Chris Davies, Special Sergeant
Name: Chris Davies
Rank: Special Sergeant
Where do you work as a Special Constable?: Special Operations Unit (SOU) – Traffic
When did you join as a Special Constable?: I joined October 2012
What do you do for a living outside the Special Constabulary?: I work as a Voice Communications Specialist with Yorkshire Ambulance Service, supporting their Telephone systems, and call Handling centres, in addition to supporting mobile telephones and mobile devices, I also volunteer as Emergency Ambulance Crew with St John Ambulance which sees me responding to emergency calls in support of local NHS Trusts in addition to working at Events such as Football / Rugby / Speedway and of course Hull Fair!
Why did you join as a Special Constable?: I have always enjoyed volunteering in the local community and supporting those in need of help. Being a Special Constable allows me to engage with the community in many ways. The skills that I have from my work and other volunteering roles are transferable in many ways, and help to make me an effective member of Humberside Police, which, for me, is what it’s all about.
What types of duty you typically get involved in?: Based in Traffic we attend all sorts of incidents across the whole force - it’s not just speeding tickets all day! Anything traffic related and reacting to information from the force systems will get a response from us. We also respond to any requests in support of the other teams in the Force, we are able to cover a lot of distance quickly so can be a great asset to the wider team. Being able to drive most vehicles the force also comes in useful for supporting the Night Time policing in Hull in addition to working at pre-planned events such as the football and rugby. Being a Special Sergeant I also spend time supporting newer Specials as they gain confidence and skills to work independently.
What are your future ambitions as a member of the Special Constabulary?: I enjoy being involved as a volunteer, and the skills I learn help me in my full time job, I plan to continue to develop my skills and specialist knowledge to increase the support I am able to give to others. I would like to be able to increase the number of people in team that works in the SOU, and work to ensure that Special Constables are given the chance to assist the Force in delivering it’s priorities for the people in their area.
What advice would you give to someone who is thinking of joining?: Working as a Special Constable can be a challenging role, but also very rewarding. If you have the time and energy to help those in need then go for it. You meet all sorts of people at all points in their life, some can be very vulnerable for various reasons, and some will not be happy to see you - but there is a difference that you can make to people in all these situations. There are opportunities to work with many different teams within the police, there are many training courses that can be accessed to enable you to have the required skills and knowledge needed to complete the role. You will develop many skills transferrable to other parts of your life, you can make a huge contribution to the community and your own development by giving as much time as you are able, the minimum requirement of 16 hours a month seems like a lot, but it really isn’t, you can cover this in 2 shifts, if you can give more time then that’s great!