15 September 2026: PCC calls for rule change to allow people to have time off work to volunteer as police officers
Birmingham: People should be given the right to take unpaid time off work so they can volunteer as police officers, the region’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Simon Foster, has said.
Simon Foster has backed a Government proposal to recognise Special Constables as Section 50 workers – a move which would require eligible employers to grant unpaid leave to allow them to carry out duties that benefit the public.
Special Constables are unpaid volunteers who give their own time to support West Midlands Police, bringing warranted policing powers alongside their professional skills, knowledge and experience. The PCC says giving them greater flexibility to volunteer would strengthen neighbourhood policing and help deliver the Government’s ambition to put more officers into communities.
West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster said: “I am supportive of the government’s proposal for Special Constables to be added to this list – indeed it is long overdue.
“I have been calling for this change in the law for some time and I am pleased the government is now supporting this. Special Constables bring skills, knowledge, experience and warranted powers to the service of their local area and its people, for free.
“Many volunteer for a number of years, if not decades, giving hours a month, and receiving only a minimal payment for expenses in exchange.
“They truly are exceptional people and they make an exceptional contribution to society.”
The PCC formally responded to a government consultation backing the plans.
He added: “There are a number of similar individuals who currently receive time off during their working hours, in order to perform the duties of their office: local authority councillors, members of prison visiting committees and members of an Integrated Care Board (ICB).
“It is appropriate and welcome that these individuals receive this recognition. However, in order to promote the achievement of the plans to deliver the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee and deliver a total of 13,000 additional officers, including Special Constables, into neighbourhood policing, it is an appropriate time to add Special Constables to this list.
“The government’s Neighbourhood Guarantee will be at serious risk of not being achieved without this amendment. In the West Midlands, we currently have around 165 Special Constables, not all of those are in employment, and many are retired.
“If we were to consider that 125 were in employment and gave 16 hours per month of support in their local area, this would result in asking employers to support a little over 24,000 hours a year across the 2.9M population of the West Midlands. This will not fetter, either the efficiency or the productivity of the workforce of the West Midlands to a significant degree, and it will not have a detrimental effect on economic development.
“However, it will contribute significantly to preventing and tackling crime, promoting community safety and keeping the people and communities of the West Midlands safe and secure, all of which will contribute positively to economic development.”
