NCVO RESPONSE

HOME OFFICE CONSULTATION ON

REFORMING THE POWERS OF POLICE STAFF
AND VOLUNTEERS
30 October 2015

Contents
Recommendations ........................................................................................................................ 3
Volunteering: What NCVO believes.............................................................................................. 4
Investment and resourcing ........................................................................................................... 7
A better vision for volunteering in policing .................................................................................. 8

Recommendations
NCVO is the national champion and voice for volunteering in England and we are committed
to supporting, enabling and celebrating volunteering in all its diversity. Established in 1919,
NCVO supports and gives voice to over 11,000 organisations, from large household name
charities to small groups involved in all areas of volunteering and social action at a local level.
NCVO believes volunteering has real potential to support public services. For policing,
volunteering can help deliver a host of benefits, bringing new skills and experiences, and
improved partnership working with communities and other services.
In response to this consultation, we recommend that:

The Home Office drives these reforms based on a clearer vision and strategic
direction for the role of volunteering in the police
The Home Office revises language suggesting equivalence between volunteer roles
and job titles to ensure that it not reflected in legislation, respecting appropriate
distinctions between the nature of paid employment and volunteering
The Home Office considers the impact that these proposals will have on police staff
and existing volunteers, and reviews the expected cost implications to better take
into account the resourcing required to support volunteering
The Home Office issues national guidance that makes establishing principles for
volunteer involvement and standards for good practice the responsibility of Chief
Officers. Guidance should build on existing practical guidance such as the Police
Support Volunteers Toolkit, issued after the 2005 police reforms, it should include:
o Holding consultations with stakeholders and the public before involving
volunteers
o Developing a volunteering policy
o Consulting with staff, unions, volunteers and communities on key principles
for volunteer involvement, including the roles and responsibilities of
volunteers
o Volunteer management good practice
All local police forces consider undertaking the quality standard, Investing in
Volunteers, as a way of enhancing and demonstrating good practice
The Home Office works more closely with Citizens in Policing and the College of
Policing to ensure that these groups are engaged more meaningfully in the
development of volunteering and that good practice and learning to date informs
future strategy and practice.
Police and Crime Commissioners take responsibility for the development of
volunteering in police forces in their area at a strategic level
Police and Crime Commissioners ensure that the volunteering strategy is considered
in police force area budgets, so that it receives adequate resourcing
Local police forces invest in developing key local partnerships to ensure the success
of volunteer development in policing

Volunteering: What NCVO believes

NCVO is committed to supporting volunteering as a powerful force for change. We believe
that the contribution of volunteers to public services and to society as a whole is invaluable.
We advocate to increase the quality, quantity, contribution and accessibility of volunteering,
aiming to remove barriers and ensure that volunteering is kept high on the policy agenda.
We welcome policies and proposals that support the volunteering movement and enable the
potential of volunteering to be realised. We are proud of our position as leaders in
Volunteering Good Practice and Research and we apply our knowledge and experience in a
wide range of contexts to help organisations and their volunteers have the maximum
possible impact.
In policing, we celebrate the valuable role that volunteering has played since the early
nineteenth century in strengthening the police and in community safety. Citizens in Policing,
supported by the College of Policing, also recognises the benefits of citizens involvement in
policing, including increased support for neighbourhood policing, giving communities a
voice, and an opportunity to share responsibility for community safety outcomes. By
engaging volunteers, police forces can also access different and important skills, as is hoped
by these reforms. We welcome this recognition of volunteering and the potential benefits it
could bring to policing, but we are concerned that overall this vision of citizens in policing is
not adequately reflected in these reforms.

Volunteer roles and management

Q2. Do you have any views on the proposed new role titles?
Recommendation: The Home Office revises language suggesting equivalence
between volunteer roles and job titles to ensure that it not reflected in
legislation, respecting appropriate distinctions between the nature of paid
employment and volunteering
Volunteers are already involved in policing in a wide range of roles, from Special Constables
and Police Cadets to victim support and Independent Custody Visitors. In these various
capacities, we recognise how volunteers make a valuable contribution to policing and
community safety. With regards to this consultation, however, we are concerned that
volunteer roles are proposed to be equivalent or mirroring paid roles. In a range of
contexts this has been demonstrated to be an unhelpful starting point for developing
volunteering. Viewing volunteering simply as unpaid labour fails to demonstrate an
understanding of the nature of volunteering and the full value and contribution it can bring.
If volunteering is approached simply as unpaid work, then police forces will fail to capitalise
on the added value that volunteering can bring. Creating volunteer and paid roles that are
equivalent fails to appreciate the differences between paid work and volunteering,
specifically how volunteering can add value. Involving volunteers rather than employing

