Specials must be saved

THE use of special constables on our streets is an aspect of our system of law and order of which we should be proud. It is heartening to know there are men and women prepared to give up their spare time, for little or no recompense, to help keep our streets safe. In city centres late at night at the weekends, for example, special constables play a crucial role in allowing law-abiding people to enjoy a night out – and a journey home in the small hours – with peace of mind.

Their presence is a reassurance to the public and a help to the full-time police. So the news we report today that some of Scotland's most
senior police officers are predicting the "demise" of special constables is alarming.

The concern is that special constables who also have full-time jobs will fall foul of the European Commission's Working Time Directive, imposing a 48-hour limit on a week's work. This ruling from Brussels is a well-intentioned move aimed at preventing unscrupulous employers exploiting workers by making them work unreasonably long hours. But what it failed to take into account were the cultural traditions that pertain in different parts of the European Union – specifically, the service that thousands of citizens do to the benefit of society through other work.

The Working Time Directive has already posed difficulties for the NHS and the fire service. But the threat to the work of special constables is more than just an administrative headache – it is a threat to a service that keeps people safe. It must be resisted.