Special Constables
Freedom of Information (FOI) Act request ref: 01/FOI/24/007305/K
Version Date: 08/05/2025
The Prevention and Learning & Development Departments have provided the following information.
- Special Constable Numbers by Patrol Status - October 2024 Please provide the number of Special Constables serving in your force as of the end of October 2024. Where possible, please break this down into the number of APS/DPS Special Constables, and any QSC (irrespective of how many QSC stages have been completed). If your force has not adopted IL4SC, please denote how many officers are IPS or non-IPS.
In October 2024 Devon & Cornwall Police had 177 Special Constables (SCs). The Force has not adopted IL4SC, so of that number 106 were Independent Patrol Status (IPS) and 71 were non-IPS.
Additionally, please note how many officers are currently restricted. If this is not possible due to FOI budgetary requirements, this can be omitted.
This would take the request over fees so has been omitted.
- Comparison to 2019
Please provide the number of Special Constables (irrespective of patrol status or suspension) serving in your force either in October 2019, or at the closest point you can capture data from (please clarify the month where possible).
In October 2019 Devon & Cornwall Police had 274 SCs (170 IPS and 104 non-IPS).
- Use of DutySheet System
Please confirm if your force uses DutySheet, and if so, how much your force is paying DutySheet (this can be an estimated annual cost) for the Special Constabulary. Note this does not include Police Cadets, PSVs or any other DutySheet database.
Devon & Cornwall Police does use Dutysheet. The cost specifically for the Special Constabulary licence is £16,124.96.
The expenses add-on licence is a further £6030.00 but please note that this is shared between SCs and Police Service Volunteers (PSVs).
- Budget for Special Constables
Please could you provide figures as to your annual budget for Special Constables forcewide for the 2024-25 financial year?
£59,150.
- Estimated Cost Savings due to Special Constables If your force has them available, please provide the estimated cost savings your Special Constabulary provides to your force. Note, if the FOI request budget would not allow for this in hours taken to process this request, this question can be omitted.
This would take the request over fees so has been omitted.
- Qualifications and specialty courses
Please provide information as to whether your force currently provides the following training courses to your Special Constables, and if so, what IL4SC (or patrol status) level is required to engage in the course:
- Standard Response
- Advanced Response
Standard and Advanced Response no longer exist. The current driver training is: Emergency Traffic Management (ETM) Basic, ETM Standard and ETM Advanced. All are provided to SCs and require the SC to be Independent Patrol (IP) status.
- Initial Phase Pursuit (IPP)
This forms part of the Advanced course and therefore requires the SC to be IP status.
- Taser
No training provided.
- Method of Entry (forced entry, whether through lockpulling, enforcer or any other forced entry)
Yes (included in Police Support Unit (PSU) Level 2) and requires the SC to be IP status.
- Public Order Level 3
Yes and open to all SCs irrespective of patrol status.
- Public Order Level 2
Yes, and requires the SC to be IP status.