staff has various benefits, including: unsalaried credibility, objectivity, luxury of focus,
freedom to criticise and ability to experiment (IVR, 2011). A more effective approach would
be task-led and one which takes into consideration the tasks that need to be completed and
the skills and experience volunteers have to offer and how this can improve the outcomes of
the service. One of the benefits of involving volunteers identified in the proposed reforms is
the broad range of additional and specialist skills. Whilst these skills may not fit into roles
traditionally undertaken by volunteers or by staff, they could really help enhance the service.
New or enhanced involvement of volunteers in the police should start with an examination
of the skills, experiences, motivations and value that volunteering can bring, and how best
their contribution can be harnessed alongside that of paid staff. Volunteer-led role
development can also be a significant way to collaborate meaningfully with volunteers in
order to ensure mutual benefit for policing and volunteers. Volunteer involvement is a
balance between meeting the needs or an organisation and those of individual volunteers.
This type of approach has also been shown to better support volunteer recruitment and
retention.
We need to develop a police service for the future that capitalises on all the resources
available in our communities, which includes paid staff, volunteers and pro-bono support. In
some cases this may lead to a change in the balance between staff and volunteer roles in
policing. A change in the balance between staff and volunteer roles will need to be handled
carefully and developed in consultation with stakeholders, particularly with existing staff and
volunteers if changes are to be sustainable. At the moment, the language of equivalence
poses a risk of damaging relations between paid staff and volunteers, especially considering
the sensitive context of reduced funding to police services and the consequential reduction
in numbers of police staff. In order for the reforms to deliver better policing for
communities both volunteers and staff will need to work effectively alongside each other,
and ensuring these relationships are built on understanding and trust will be essential to
achieving this. Relations between paid staff and volunteers can be supported by good
procedures, clarity of respective roles, mutual trust and support. Time and care must be
taken to develop collaboratively a set of principles and practical guidance for volunteer
involvement in policing. The development of these principles and guidance should draw on
existing learning and good practice from within policing but also other areas of public
services. As an example, the National Association of Voluntary Service Managers have
developed their own best practice principles and guidelines for volunteering in the NHS.
Positive relations between paid staff and volunteers have been nurtured in the
establishment or extension of other volunteering programmes with success including Kings
College Hospital (Nesta, 2014) and the Natural History Museum (IVR, 2008).

Recommendation: The Home Office considers the impact that these proposals
will have on police staff and existing volunteers, and reviews the expected
cost implications to better take into account the resourcing required to
support volunteering
In order to ensure the sustainability of the approach, further attention should be devoted to
better understanding of volunteer recruitment. The proposals suggest that the status and
powers associated with existing roles is a barrier to recruiting volunteers. However, we feel

that this analysis fails to demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of barriers to

volunteering. National data shows that the main barriers to formal volunteering on a regular
basis are work commitments and home commitments (UK Civil Society Almanac 2015). From
our knowledge and experience, the current proposals do not take a sustainable approach to
the recruitment and retention of volunteers. A lack of a range of roles and opportunities for
people to get involved could also limit the diversity of volunteers that could be recruited,
which could impact on developing a volunteer base that reflects the diversity of the
communities it serves.
Current trends in volunteering also suggest that volunteers are demanding more flexible
ways to volunteer that give them more power and control, and suit them and their lifestyles.
A limited volunteering offer that consists of predominantly regular roles may have
limitations in attracting a diverse range of people and could be limiting the number of those
able or willing to get involved. When extending the scope and nature of volunteering, these
are important considerations to make when developing new roles as they will affect the
success and sustainability of the scheme as a whole.
Volunteering can play an integral role in delivering and supporting public services, but all
volunteering and volunteers in formal settings need management and support. North
Yorkshire police have recognised the challenges of providing new volunteers with adequate
support, with Superintendent Phil Cain describing the need to train and support new recruits
as not only time consuming, but physically and emotionally demanding (North Yorkshire
Police, 2015). In response, the Initial Posting Unit (IPU) was set up to better manage,
support and train newly recruited volunteers, and aims to improve retention. Established
and run by police volunteers themselves, who were recognised in the 2015 Lord Ferrers
Awards this year, the IPU already achieved impressive results, including giving volunteers
more knowledge and confidence and delivering highly motivated volunteers; increased
numbers of volunteers on duty; quicker progression to independent patrols; and increased
support for paid staff. This project not only demonstrates the importance of adequate and
appropriate management and support, but also exemplifies the potential for volunteers to
be part of the solution.

