Special police make a difference

8:00am Friday 10th October 2008

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A LAB worker by day and a special officer by night may sound like the profile of a superhero.

But for 27-year-old lab technician Andy Shields it is his normal working week as a volunteer police officer for Warrington Town Centre NPU.

Andy, who joined the Special Constabulary last January, has an impressive record of arrests under his belt and has risen through the ranks to become a Special Sergeant.

He said: “Some people think we’re mad because we do a full time job as well but being a Special is a really good way to see if joining the police force is something you want to do while making a difference to people’s lives.”

Specials have the same powers of arrest as regular officers and work alongside police officers carrying out the same operations from drug-busts and dealing with anti-social behaviour to emergency response.

Andy was working as a Special the night of Garry Newlove’s murder in August, last year which he said was the most emotional shift of his career to date.

“I was on patrol with the targeted patrol team who responded to the incident and one of my colleagues arrested one of the suspects,” he said.

“Later that night there was a report of an armed incident and after that I dealt with allegations of a rape made by a young girl.

“I finally got home at 8am after already working a full shift in my day job but the adrenaline saw me through.”

Special Sergeant Jacquie Starkey, pictured left, who is based at Risley, was also working on the night of Mr Newlove’s murder and was one of the first officers on the scene minutes after he was attacked by a gang of yobs.

The 41-year-old mother-of-three has since received the prestigious Ferrers Trophy – a top national award for Specials – for her actions and in tackling anti-social behaviour in the aftermath of Mr Newlove’s death.

Jacquie, who is a child minder and has been in the Specials for four years, said: “I was on patrol with PC Griffiths and when the call came in at 10.55pm we were by the bridge where Garry Newlove was lying.

“I went straight to give him first aid and managed to get a pulse while my colleague went to detain a suspect.”

Jacquie stayed with Mr Newlove until medics arrived, then worked to secure the scene and took accounts from witnesses.

She added: “Receiving the Ferrers Trophy was fantastic. I hadn’t realised how big of a deal it was. There were some amazing people there to get awards, including one woman who had been a Special for 40 years.

“To be a Special you have got to be interested in helping people. More often than not you are sent to work in your community so you know what the problems are and you can do something about them.”

Specials receive three months’ training before walking the beat and are expected to serve a minimum of 4.5 hours a week.

Special Inspector Nigel Balding, of Warrington Town Centre NPU, added: “I’m a software engineer and we have Specials from all walks of life, from architects and vets to teachers.

“Being a Special has great rewards. You get out there and make a difference. You can grab hold of someone about to jump off a bridge or you can pick kids off the street who are drinking under age and take them back to their parents.

“But every day there is something that can be done to help someone.”

Both Andy and Jacquie will be joining the regular police force later this month.

For further information about joining the Special Constabulary, contact Tina Shelton on 01244 614026.