Northumbria Police Special Constable recruitment campaign
Tech guru by day, Berwick officer by night!
Meet Miles Hamilton, one of our Special Constables who volunteers for Northumbria Police in his spare time alongside his full-time job working in IT.
Special Constables are volunteer police officers who play a key role in helping to fight crime and keep communities safe. There are more than 130 members of Northumbria’s Special Constabulary, who have the same uniform and same powers as regular officers and deal with the same types of incidents as their colleagues – the only difference is they’re volunteers.
In his full-time role, Miles works as a Principal Consultant for Waracle, an Information Technology company which designs game-changing digital products. Miles describes his day job as ‘challenging’, but in a very different way to being a Special Constable.
In fact, the 62-year-old reveals he finds volunteering with Northumbria Police helps him to become fully absorbed in a different world and gives him a break from his day-to-day work.
Miles’ journey as a Special began five years ago whilst completing other voluntary work with the charity ‘Street Assist’ in Edinburgh city centre. Working on the scheme saw him cross paths with several officers, who suggested he consider a voluntary role with the police.
Intrigued, Miles applied and hasn’t looked back since. He’s now been a Special Constable for more than five years and has brought his skills to Northumbria Police for just over one.
Having been part of Scotland’s Army Reserve until his mid-50s, Miles missed the camaraderie which is a feeling he’s rekindled since becoming a Special. He said: “Northumbria has some extremely knowledgeable officers who champion Special Constables and allow them to fully develop into experienced officers.”
The father of two – and more recently grandfather – says volunteering helps keep him grounded. He said: “I am extremely privileged to be able to be able to volunteer in my spare time. The team I work with is amazing and I find this to be such a stimulating and fulfilling role.
“I’ve found that coming to this position as a slightly more mature applicant has only meant I have more life experience and that has given me the confidence it takes to be a Special.”
But would he encourage others to sign up and volunteer?
“This is the best of both worlds.” Miles said. “In my opinion, this is the best way to experience policing and I’d recommend it to anyone thinking about getting involved.”
“I’ve been doing this for five years and I hope to be doing it for another ten – I won’t be stopping any time soon!”
Do something different after the 9-5. Join Northumbria Police as a Special Constable today: Special Constabulary – Northumbria Police