Next Steps

Now more than ever, the need for volunteers within policing is not only recognised but seen as a priority in terms of service delivery, community engagement and youth empowerment. We also recognise its value in helping support our aims under Policing Together to become a diverse and representative organisation.

Special Police Constables now have an established and more streamlined supported route into the service and we will build on the delivery plan, albeit cognisant of the internal and external factors that have impacted on the initial timetable.

Police Scotland Youth Volunteers are one of our most impactful preventative role models we have. They deliver real prevention activity on the ground, whether it be as positive role models or peer educators to the delivery of prevention messages to all our local communities. This is recognised by the service and we are working to bolster their formal accreditation for both adult and youth volunteers, with the aim of ensuring they are equipped to be employees of choice in their chosen career path.

Our clear ambition is to continue to enable, develop and increase volunteering opportunities right across the organisation, and we recognise and value the evolving nature of volunteering over the last ten years nationally. This is evidenced in our commitment to the PSYV programme, which continues to be incredibly successful and is underpinned by a large number of adult and youth volunteers, working alongside and complementary to a more traditional Special Constable model. Combined, we are fortunate to have more than 1500 individuals from a wide variety of diverse backgrounds and walks of life volunteering their time, life experience, and passion with Police Scotland.

Our focused activity in pursuit of this ambition, includes the following key activities -
Employer Support Programme – we will continue to engage with local and national partners to gain their support in enhancing community wellbeing through volunteering;
Seldom Heard Communities – we will continue to engage directly with and learn from with individuals or groups who often feel marginalised, and can have an active role in policing through the volunteering opportunities open to them; and
Officer Return Opportunities – we will examine more flexible and accessible volunteering models for those leaving the service as police officers to return in a volunteering capacity, which makes best use of their skills and experience.

Police Scotland and its dedicated Volunteer Co-ordination Unit, remain the central function to drive and maintain all these efforts with formal governance structures and Executive support in place.