Special constables thanked for delivering almost 52,000 volunteering hours
Special constables across Scotland delivered almost £52,000 volunteering hours during the past year.
The officers were thanked at an annual summit at Police Scotland headquarters last weekend.
In total, Police Scotland’s special constables contributed 51,915 volunteering hours during 2025/26.
The two-day annual conference focused on practical policing scenarios, a major crime case study and input from keynote speakers including Dr Kirsty Gillings, Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Lead for Personality Disorder with NHS Tayside.
The annual summit is designed to offer professional development opportunities for all of Police Scotland’s special constables from across the Scottish policing landscape. It was formally opened by Assistant Chief Constable Wendy Middleton.
Ms Middleton said: “Special constables are valued members of the policing family and I thank them for stepping forward to help improve the safety and wellbeing of our communities.
“This conference is an important opportunity to recognise and reflect on the significant contribution our volunteers make to service delivery.
“Collectively, they have delivered a total of 51,915 volunteering hours during 2025/26 in support of frontline policing, major events, roads policing, preventative activity and community based operations.”
She said Police Scotland’s chief constable has been consistently clear on her commitment to support special constables – perhaps in more specialist areas of business, as a route into policing and for those who are community-minded who want to work alongside us and do the best for their local communities.
This year’s conference was opened by Special Constable Jamie Allan of the Association of Special Constabulary Officers. It was also the first time Police Scotland’s youth volunteers took part by contributing to practical scenarios, providing a different dynamic to policing situations for the volunteer officers to work through.