a time when their services are going to be particularly needed?

§ Lord Belstead
My Lords, I am grateful to my noble friend for adding his voice in tribute to the work of the special constabulary at the present time. One cannot stress too often the importance of the work that they do. It also cannot now be said too often that I believe that relations between the regular police force and the special constabulary are very much better than they were before, and there is recognition on both sides of the important work that they can do, both pulling in the same direction in trying to see that the policing of their area is as good as is possible.
My noble friend asks, what are the Government doing? The Police Advisory Board, which is an amalgamation of local authorities, the police organisations and the Home Office, under the chairmanship of my right honourable friend the Home Secretary, decided a year or so ago to set up a working party to report into the special constabulary. The report of that working party is due to be presented to the next meeting of the Police Advisory Board on Wednesday of next week.

§ Lord Wells-Pestell
My Lords, may I ask the Government whether it would not be more helpful, having regard to the period through which we are passing at the moment, that instead of recruiting more special constables the Government had discussions with local authorities to see whether they could recruit a pool of voluntary help in each area, so that the social workers can be relieved of some of the routine work and be able to devote more time to the problems of the community? This, I think, would be feasible, and I hope that the Government will give consideration to it.

§ Lord Belstead
My Lords, if I may say so to the noble Lord, the suggestion which the noble Lord has made and an increase in the size of the special constabulary are both important matters. They are both things to which attention needs to be given.

§ Lord Leatherland
My Lords, may I ask the noble Lord the Minister whether I heard correctly that the retiring age for special constables is 55? Is it not creating a wrong impression among the community generally to give the idea that men are too old at 55?

§ Lord Belstead
My Lords, the noble Lord did hear correctly, with an option at the discretion of the chief constable for retirement at the age of 60.

§ Lord Avebury
My Lords, the Minister mentioned Merseyside in particular. Could he say how many special constables from the ethnic minorities they have been able to recruit in that area? Would the Minister recognise that the police have enormous difficulties in persuading members of the ethnic minorities to come forward, either as special constables or as members of the regular police force? Would the Home Office give particular attention to the recruitment of these people from the minorities, in view of the fact that while they see the police force as being almost entirely white, it hinders the good relationships between the police and the ethnic minorities that all of us want to see?

§ Lord Belstead
My Lords, I wonder whether the noble Lord would await the report to the Police Advisory Board next week of this up-to-date report on the special constabulary.