PCC celebrates the dedication of Cambridgeshire’s policing volunteers in Volunteers’ Week

Police and Crime Commissioner Darryl Preston has praised the selfless commitment of policing volunteers across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough as the UK marks Volunteers’ Week.  

The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough PCC said people from all walks of life and backgrounds were playing a critical role in policing locally, helping to keep the public safe, upholding policing standards and ensuring police processes are fair and transparent.  

In joining PCCs and community leaders across the UK to observe Volunteers’ Week, which runs from June 2-8, he paid tribute to the community stalwarts who are regularly sacrificing their leisure time to give back to their neighbourhoods and to keep Cambridgeshire and Peterborough safe.  

Darryl said: “We simply cannot put a price on the commitment and dedication of our army of policing volunteers across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. Collectively, they sacrifice thousands of hours of their leisure time every year to keep our county a safe and welcoming place for all and I cannot thank them enough for their efforts.   

“From our Special Constables and ICVs through to our road safety contributors and Community Scrutiny Panel members, volunteers support the work of the force in so many ways and are vital for building the safer, stronger and more resilient communities we all want to live in.  

“Community spirit is still so relevant today to the health and wellbeing of our communities, and I am truly proud to see it alive and thriving in our county.”  

National Volunteers’ Week is an annual UK-wide campaign, originally launched in 1984, to celebrate and recognise the contributions of volunteers. 

The initiative provides organisations and communities with a platform to thank current and past volunteers for their invaluable efforts, with celebrations highlighting the diversity and unity of volunteer work across the UK. 

Volunteers serve in several areas of policing across Cambridgeshire from monitoring the welfare of detainees in police custody on behalf of the Commissioner’s Independent Custody Visiting (ICV) scheme through to carrying out spot checks to ensure police dogs across the three forces of Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire are being well treated and cared for. 

In other roles, volunteers scrutinise the force’s Use of Force and Stop and Search powers through the PCC’s Community Scrutiny Panel by objectively reviewing incidents through Body Worn Video footage or records to ensure tactics have been properly and ethically exercised in accordance with UK legislation. 

Building trust and confidence in policing is a key priority in the Commissioner’s Police and Crime Plan and he has a whole team of passionate, community-driven volunteers to help him improve transparency and accountability of the force’s work.