Employer Supported Policing (ESP)

Employees

Staff volunteer to become Employer Supported Special Constables - volunteer police officers, who are supported by their employers to carry out police duties, some of which can be completed during their normal working hours, in a designated area in Hertfordshire. They will have full police powers, uniform and equipment, and work alongside regular police officers

Employers

As a supporting employer, an organisation agrees for their employee/s to train as Special Constables - volunteer police officers. Once fully trained, Specials will carry out police duties with full police powers and will be required to carry out a minimum of 16 hours of duty a month. The Special has flexibility with the hours they can volunteer, including evenings and weekends.

In return an employer will receive a highly trained and skilled member of staff. They will continue to carry out their usual "day job" at their workplace with the added benefits of police training and experience.

Employer Supported Policing (ESP) has been highlighted by the Police and Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire, David Lloyd, in his Community Safety and Criminal Justice plan as a scheme to work closer with local businesses to bring vital skills to the policing and community safety arena.

Employer Supported Policing (ESP) is an active, powerful and innovative way for organisations and the police service to work proactively together to assist the local community.

Special Constables undertake training to develop transferable skills in seven core areas which they can apply back at their organisation:

• Personal responsibility
• Effective communication
• Resilience
• Problem Solving
• Customer focus
• Teamwork
• Respect for diversity

Other benefits for employers include, but are not limited to:

• Exceptional staff development opportunities in core skills
• Enhanced corporate social responsibility
• Proactive working between businesses and the Police
• Support for local communities
• Improved staff morale and enhanced work performance
• Improved staff retention

Special Constables’ skills include:

• Confidence, assertiveness and leadership
• Legal knowledge and application
• Conflict resolution
• Crime prevention expertise
• Public safety experience and skills
• Improved relationships with police teams and senior officers

There are a number of ways for a business to become an Employer Supported Policing organisation. The options below are examples of how you could choose to get involved – the exact details are flexible and can be adapted.

Once you've decided on your preferred option with a member of your local ESP team, you will be formally registered on the scheme and the next steps will be discussed with you.

Existing Specials within your organisation?

You may already have a member of staff working for you who volunteers as a Special Constable in their spare time who would benefit if you were an ESP organisation. You can also support any employees who are not yet volunteering and are interested in giving back to the community by becoming a volunteer police officer and we can help you develop policies and guidelines that will make your support clear to staff.

Give staff paid leave

As an ESP organisation you will agree a number of paid days, per month or per year, for a Special Constable to undertake some of their duties and/or additional training during normal working hours. The time you give them is totally up to you and we are on hand to guide you through this decision.

Give staff unpaid leave

You might support your staff by giving them unpaid leave for mandatory training, duties, or in in times of significant emergency. If your organisation offers flexible working, this may also be an option for supporting your staff, to agree their working schedule alongside Specials duties.

Work with us to promote the scheme

Whether you are an ESP organisation or not, you can work with the police to promote the Special Constabulary and police volunteering in your workplace. This could include displaying posters, sharing leaflets, holding recruitment drives or publishing information in your staff magazine or intranet. It may be possible to support your efforts by holding roadshows at your workplace to promote the scheme.

To find out more about Employer Supported Policing, please register your interest by emailing and we will be in touch with you.

Training – How does it work?

Initial training takes place over twelve weeks and is delivered in a blended learning style – a mix of distance learning via online training packages, which can be completed at home, as well as mandatory classroom and role play sessions at a regional training centre where Specials will get the chance to practice skills and demonstrate knowledge of the law. Please note: this may include six consecutive days of training, usually Monday to Saturday, for Officer Safety Training. Specials may need to take time off from their day job to attend this training.

There will be a range of on-going training opportunities for Special Constables to complete, some of which will be mandatory.

Many employers allow use of additional paid leave for the completion of training because of the valuable skills employees gain and bring back to the workplace.

Duty commitments

Special Constables are required to commit 16 hours a month as a minimum. Some of these hours can be worked in evenings and on weekends and therefore should not impact with your employee’s day job too much.

Developing a HR policy

The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) advise that businesses implement written guidelines to ensure that line managers, current Special Constable employees and potential Specials understand your organisation’s policy, such as time off for training.

A policy template is available from your local Herts ESP team for organisations wishing to adopt the ESP scheme. To find out more please email and we will be in touch with you.

It’s good to keep in touch

Regular contact between the Constabulary, employers and Special Constables is invaluable, as it ensures a high level of commitment to the ESP scheme is maintained and that those involved feel supported.

As part of the ongoing support provided, the ESP team will provide you with information that will help you promote the scheme internally as well as enhancing your corporate social responsibility outwardly showing that you are actively supporting your employees through volunteering in policing. We can even help promote ESP events in the local press and social media.

An attestation and graduation ceremony is held at the end of training to mark the successful completion of the course. This event is attended by friends and family but, as an ESP employer, you are invited to attend and celebrate with your employee.

Our commitment to you

We will provide your employees with comprehensive training and the skills necessary for them to become a competent police officer. Many of the skills they will develop are transferable and can be used equally well in the workplace. This training is provided at no additional cost to the employer, so there's no financial deterrent to employers in allowing their staff to build new skills and confidence.

We will maintain regular contact with you via quarterly newsletters and an annual check-in system.

We will provide you with a named contact within Hertfordshire Constabulary who will be your single point of communication for ESP and should you have any questions or concerns at any time, you can email us.

Want to find out more?

Hertfordshire Constabulary is keen to work with local businesses to encourage, support and sustain their staff's work as Special Constables alongside their day to day career and employment.

Our Employer Supported Policing scheme is extremely flexible. Each organisation can choose the level of involvement to suit their individual circumstances.

You may find that you have existing Special Constables working for you who could benefit from carrying out their duties with your support through ESP.