|
 Volunteers Required
From Derek
Marrable, Vice Chairman NARPO (London Branch)
For most of us, the events of last August when
our TV screens were full of fires and rioting mobs are now a distant
memory. Not so for the Met. We are told there is a video databank of over
12,000,000 images that have to be scanned by eye to identify the
criminals concerned.
This is a huge job and there are not enough
staff to do the job in a reasonable time.
In the days after the riots some of you would have seen various
sham Police and Home Office e-mails all asking for us old coppers to
rally to the flag and help the job out. A good few laughs were enjoyed,
until suddenly, it all came true. Around 300 retired Police officers made
spontaneous calls to NSY offering their help and assistance. Some may have
been duped by the dodgy e-mails but most were genuinely offering their
time by volunteering.
As a result a temporary office was set up to
harness this unexpected reserve of man/women power. A meeting was
arranged for those who could fit the hastily collated requirements and
about 47 were allocated various tasks that were mutually agreed. Great
flexibility with days, dates and times were shown by all concerned,
enabling many and varied areas to be covered.
I should mention at this point that NARPO London
Branch’s policy on volunteering is that it supports the scheme when the
need is for emergency help and assistance but not for unpaid volunteers
doing the work that should be done by paid staff. This is a similar
stance to that shown by the Police Federation. Volunteers will be offered
travelling expenses.
There are a number of areas that you can
volunteer to work in. Some require a committed approach and some can be
done on an as and when basis.
Let’s make it clear - you will not be required
to be Shield Trained and join the front line in a demo! There is a need
for Video Images Identification & Detection Officers (VIIDOs), Admin
Support, Investigative Support, Briefing Support and Volunteer Police
Cadet Leaders. It appears that some retired Officers have shown an
interest in becoming Special Constables. The majority of volunteers are
only working for the duration of Operation Withern (Identifying and
dealing with the rioters.) The Cadet Leaders would need to commit
themselves for a reasonable length of time. For those who are unaware,
the current Police Cadet organisation is closer to the Scout and Guide
movement than the Cadet system that was extant during the 1950s, 60s and
70s. They are not employed but are a body of enthusiastic youngsters who
find the Police environment interesting enough to spend several hours a
week learning from and helping their local Officers.
The MPS is now holding a reserve of list of
vetted Volunteers, who will be mobilised if the need arises.
NARPO will be working with the MPS identify
opportunities to provide an administrative process for any possible
future need.
The initial wave of inducting retired Police
Officers to fit the current needs of Operation Withern investigation has
now passed. However, if you wish to become a Met Volunteer or indeed a
Special Constable you can still do so by visiting the following websites:
www.metpolicecareers.co.uk/volunteers
www.metpolicecareers.co.uk/specials
Those who wish to
volunteer should apply directly to the volunteer office at Empress State
Building via the website or by phone: 0845 727 2212.
|
