Police recruitment night attracts those from all walks of life
A charity worker, food developer, student, account manager and full-time dad were among those in attendance for a police recruitment evening in King's Lynn last night.
Norfolk Police are holding Special Constable recruitment events so members of the community can find out about the role and even sign up on the spot.
The Lynn event took place in the Town Hall yesterday evening with further sessions taking place tonight at Downham Town Hall and at Hunstanton Town Hall tomorrow (Thursday, April 25). Both will start at 7pm.
Insp Ben Jarvis, who organised the events, said the police team were looking forward to training locals with a passion for serving the community.
Special Constables have the powers of a police officer, but serve as a volunteer.
They are expected to attend training sessions and commit 16 hours per month to help the local community.
Insp Jarvis said: "One of the lures is that there are challenges you will not face in many other walks of life.
"People may want to make the community better or may want a new direction in life".
Once recruits pass a personal safety training course, they are assigned a mentor to complete an online portfolio with the view to getting them started by the end of this summer.
"I think it's well documented that things are tight and there has been austerity, but things are moving in the right direction for us," Insp Jarvis added.
"No one service can do it on its own. The more partners we get involved, the more things are going to get done".
Training is made up of seven weekends of law and procedure before area training consists of 14 core sessions. It will start on the second week of July.
The probationary period is typically one year, but Insp Jarvis said it's a case of "getting out what you put in".
As for the recruitment process, that involves a bleep test, written exam and interview.
Insp Jarvis continued: "I am really passionate about the Specials because it can be really rewarding.
"It gives you the opportunity to see if you would like to do it full-time by working closely with the team".
Contact King's Lynn Community Engagement Officer Lee Anderton on lee.anderton@norfolk.onn.police.uk if you are interested and could not attend the recruitment event.
