Jonathan Dunning-Davies, Special Sergeant

Name: Jonathan Dunning-Davies

Rank: Special Sergeant

Where do you work as a Special Constable?: Hedon (South West Holderness Community Policing Team)

When did you join as a Special Constable?: I joined in October 2002

What do you do for a living outside the Special Constabulary?: I am a civil servant, employed by the Home Office. Among other things, I work with firearms and train colleagues in awareness and recognition of firearms and their component parts; I am a trained forgery “expert” able to identify hooky documents from cash to passports; I work with companies that protect the property rights of major fashion and electronic brands, including all the Premiership Football Clubs, Sony, Lego, Nintendo, and many other companies. I mentor others to do my job and I have so many transferable skills that I have been able to bring over from 18+ years of engaging with the public. Similarly some of the skills I have learned in my “day job” carry the other way too.

Why did you join as a Special Constable?: A friend of mine was a Special Constable at North Hull. I was not sure if the Police was for me, being a rather gentle, non-confrontational person. So initially I joined out of curiosity and to find out what the role of a Police Officer was like for real, and also to add some challenge and reward to my (at the time) rather mundane existence.

What types of duty you typically get involved in?: No duty is “typical.” However, I predominantly work in community policing as this is the best role to achieve visible results; through Humber Talking and similar initiatives, you learn about the community in which you work, find out what their issues and concerns are, and address them. In the past, I have also worked on response, night time economy, and in Roads Policing – a role which is not all about dishing out speeding tickets, and can offer everything from excitement to horror to an emotional roller-coaster at times. I have worked with hard-to-reach groups, schools, the elderly, the lonely, the homeless, those in need, at lowest ebb in their lives. I have seen births and deaths, great joys and terrible tragedies. I have cried; I have laughed; I have received a lot of abuse, but the thanks and praise make it all worthwhile – one Chief Constable’s Commendation and one High Sheriff’s Award for services to the community. Above all else, I have met and worked with some truly wonderful people, and made friends I will have for life.

What are your future ambitions as a member of the Special Constabulary?: When I joined as a Special Constable, regular Police Officers were contracted to work for 30 years. I would like to see out 30 years as a Special Constable. I’m 42 now, and I have no plans to slow down. Being a Special Constable keeps me alive!

What advice would you give to someone who is thinking of joining?: Becoming a Special Constable gives you something about which you can be really proud. Do it, because you want to put something back, increase the challenges in your life, and work in an exciting, dynamic and diverse environment. It is not a hobby, but a job (albeit voluntary), and it is a job that must be taken very seriously.