Recognising, supporting and investing in volunteer management is essential to unlocking the

potential of volunteering. Effective and adequately resourced volunteer management
underpinned by a clear strategic direction can ensure that volunteering can be better
aligned with the strategic objectives of police forces in local areas, and the full impact of the
changes on the experience and operational role of volunteers will be better understood. This
is well recognised as good practice and is a key indicator within the UK wide quality standard
Investing in Volunteers, which is held by over 800 organisations including the Offices of the
Police and Crime Commissioners in Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire. The importance of
volunteer management has also been recognised in other services as demonstrated by the
development of professional networks for volunteer managers, for example the National
Association of Voluntary Service Managers that supports volunteer managers in the NHS and
the Association of Voluntary Service Managers for volunteer managers in hospices and
palliative care. Finally, for this to be successful, the police will need to develop a structure for
managing and supporting the development of volunteering, which has influence at the
highest, strategic level right down to local delivery.

Recommendation: The Home Office issues national guidance that makes

establishing principles for volunteer involvement and standards for good
practice the responsibility of Chief Officers. Guidance should build on existing
practical guidance such as the Police Support Volunteers Toolkit, issued after
the 2005 police reforms, it should include:
Holding consultations with stakeholders and the public before involving
volunteers
Developing a volunteering policy
Consulting with staff, unions, volunteers and communities on key
principles for volunteer involvement, including the roles and
responsibilities of volunteers
Volunteer management good practice
Recommendation: All local police forces consider undertaking the quality
standard, Investing in Volunteers, as a way of enhancing and demonstrating
good practice

Investment and resourcing

Volunteering is of immense value to society and to the people who take part, but its not
cost free. It requires investment to flourish in all contexts and across sectors. NCVO is
concerned that the proposed reforms do not take this into account. We suggest further
consideration of the work that needs to be done to identify the level of resource required to
implement the proposals and where this resource will come from. The consultation
document mentions certain costs associated with volunteering, namely issuing uniforms and
delivering training. This does not capture the depth of support and associated resourcing
that volunteering requires to have significant impact.

Volunteer management and support, requires adequate resourcing both in terms of financial
investment and sufficient human resources (including training and development for such
roles). Police forces will need to develop their capacity to manage volunteers, starting with
those directly engaged in volunteer management; but appreciation of the importance of this
role and the skills and competencies required (as identified in the National Occupational
Standards for Managing Volunteers) will need to extend throughout the force, including
chief officers and senior leadership.

Recommendation: Police and Crime Commissioners ensure that the

volunteering strategy is considered in police force area budgets, so that it
receives adequate resourcing

A better vision for volunteering in policing

This consultation recognises the potential of volunteering to deliver better policing and an
enhanced service to the public, but the development of volunteering in policing needs to be
driven by a clear vision and strategic direction. The proposals at this stage fail to fully
articulate what role the reforms will play in moving towards a different and improved model
of policing beyond how it may offer forces greater flexibility. It does not identify the wider
social value of involving volunteers in policing, instead focusing on how this could help to
reduce costs. Volunteers are currently engaged in different and complementary roles that
tap into such benefits. We know that thousands of people give their time to crime
prevention and community safety through a wealth of different initiatives, such as the
Special Constabulary, Street Pastors, Crime Stoppers and victim support. Volunteering can
help police forces tackle the budget challenge, but the added value and contribution to
delivering a better integrated and more cohesive service is more valuable.
A better vision and strategic direction for the role of volunteering in policing should identify
some clear outcomes for what these developments hope to achieve. For example, how will
they enable policing to be more community focused and lead to better outcomes for
communities?

Recommendation: The Home Office drives these reforms based on a clearer

vision and strategic direction for the role of volunteering in the police
Recommendation: The Home Office works more closely with Citizens in
Policing and the College of Policing to ensure that these groups are engaged
more meaningfully in the development of volunteering and that good practice
and learning to date informs future strategy and practice.
Recommendation: Police and Crime Commissioners take responsibility for the
development of volunteering in police forces in their area at a strategic level

Community links
At NCVO, we know that volunteers can help public services, including the police, forge new
or improved links with communities. Citizens in Policing also identifies greater community
involvement in policing as a potential benefit of involving volunteers. Building on this, these
reforms should recognise and seek to capitalise on the full range of possible benefits of
involving volunteers, including:

Greater community involvement and a stronger voice for communities

Information and intelligence exchange
Neighbourhood policing and partnership working

We know from other sectors that volunteering can help build a closer relationship between
services and communities, for instance, in health and social care; the Kings Fund have been
exploring how volunteering can help bridge the current gap between services and
communities, and develop services that are more responsive to local needs.
By involving volunteers, police forces can acquire new skills, but they also have the
opportunity to listen to and better understand local needs, which in turn provides the
possibility for more localised response to communities needs.
Recruitment is one way local police forces can begin to develop relationships with
communities, particularly by recruiting volunteers from diverse backgrounds. This is
something that forces have already been doing successfully in some cases, better
reflecting the diversity of communities through their volunteers rather than paid staff (RSA,
2015) and should be building on.
In itself, volunteering can build community capacity to help healthy, resilient communities
(JIVE, 2015) better able to meet the challenges they face.

Culture change
Achieving a better vision for volunteering in policing, however, will require buy in and
support from leadership and will demand a culture change across the organisation. Police
staff and leaders will need to work differently. Staff and volunteers within policing will need
an understanding of volunteering and its potential and a practical understanding of how
volunteering works, volunteer management and good practice. They will also need to work
more collaboratively, not just with volunteers but with others in their communities.
Volunteering can play an important role in the development of a new generation of public
services that are user-led, co-produced and provide value for money. However, for
volunteering to play a meaningful part in this vision, volunteers must be able to influence the
wider service, which will require further cultural change (NEF, 2014).

Partnership working
The skills, competencies and experience required to deliver this vision do not exist within the
police force alone. Public services will need to work in partnership with community
organisations, charities and local government. This will ensure that changes maximise the
use of local knowledge and community assets.
The Pegasus scheme in Nottinghamshire, which enables people who are vulnerable or have
disabilities to more easily contact blue light services, is an excellent example of how
volunteers can bring new skills and experiences that delivers benefits to the police, other
services and the communities they serve. Developed by volunteer Chris Channon MBE,
winner of the 2014 Lord Ferrers awards, this innovative idea was developed within
Nottinghamshire police and was introduced across all three emergency services in the area.
In relation to partnership working, we particularly highlight the importance of local
Volunteer Centres and volunteering infrastructure to the successful development of
volunteering in the police at a local level. Volunteer Centres have significant reach and
knowledge at a local level; assets that will be crucial to the success of police forces engaging
sustainably with all sections of communities in their policing. This knowledge and reach is
combined within Volunteer Centres with local trust and expertise in volunteer management
including recruitment of volunteers; creation of volunteer opportunities; diversity; and
community engagement. Local infrastructure are therefore well placed to help develop
volunteer roles that meet the needs of local communities and the police but currently more
could be done to develop these relationships. A wider discussion is required in order to
establish a sustainable way to resource the support that infrastructure can provide to the
development of volunteering in public services.
Volunteering can also help public services to better address the question of better
integrated services. Learning about effective partnership working could be shared, for
example, local Fire and Rescue Services are working successfully, complementing other
services and involving volunteers (LGA).The recent report from the Public Accounts
Committee, The financial sustainability of police forces in England and Wales, expressed
concern that policing was responding to shortfalls in other services and facing the
repercussions of cost shunting from other government departments, highlighting the
pressures on services and the need for a more integrated approach. Other studies have also
recommended integrated approaches to reducing crime, including the Police Foundation
(2013), which recommended that the limited resources of police be used to engage with
local communities and other agencies to reduce crime. Considering this context and the
reality of modern policing, we believe that volunteers can play a significant role in tackling
these challenges. The Safer Sutton Partnership Service, a joint police and local council
service, is a promising example of collaborative working - involving volunteers as part of the
team, this project has cut crime in addition to demonstrating greater public accountability
for services, improving community confidence, and helping give a greater sense of shared
ownership for community safety issues (RSA, 2015). This type of approach requires strong
leadership and vision.

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Recommendation: Local police forces invest in developing key local

partnerships to ensure the success of volunteer development in policing

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